Dearborn, Mich. – Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) today expressed his strong opposition to Michigan's newest law to reduce the number of weeks a person can receive state unemployment benefits from 26 to 20. Governor Snyder, a Republican, signed the bill into law today in Lansing.
"This law is another in a long string of Republican assaults on working families and unions," said Dingell. "In one fell swoop, the Republicans in Lansing have made it so that people in Michigan receive state employment benefits for a shorter period of time than anywhere else in the nation. Michigan does face a budget crisis, but it cannot be solved by declaring war on the unemployed, who - now more than ever - need all the help they can get in order to support their families and find new jobs."
On Friday, March 25, 2011, Congressman Dingell joined the seven other Democratic members of the Michigan Congressional Delegation in signing a letter urging Governor Snyder not to sign the unemployment bill into law. A copy of that letter is attached to this press release.
In recent months, several states have enacted or have begun to consider legislation to curtail the collective bargaining rights of public sector employees and limit the duration of benefits for the unemployed. Congressman Dingell has fought for working families his entire career in Congress and will continue to oppose measures similar to these at the federal level.
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