Tennessee governor opts state out of $300 unemployment supplement from pandemic effective in July

Governor Bill Lee announces Tennessee is opting out the state out of a $300 weekly unemployment supplement provided by the federal government last year as part of the CARES Act installed during the pandemic crisis.

Tennessee is among a handful of states that are leaving the extra funds with the incentive of getting more people back to work instead of receiving what Lee called a short-term federal fix.

Lee told federal labor officials that Tennessee will end their benefits in July. He also noted that there are currently more than a quarter-million jobs ready to be filled in the state.