Democratic Gov. Janet Mills authorized the payment, which differs from financial relief Americans are set to receive in the new federal coronavirus relief package. The Maine Department of Labor distributed the state payments to about 40,000 people on Monday.
The state used $25.2 million in federal coronavirus aid to make the payments. Mills has said the payments differ from unemployment benefits, and are intended to help residents who were likely to exhaust or lose benefits from federal unemployment programs.
Maine Department of Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman said the state will also “work to implement any federal changes to unemployment programs as quickly as possible after they are passed into law.”
Copyright AP - Associated Press
