Press Release: Congressman Ellison Announces Bill To Create One Million Jobs

Press Release

With cities and communities in Minnesota facing more potential layoffs amidst budget squeezes, today Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) joined House Democrats and a bipartisan group of mayors to announce new legislation to create one million public and private sector jobs in local communities. After seeing the strain put on cities in the Fifth Congressional District, Congressman Ellison authored legislation last year to help local governments and create one million new jobs. His legislation was incorporated in the bill introduced today by Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, called the Local Jobs for America Act.

Local governments are being forced to cut jobs that are critically important to our communities. Minnesota teachers, police, and firefighters have all faced cutbacks due the economic downturn. This bill sends targeted support directly to the states and municipalities with the greatest number of people out of work to restore vital local services.

"Our bill is about getting America back to work," said Ellison. "During the Great Depression, when Americans were facing massive unemployment, our policymakers responded with programs to put Americans to work that brought us out of worst economic crisis in American history. The Local Jobs for America Act is the 21st century response to the needs of our generation, demonstrating once again that we can rebuild prosperity for all Americans."

"Local governments will use these funds to help the people who have been the hardest hit by the economic downturn. I'm particularly concerned about high levels of unemployment among young adults," Ellison said. "This bill is about creating jobs, strengthening the economic recovery, and rebuilding our communities for the long term."

The Local Jobs for America Act will fund salaries for private sector on-the-job training to help local businesses put people back to work. Specifically, the Local Jobs for America Act invests:

* $75 billion over two years to local communities to hire vital staff
* Funding for 50,000 on-the-job private-sector training positions

The bill also includes provisions already approved by the House in December:

* $23 billion this year to help states support 250,000 education jobs
* $1.18 billion to put 5,500 law enforcement officers on the beat
* $500 million to retain, rehire, and hire firefighters

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