As the nation continues to struggle economically, the latest jobs report (August) did not offer much good news. Unemployment remained stuck at 9.1 percent nationwide; at 16.7 percent for African Americans and zoomed up to 46.5 percent for Black youth, ages 16-19, up from 39.2 percent in July.
This sustained economic malaise for the nation has pumped up the urgency to create jobs, and that mantra has now (belatedly as far as some in the Black community are concerned) become the drum beat to which much of Washington is responding.
From the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), which just completed a four-city national “For the People” Jobs Initiative tour in Los Angeles and touted the more than 40 bills introduced by its respective members during the 112th Congress to the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), which last Friday introduced what it is calling a “Common Sense Jobs Agenda” to President Barack Obama. The president will present his own jobs package to the nation today at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (4 p.m. Pacific time).
There are some common themes that run through all of the proposed plans, including the call to invest in infrastructure development through a fully-funded transportation bill.
This echoes the message CBC put out during the final stop of its jobs tour in Los Angeles, that the country cannot rely solely on the private sector to create jobs. Instead, government must also add its contribution to the effort.
In the USCM proposal, 2.8 million jobs would be created, if a bill by senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.) was passed. It would maintain current funding levels, increase investment under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act to $1 billion and reward municipalities that bring local dollars to the table.
As part of the infrastructure development, the mayors’ proposal calls for the modernization and retrofitting of commercial buildings, schools and other educational facilities for energy efficiency, as well as the promotion of investments in water and sewer infrastructure.
However, according to one published report, some Republicans in the Congress consider such efforts wasteful spending and are not inclined to support such legislation.
The USCM proposal, like what the CBC is touting, also advocates providing immediate relief to workers by extending unemployment benefits for those who have exhausted theirs. The mayors also call for tax credits for hiring unemployed veterans and for an extension of the December 2010 payroll tax cut.
The president’s job speech is also expected to call for keeping the payroll cut in place.
CBC members also introduced a number of bills that would address both workers and small businesses. These include House Resolution 683, the Urban Jobs Act of 2011, which amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Labor to make grants to the National Urban League to operate, through local affiliates, an Urban Jobs Program to provide job training, education, and support services and activities for eligible young adults to prepare them for entry into the work force.
H.R. 1730, the Small Business Start-up Savings Account Act of 2011, amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for tax-exempt Small Business Start-up Savings Accounts to pay for trade or business expenses, including the purchase of equipment or facilities, marketing, training, incorporation and accounting fees. Allows annual contributions to such accounts of up to $10,000. Sets forth rules for the tax treatment of contributions to and rollovers from such accounts, similar to rules governing individual retirement accounts (IRAs).
Which plan or portion of plans will be implemented will be decided in the coming weeks as Congress returns from its summer recess and once more begins debate on how to successfully stimulate the American economy.
