Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) signed a bill on June 16 which provided for the early termination of the $300 unemployment payments from the federal government. The new law raises the state’s maximum weekly unemployment benefit but only goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2021, if Edwards ends the state’s participation in the federal enhanced unemployment benefits program by July 31. Republicans and business groups had agreed to support a $28 increase to the weekly state unemployment check amount—to a maximum of $275 a week— only if the governor agreed to cut off Louisiana’s involvement with the $300 federal unemployment payments. Some Republicans blame the federal unemployment boost for keeping workers on the sidelines, resulting in a wealth of open jobs but no workers to fill them. The governor’s signature, announced without comment in a batch of bill signings on Wednesday, makes him one of the first Democrats to end the …