Iowans sue Gov. Kim Reynolds over canceled federal unemployment benefits

A group of Iowans are suing Gov. Kim Reynolds over her decision to end a set of federal unemployment benefit programs early, saying they — and other eligible Iowans — should be paid the money.

Reynolds, a Republican, ended Iowa's participation in three federal pandemic unemployment programs in June — nearly three months before they were supposed to expire.

Those programs extended unemployment to more workers and provided an extra $300 per week to unemployed workers like Crystal Marciniak, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

Marciniak worked at a northern Iowa hog farm for five years before taking time off for carpal tunnel surgery in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, according to the lawsuit. When COVID-19 delayed her return to work, she started receiving the federal unemployment benefits, which are administered by the state.

Read more: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2021/08/25/gov-kim-reynolds-sued-ending-federal-unemployment-benefit-programs-iowa-class-action-cares-act/5574521001/