Rep. McNally, Democrats Urge Governor, Attorney General to Accept, Release $900M in Unused Federal Unemployment Funds

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Lauren McNally (D-Youngstown) today joined the Ohio House Democratic Caucus in sending a letter to Governor Mike DeWine and Attorney General Dave Yost urging them to not appeal Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Holbrook’s ruling that the governor violated a statue in 2021 when he refused to accept $900M in federal unemployment during the pandemic. The ruling, if not appealed by the attorney general and if the funds are distributed by the governor, means 300K Ohio families will be eligible for meaningful financial support.

“Everyone’s bills are going up, but wages aren’t, even if they’ve returned to work after the pandemic. Now would be a great time to put money back in people’s pockets to help cover costs,” said Rep. McNally. “This is money that has already been spent by the federal government and all our state has to do is claim it and give it to the people who need it most. This benefit was made for them. I hope everyone does the right thing here.”

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, unemployment in Youngstown declined across industries, resulting in a 15.4% drop in employment. Many struggled with access to benefits, rental assistance, and meeting basic needs while several across Ohio were subject to overpayment penalties by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. Then-State Representative Michele Lepore-Hagan of Ohio’s 58th district issued a letter to the agency, noting the high volume of calls from Youngstown and the need for timely PUA benefits.

Roughly 320K people filed a class action lawsuit for the original payments denied by the governor in 2021. In the height of the pandemic, $3K could have helped many struggling Ohioans, and still can now.