Raleigh, NC – North Carolina House Majority Leader John Bell led a letter with sixty of his Republican colleagues in calling on Governor Roy Cooper to reinstate unemployment work search requirements.

While the Governor’s March 1, 2021 executive order did reinstate this requirement for “new claimants,” it was not extended to all individuals currently receiving unemployment benefits.

“In our districts, we continue to hear from small business owners who are unable to fill new jobs,” the letter states. “We believe reinstating work search requirements is a common-sense step to help connect the unemployed with new job opportunities.

“With our state now fully reopened, it is imperative that we encourage North Carolinians to explore current job openings and utilize reemployment resources. This will help the unemployed while addressing the growing number of job openings across the state that are not being filled.”

The full letter can be found online here and below.

Dear Governor Cooper,

With your recently announced decision to end COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, particularly with the hospitality industry, we are writing to strongly urge you to reinstate unemployment work search requirements.

While your March 1, 2021 executive order did reinstate this requirement for “new claimants,” it should also be extended to all individuals currently receiving unemployment benefits.

The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) reports that restaurants in North Carolina are down about 70,000 workers—roughly 17% of the industry’s workforce—compared to before the pandemic.

Furthermore, there are 250,000 people in North Carolina currently receiving unemployment benefits each week, according to the state Department of Commerce. Yet, North Carolina’s workforce system, NCWorks, lists over 200,000 current job openings in the state, and this does not include every opening since not all employers utilize the system.

In our districts, we continue to hear from small business owners who are unable to fill new jobs. We believe reinstating work search requirements is a common-sense step to help connect the unemployed with new job opportunities.

With our state now fully reopened, it is imperative that we encourage North Carolinians to explore current job openings and utilize reemployment resources. This will help the unemployed while addressing the growing number of job openings across the state that are not being filled.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Respectfully,

Rep. John Bell

Rep. Dean Arp

Rep. Kristin Baker, M.D.

Rep. Jamie Boles

Rep. John Bradford

Rep. Mark Brody

Rep. Dana Bumgardner

Rep. Jerry Carter

Rep. Mike Clampitt

Rep. George Cleveland

Rep. Ted Davis

Rep. Jimmy Dixon

Rep. Jeffrey Elmore

Rep. John Faircloth

Rep. Karl Gillespie

Rep. Ed Goodwin

Rep. Dudley Greene

Rep. Destin Hall

Rep. Kyle Hall

Rep. Bobby Hanig

Rep. Jon Hardister

Rep. Kelly Hastings

Rep. Chris Humphrey

Rep. Pat Hurley

Rep. Frank Iler

Rep. Jake Johnson

Rep. Brenden Jones

Rep. Keith Kidwell

Rep. Donny Lambeth

Rep. Pat McElraft

Rep. Jeffrey McNeely

Rep. Allen McNeill

Rep. Charlie Miller

Rep. Grey Mills

Rep. Tim Moffitt

Rep. Ben Moss

Rep. Erin Paré

Rep. Howard Penny

Rep. Ray Pickett

Rep. Larry Pittman

Rep. Mark Pless

Rep. Larry Potts

Rep. Dennis Riddell

Rep. Jason Saine

Rep. John Sauls

Rep. Phil Shepard

Rep. Carson Smith

Rep. Sarah Stevens

Rep. Larry Strickland

Rep. John Szoka

Rep. John Torbett

Rep. Steve Tyson

Rep. Harry Warren

Rep. Sam Watford

Rep. Diane Wheatley

Rep. Donna McDowell White

Rep. David Willis

Rep. Matthew Winslow

Rep. Larry Yarborough

Rep. Lee Zachary

Rep. Jeff Zenger