Lawmakers said help is on the way for those affected economically from the coronavirus after Congress passed a $2.2 trillion relief bill last week.
The bill provides a one-time check of up to $1,200 dollars for some Americans.
Out of work Floridians can get up to $275 dollars in reemployment benefits from the state. Democratic Congressman Darren Soto said the bill will provide an additional $600 a week, for the next four months.
“We’ve stepped up on the federal level and hope our state partners will step up as well. They certainly will have additional funding billions of dollars coming into the state budget to help them do so we encourage them to do so,” said Soto.
Coronavirus shutdowns caused a record-number of Floridians to apply for benefits — which has prompted delays for applicants. Soto is calling on the Florida government to bolster the state’s unemployment benefits system.
“There’s two multi-billion dollar funds that the state of Florida can tap into for implementing the various aspects of this bill. I encourage Governor Desantis and the legislature as well as the cabinet to approve additional hires to take on this incredible volume.”
Earlier this month, more than 3 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits in the course of a week — smashing the previous record. The numbers exceeded 70,000 in Florida.
