Kendrick Meek Calls on Senate Republicans to Stop Stonewalling and Pass Jobs Legislation

Press Release

Kendrick Meek today called on Senate Republicans to stop stonewalling and pass meaningful jobs legislation to put Floridians back to work. Over the past few months, the House of Representatives has passed a series of bills designed to get unemployed Floridians back on the job and move our economy from recession to recovery. However, Senate Republicans have consistently and flagrantly stymied passing similar measures.

"At a time when unemployed Floridians are struggling to find work, Senate Republicans have consistently put politics first by mercilessly blocking critical jobs legislation to turn our economy around. Every step of the way, they employ obstructionist tactics to block unemployment benefits for out-of-work Floridians, youth employment programs, and emergency assistance for working families. Today, I'm calling on Senate Republican to do what's right and work in a bipartisan manner to pass jobs legislation for the benefit of our state and our country."

Although the national unemployment rate currently stands at 9.5%, Florida's unemployment rate continues to rank at the back of the pack, currently hovering around 12.7%. Specifically, passing jobs legislation would extend critical unemployment benefits, one of the fastest-acting ways to stimulate the economy; provide over $1 billion to fund over 350,000 youth jobs in high-need communities; and extend over $2.5 in emergency assistance to needy families struggling through the recession. The series of bills would also provide over $1 billion for the National Housing Trust Fund to give local communities the resources they need to rehabilitate affordable housing units for low-income families.

Source