Last Saturday marked the beginning states rejecting additional federal funds to pay unemployment premiums to those who’ve yet to return to work as four states (Alaska, Iowa, Mississippi and Missouri) stopped the bonus as of June 12. All told, 25 states will actually cease the payments before the formal federal expiration scheduled for September 6. As the labor shortage continues to wreak havoc on small businesses, another eight states (Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming) will cease paying the premium as of this week, while the remaining 13 will follow suit on a weekly basis through July 10. Furthermore, at least six states (Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Montana, New Hampshire and Oklahoma) have converted use of the federal unemployment bonus money (which came from the American Rescue Plan Act) into back-to-work bonuses ranging from $500 to $2,000 in one-time payments, while still others are entertaining the idea of such an incentive program. Interestingly, according to a Scott Rasmussen poll from early this month, 71% of Americans support ending the pandemic premium.