Issue Position: Strengthening Our Economy

Issue Position

Rosa's highest priority in Congress is to help get our economy back on track and make opportunity real for Connecticut families. She recognizes that true economic recovery requires addressing high unemployment and other immediate crises while investing in the infrastructure and green economy that will create jobs in the long-term. Rosa continues to fight to make sure we do not revert back to the practices that created the current economic situation, while ensuring that our government's economic policy benefits the families and businesses of the Third District.

Rosa also knows that committing to making our economy stronger means lessening the burden of energy costs by investing in new technologies and fuel alternatives that can help reduce gas prices and bring us toward energy independence. It means making sure that we are equipping our children with the best education in the world, so that the next generation can succeed in the new economy. And it means investing in our future by providing quality, affordable health care for Connecticut families.

Strengthening Our Economy

Rosa recognizes that true economic recovery requires addressing high unemployment and other immediate crises while investing in the infrastructure and green economy that will create jobs in the long-term. The Jobs Bill and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have helped to restore many good jobs to Connecticut, but Rosa continues to fight to make sure we do not revert back to the practices that created the current economic situation, and to ensure that our government's economic policy benefits the families and businesses of the Third District.

Jobs

Rosa knows that the most important work she can do to strengthen our economy is to help create good jobs for Connecticut. She is a strong supporter of the Jobs Bill recently passed by the House, which features a substantial employment tax credit to businesses that create jobs in America. Rosa fights to keep good jobs in the United States and in Connecticut, working to end the outsourcing that takes jobs away from Connecticut.

Rosa strongly supports the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which funds infrastructure, tax relief and job creation on America's Main Streets. Approximately one third of the money allocated in the bill has been in the form of tax relief for the middle class and small businesses. Economists have identified more than 600,000 jobs nationwide that would not exist today without the Recovery Act. They estimate that approximately 50,000 clean energy jobs have been directly created or saved by the bill.

But that does not dent the problem. That is why Rosa fought for passage of a Jobs Bill. The Jobs Bill passed by the House provides tax relief for businesses that hire new workers and extends infrastructure projects that will create jobs now in Connecticut. It redirects money from Wall Street to the American people, through expanded tax credits for families with children and incentives for businesses to create new jobs. Rosa will continue to fight to create good jobs for Connecticut.

The infrastructure of our economy

Rosa has always believed that investing in public works projects like roads, bridges, transit and schools is a crucial element in turning the economy around. Rebuilding our infrastructure creates good jobs that cannot be outsourced, spurs economic growth, and puts our nation on a better path, not just today but for the future. Many economists agree that money put toward infrastructure can address the immediate employment crisis by getting many of those hardest hit by the recession back to work, while increasing our productivity in the long term. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that every $1 billion in federal highway investment creates 47,500 new jobs and generates more than $2 billion in economic activity.

Rosa has supported investment of millions of dollars in roads, transit projects and other development that can jumpstart the economy and get people working again. Many of those projects have already begun as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by Congress, and Rosa will continue to fight to ensure that Connecticut families can benefit from future projects. In addition, Rosa supports the creation of a National Infrastructure Bank, which would depoliticize the process of funding infrastructure projects. This bank would help to create more jobs, improve our infrastructure, and facilitate the economic growth that will enable us to compete in a 21st century economy.

Important benefits when working

Rosa believes that a good job allows workplace flexibility, so that employees do not have to choose between their paycheck and their health. She has advocated for legislation that would call for employers to provide paid sick days to their employees, especially in light of recent public health threats such as the H1N1 flu virus. "Paid sick days has always been a good, common-sense, and economically sound proposal for American workers and families," says Congresswoman DeLauro. "But now, with the threat posed to the public health by H1N1, we can no longer afford to wait to pass legislation that will give the 57 million Americans who cannot take time off work the crucial ability to stay home when they are sick. We need to get this done now."

Rosa also believes in women earning equal pay for equal work. She also knows that pay equity is not just a matter of fairness; achieving equal pay for women would increase wages for thousands of households and bring thousands of families out of poverty. This January marked the first anniversary of the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which enables women to hold their employers accountable for wage discrimination based on gender. Lilly Ledbetter is a remarkable woman who has worked tirelessly so that all women can fight wage discrimination, and Rosa was proud to stand with her as this legislation was signed into law. Yet she knows that the work is not finished.

Rosa introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act in the House of Representatives in January 2009, and the bill was passed by the House on January 9, 2009. The bill strengthens the laws against pay discrimination and closes loopholes through which employers can avoid liability for wage discrimination. Rosa will continue the fight for pay equity, as she has for her entire career in Congress.

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