The U.S. House has passed legislation that would make more than 200,000 jobless workers in Michigan eligible for a six-month extension of unemployment benefits. The extension the House OK'd Thursday is part of a funding plan for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It would provide a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits for people whose payments have expired and give an additional 13 weeks in states with high jobless rates. Michigan has had one of the nation's most challenging job markets. Its unemployment rate was 6.9 percent in April, a slight decrease from the March rate of 7.2 percent. Hurt by job losses in the manufacturing sector and auto industry, an estimated 346,000 people in Michigan lacked a job in April.

   

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