Rep. Berman Votes To Create Hundreds Of Thousands Of Jobs This Year

Press Release

Today, Rep. Berman voted to create hundreds of thousands of new small business and construction jobs this year, spur private sector hiring, and help rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. The bipartisan Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act is part of a larger Congressional agenda to create jobs and strengthen our economy.

"My number one priority is putting Angelinos back to work," said Rep. Berman. "This legislation will help us create hundreds of thousands of jobs this year, and it's fully paid for to make sure that we do not leave the bill for these investments for the next generation."

The HIRE Act includes a payroll tax holiday for businesses that hire unemployed workers, to create some 300,000 jobs, and an income tax credit of $1,000 for businesses that retain these employees. It also includes tax cuts to help small businesses invest, expand, and hire more workers, provisions to make it easier for states to take up infrastructure projects such as school construction and energy retrofitting, and an extension of the Highway Trust Fund that allows for billions of dollars in infrastructure development around the country.

"This builds on the Recovery Act and our ongoing efforts to create jobs and put our economy on sound footing for the future," said Rep. Berman. "I will continue to work to build on the successful start of the 405 carpool lane - funded in part by stimulus money I worked to secure - to bring jobs and infrastructure improvements to our district."

The Recovery Act has already saved or created over 2 million jobs -- rebuilding our infrastructure and economy for global competitiveness. Through the Recovery Act, 95% of working Americans continue to see the benefit of one of the largest tax cuts in history in every paycheck. The House also passed the comprehensive Jobs for Main Street Act to make targeted investments in areas that will grow our economy over the long term -- including highways, public transit, construction, small businesses, job training, and hiring and retaining teachers, police officers, and firefighters.

"My bottom line is creating jobs," said Rep. Berman. "We need to get as many Americans back to work as quickly as possible. And we need to do it in a way that gives middle-class families a chance to succeed again. This bill is an important step in our efforts to rebuild our economy."

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