Issue Position: Jobs & the Economy

Issue Position

Senator Close is a champion for bringing more family-wage jobs to Linn and Benton Counties by growing small businesses, increasing job training, and expanding access to technical education.

The nation-wide economic recession that began in 2008 continues to have long term impacts on the growth of our local economy. Families need employment options in our community where they can earn middle-class paychecks with the possibility of advancement and pay raises. We have watched the paper mill collapse, and with it many of the long-term jobs in our area that can support a family have disappeared. Short-term minimum wage jobs that barely pays the bills are not sufficient. Instead we must bring new major employers to our area and focus on supporting small businesses, who are the backbone of our economy. Employers provide critical jobs to help families succeed and prosper. These jobs bring higher incomes and the opportunity for people to purchase goods, services, and housing, and to save and pay for their children's training and education. To help support family-wage jobs, Senator Close has championed:

New, lower tax rates for small businesses that give them the same competitive advantages enjoyed by big corporations. A better connection between highs school classes and technical and vocational training, making the transition from high school to the workforce easier, more accessible, and less expensive. A Youth Employment Act creating a public-private partnership between counties and local employers that helps train youth entering the workforce for the first time, between the ages of 14 and 19.

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