Thank you for contacting me regarding the American Jobs Act.  I greatly appreciate your thoughts on this important issue.

Proposed by President Obama in his address to a Joint Session of Congress on September 8th, the American Jobs Act (S. 1549) was introduced into the Senate on September 13th.  The American Jobs Act is a multi-tiered approach to creating jobs and revitalizing the American economy.  The legislation expands payroll tax cuts to small businesses by cutting the payroll tax rate in half on the first $5 million in wages paid by companies.  The bill establishes a national infrastructure bank to co-invest with the private sector in a broad range of national and regional road, bridge and other priority physical infrastructure needs.  Other provisions include reforms to unemployment insurance and help for small businesses in gaining access to capital.

Job creation, particularly in North Carolina, remains my number one priority. That’s why I introduced the Hire A Hero Act in February to give small businesses a tax credit for hiring our returning veterans.  I am pleased the President included a similar proposal in his jobs plan.  I have also re-introduced the AMERICA Works Act.  This measure matches employees with employers nationwide by giving priority consideration to training programs offering portable, national, industry-recognized credentials for American workers wherever they live.  The AMERICA Works Act builds on the success of the Manufacturing Skills Certification System, helps Americans get back to work, and sets our country on the right path to be more competitive in the global economy.

There is more work to be done, and I believe that the President’s proposal contains a number of worthwhile initiatives.  My bottom line:  I will continue to work with anyone in Washington – Democrat, Republican or Independent –  to achieve practical, bipartisan solutions to help jumpstart the stalled American economy and create jobs.