ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia labor commissioner Michael Thurmond says unemployment benefits will rise by $25 a week in the state.
The boost comes from an infusion in federal stimulus money and will bring the average weekly unemployment check in Georgia to $292. The maximum check will rise to $355.
Thurmond and Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a memorandum of agreement to accept a portion of the money Friday.
Perdue suggested over the weekend at a meeting of the National Governor's Association that he might not accept the federal stimulus money for unemployment because it could cost the state down the road. He had already signed the deal to accept some of the federal cash.
Perdue spokesman Bert Brantley says the governor signed off on the increase in weekly benefits because it comes at no cost to the state. The governor is still studying the cost of accepting other streams of federal stimulus cash to see what money the state should take.
Georgia is eligible for about $220 million in federal stimulus dollars to prop up the state's unemployment insurance fund. It's part of the $787 billion stimulus package that is expected to ultimately funnel billions of dollars to Georgia.
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