Congress Passes Jobs Bill

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Congress Passes Jobs Bill
http://ibew.org/articles/10daily/1002/1 ... bsBill.htm


The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to keep alive a $15 billion job-creation bill that includes extensions of unemployment benefits and COBRA health benefits for jobless Americans.
Five Republicans, including newly-elected Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) joined with Democrats in the 62 to 30 vote approving a measure that includes $13 billion in tax breaks for companies which hire workers. Employers who hire workers who have been unemployed for at least 60 days will be exempt from Social Security taxes on those employees for the remainder of 2010. They will also be awarded a $1,000 tax credit for each new worker who remains on the job for at least a year.

Only one Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson (Neb.) voted against the bill. Republicans Christopher Bond (Mo.), Susan Collins (Maine), Olympia Snowe (Maine) and George Voinovich (Ohio) joined Brown in support.

International President Edwin D. Hill praised the Senate for continuing to focus on jobs and the hardships facing the unemployed, including thousands of IBEW members. While an included expansion of the Build America Bonds program will, says Hill, help put workers back to work on infrastructure projects sponsored by state and local governments, Congress needs to enact even bolder measures to stimulate job growth. He says: