GRAND RAPIDS – U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow urged Gov. Rick Snyder to veto legislation that would reduce the number of weeks Michigan residents could obtain unemployment insurance.

Under a Republican proposal this week, out-of-work residents would be able to collect 20 weeks of jobless benefits, instead of 26. Stabenow said it would make Michigan the only state in the country to cut unemployment benefits before the 26-week limit.

“In Michigan, almost all of us have friends, neighbors or family members who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, and we should not be changing the rules on them in the middle of a crisis,” she said in a statement.

I’ve talked with so many Michigan parents who are relentlessly trying to find work and go to bed every night with a pit in their stomach wondering if they'll keep their homes and be able to care for their kids. Working people who've played by the rules did not cause this crisis but they're bearing the brunt of it.”

The shortened eligibility period, which would take effect next year, came in a package that allowed a 20-week extension in federal unemployment benefits for 150,000 jobless in Michigan. It includes those whose benefits would run out next month.

E-mail John Agar: jagar@grpress.com