The state unemployment insurance program overhaul could be on Gov. Pat McCrory's desk this week.

The U.S. Labor Department is entering the debate in the North Carolina General Assembly about the program.

Acting Labor Secretary Seth Harris said Monday that 170,000 people would lose or miss $780 million in federal emergency unemployment benefits if the bill becomes law due to the bill that Congress passed last month that extended the benefits for a year to states unless they changed their payment structure.

The North Carolina legislation would cut maximum weekly benefits by one-third, scale back maximum benefit weeks and raise taxes on business to accelerate repaying $2.5 billion owed the federal government.