Indiana may be forced to reinstate federal unemployment benefits following a hearing in Superior Court on Wednesday where groups argued for an emergency injunction to stop the state from ending those benefits.

Indiana legal groups said the state is violating its own law which says it must give citizens all rights and benefits of federal laws.

The requirements are normal, but were waived for more than a year as a form of pandemic relief.

The data is preliminary, but may show a slight slowing in economic recovery from the ongoing pandemic.

The Indiana AFL-CIO is criticizing Gov. Eric Holcomb's decision to withdraw the state from federal programs providing an extra $300 in weekly payments to unemployed workers and expanded jobless benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a little less than a month, Indiana will stop payments of all federal unemployment benefits in hopes it will force workers to fill vacant jobs.

Starting June 19, Indiana will no longer pay an extra $300 in federal benefits each week for all unemployment claims. It will also completely end benefit programs for people who are self-employed or gig workers that roughly 70,000 Hoosiers are accessing.

As Hoosiers wait to find out whether the governor will cut off extra federal unemployment benefits, Republican legislative leaders say it's time to get the system back to the pre-pandemic normal.

After businesses complained they can't find enough people to keep their doors open Indiana is set to become the latest state to bring back a requirement that unemployed workers will have to actively search for jobs to get benefits.

Gov. Eric Holcomb said he will require out-of-work Hoosiers to actively search for jobs to remain on unemployment benefits.