A group of Texans assisting each other in two Facebook groups are suing to prevent Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton from opting out of a COVID-19 pandemic relief program that added an extra $300 to their weekly unemployment pay.
The group’s bid for a temporary restraining order was shut down Friday afternoon. David Sibley, the attorney working with the Facebook groups, said in an email that his clients plan to continue their legal fight.
Travis County District Judge Dustin Howell did not provide reasons for ruling against a temporary halt, Sibley said.
Last month, Abbott said the state was ending its participation in the enhanced benefits as of Saturday, June 26, two months before the added payments are to end nationally.
The lawsuit, filed in Travis County, alleges that the Texas constitution does not give Abbott the authority to make this decision alone, but instead requires a determination by the Texas Workforce Commission. TWC is the state agency that processes unemployment claims and pays out benefits.
Abbott “exceeded his power” in opting out of the program, according to the lawsuit.
Both the TWC and Abbott’s office did not respond to requests for comments.
The two groups, Texas Unemployment Updates and Unemployment Petition and Peaceful Protest, contain over 30,000 members combined.
The decision to halt the program followed increasing pressure from the Texas Association of Business and more than three dozen other business groups to end the extra payments, arguing that they were “disincentivizing” Texans from seeking employment.
Texas’s unemployment rate is 6.7 percent as of May 21, a fall from 6.9 percent in April. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 960,000 Texans were unemployed as of March.
Texas is among 26 states that opted to end enhanced payments early. Lawsuits also have been filed in Maryland and Indiana. The Florida Phoenix reported this week that advocates also are considering legal action against the Florida governor if his decision is not reversed.
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Texans sue to stop state from exiting federal program paying extra $300 in unemployment - The Dallas Morning News
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