Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) introduced HR 3307, the Help Wanted Act, to the House of Representatives this week, a bill to eliminate the additional $300/week in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC). Under current law, the program runs through September. HR 3307 would end the program 14 days after it’s signed into law.

More than 20 states, including Oklahoma, have already made decisions at the state level to opt out of the additional $300/week in federal aid and incentivize workers to return to the workforce.

“Everywhere you look, ‘help wanted’ signs are in windows,” said Rep. Hern. “More than a year after COVID-19 shutdowns began, our small businesses are still struggling to recover. Local restaurants, shops, gas stations, and more are struggling to hire employees because workers are still incentivized to stay home. It’s all connected – daycares and schools aren’t back to normal operations, so parents have to be home with their kids. It’s easier to accept FPUC for the flexibility to be home with your kids than to return to work and figure out what to do with your kids. As a result, businesses can’t hire enough staff to return to normal operations, and the circle continues. We will never return to ‘normal’ as long as we are incentivizing workers to stay out of the workforce.”

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