Issue Position: Creating Jobs and Ensuring Economic Security

Issue Position

As the economy begins its recovery from the deep recession, we need to ensure that both federal and state governments create an environment that makes good paying jobs available. In the short term, we need to stimulate employment by both small and large business; for instance, recovery can be helped along by projects that repair our infrastructure. In the long term, laws like the "America Competes Act," help us to continue to be a competitive part of the worldwide economy. The law puts additional money in scholarships and training for math and science teachers and doubles research funding. We need well thought out legislation to keep jobs from being exported overseas.

To help those who have lost their jobs in the past two years, we need to continue to fund extended unemployment benefits, as well as the program that picks up 65 percent of health insurance premiums until workers find new jobs. Where needed, we need to partner with state and local governments to fund retraining, to ensure that good paying jobs are available.

We need to create an economic climate that encourages companies to keep their operations in this country. This both protects and creates good paying American jobs, strengthens Americans' personal finances and enhances our national economy.

We need to support our workers to ensure that the minimum wage, currently at $7.25 an hour, is designed to keep working families above the poverty level. The recent change in the minimum wage was passed after 11 years with no changes; we need to ensure that this important law responds to the needs of our citizens, rather than the whim of politics as usual.

Source