“I swore then and there if I was going to put my time, blood, sweat and tears into another job it would be for my own company,” she said.
After Tuesday’s announcement, though, she said she’s worried about becoming “yet another statistic” as a “minority female-owned business gone under.”
Debra Taylor of Rolla said she also needs a little more runway.
Her hours were cut at a local retailer last year and have yet to fully come back, and she said the $300-per-week boost to unemployment checks have helped her stay in her house.
She said the money has also given her a little breathing room to try to get a better job that really matches her skills, like the executive assistant position she held for nearly 20 years before she was laid off and waylaid by multiple family emergencies.
She’s hoping that nearby Missouri University of Science and Technology will be hiring after increased state aid comes in this summer, but she’s not sure if she can make it until then.
She’s already tapped retirement, and the electric bill can only go on the credit card so many times.
“I could use a little more time and a little more hope, and they’re pulling the rug out from me,” she said.
Kelli Jones, a spokeswoman for the governor, dismissed concerns on Wednesday afternoon and said the move would help Missouri recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Read More: ‘I have no idea what I’m going to do’: Missouri’s unemployment cuts put