TCPalm - Creating Jobs on Treasure Coast, Palm Beaches Requires Bipartisan Solutions

Op-Ed

By Rep. Patrick Murphy

Unemployment is at its lowest level since 2008, yet our recovery has been far too slow and there are still too many people who either cannot find a job or are working more but making less. Congress must give its full attention to helping turn the economy around by creating an environment where businesses can expand more easily and create high-paying jobs that strengthen the middle class.

One of the first things I did after taking office was to embark on a jobs tour consisting of more than 70 meetings, roundtables and "Congress At Your Company" events with local business leaders and workers. After a year of discussions, I have used my previous private-sector experience and taken the many ideas from these conversations to shape a plan for job growth in the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast. My plan consists of common-sense, pro-growth policies that allow new businesses to gain a solid foothold in a tough economy and give existing businesses the confidence to expand and prosper.

The first issue my plan addresses is the need to make the U.S. tax code competitive again. America's corporate tax rate is the highest in the world. The United States has lost too many jobs to countries with lower taxes. Additionally, the complexity of the tax code unfairly burdens small businesses and middle-class families by forcing them to use scarce time to decipher complex legalese, spend money to hire outside expertise or simply lose out on credits and deductions. Streamlining the tax code by lowering the overall tax rate and incentivizing new investment will help businesses create American jobs instead of relocating overseas or laying off workers.

Previously working as a certified public accountant at Deloitte & Touche and having started my own small environmental company, I have seen firsthand the burden unnecessary regulations have on businesses. Too often outdated regulations do nothing but place drag on good companies or have an outsized impact on small businesses. I will encourage the Small Business Administration to develop a list of existing regulations that unfairly burden small businesses and work to fix them. Further, I am working on legislation to review old regulations for relevance in today's marketplace.

Finally, America must reinvest in our country to create a path to sustained growth. Investing in America starts with rehabilitating our infrastructure, which businesses need to move goods, workers need to get to work, and our increasingly connected society needs to exchange information. It means revitalizing our education system so that all Americans -- whether newly graduated, midcareer or returning from serving our nation overseas -- have the skills they need in today's marketplace. We must invest in research and development as well as green energy initiatives to keep the United States at the forefront of technology innovation and to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Instead of governing from crisis to crisis without any long-term vision, Congress must once again think ahead and make the smart investments that brought our nation to greatness and will do so again. With multiple major research institutes, a growing manufacturing sector, a vibrant tourism industry and excellent educational centers and institutes, Florida's 18th District is home to a variety of businesses and industries that will prosper from these investments.

The bottom line is that nothing will get done unless we work together. Strengthening our workforce, growing our economy, investing in America and reducing the deficit will help us pass on a brighter future for our children and grandchildren. We must not let our political differences get in the way of doing what is best for our great country. As your elected representative, I am committed to putting the success of the United States and the American people above all else.

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