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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW)– Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the state will stop participating in the federal supplemental unemployment benefits program on June 26.

The governor said the additional $300-a-week payments are hindering the state’s ability to recovery economically as businesses across the state struggle to fill vacant positions.

“The federal assistance, that extra $300 a week in federal pandemic unemployment compensation, is, in some cases, certainly discouraging people from going back at this point in time. The assistance was always, always intended to be temporary,” DeWine said.

He did not present data to support this claim, but Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted provided anecdotal evidence.

DeWine said the June 26 date will give people time to receive the COVID-19 vaccination before heading back to work.

He said his administration will inform the U.S. Department of Labor.

More than a dozen other states, including Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, are also opting out of the program in June.