LANSING (AP) -- Michigan lawmakers have approved a bill that would allow thousands of jobless residents to continue receiving extended federal unemployment benefits while cutting the length of state-level benefits for future filers.
The bill was approved, mostly along party lines in both the Republican-led House and Senate, on Wednesday and next goes to Governor Rick Snyder.
An estimated 150,000 unemployed people in Michigan would lose the federal benefits extended for up to 20 weeks unless the state approves a technical change contained in the bill. Benefits for some would expire in April.
Democrats were angered because the bill also makes a permanent reduction to the length of time people filing for unemployment could receive state-level benefits beginning in 2012.
The number of weeks would drop from 26 to 20.
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