PA Jobs Now

Yesterday, I stood with my Senate Democratic colleagues to talk about the misplaced priorities of the leadership in Harrisburg. Those who are at the helm of our government in Harrisburg are either unaware or unconcerned about you, the people we represent—people who are desperate to get back to work or who are in fear of losing the job they have.

Senate Democrats are ready to stand up with our ideas to create jobs, stabilize the economy, and instill confidence in those who do the hiring.  We are coming up with answers. We have been proposing solutions for the last year now.  What’s important to us is what’s important to our districts. Families need to feel secure, small businesses need to flourish, students need skills to be marketable, and young women and minorities need to not lose hope. They’ve waited too long for answers.

As you know from the News & Views, Senate Democrats came up with a jobs plan in January called PA Works. Once it was proposed, we didn’t stop working. We worked with our colleagues in the Senate to see some of the proposals worked into the budget agreement during the spring and early summer. Once we recessed, our work didn’t stop either. Over the summer, we refined our plan and came up with more ideas to stimulate job growth.

Quite simply, the top priority of this fall’s legislative session must be job creation. The unemployment rate is now 8.2 percent and more than a half million Pennsylvanians are out of work. Last month, the unemployment rate spiked nearly one-half percent. There is a tremendous amount of economic uncertainty undermining our economic recovery. We should clear the agenda and only act on those items that can create jobs. As I’ve said many times before, each and every item before us should be looked at through the “job lens.”

The streamlined version of our PA Works plan to jump start our economy is called PA Works Now—and is quite simple. We are proposing that the state pump $1.2 billion in much-needed capital into proven job creation initiatives. The plan would create 80,000 jobs, leverage billions in private investment and repair our roads, bridges, water and sewer systems and public building. 

PA Works Now calls for the creation of a $1.1 billion Pennsylvania Investment Bank. It asks for $100 million in new capital for programs like the Business in Our Sites and the Machinery & Equipment Loan Fund. The plan also seeks to leverage federal money to aggressively support a new job training program based on the successful Georgia Works plan. PA Works Now includes $25 million in new housing initiatives and funds $25 million in new targeted job creation tax credits that will help generate economic activity. 

In the coming weeks, I will provide more detailed information on the proposal and the legislative initiatives that are associated with the plan, but there is much that can be done now—by the governor, without a need for legislative action. 

As just a few examples, the governor can ask the PennVEST board to immediately authorize another $500 million in financing for water and sewer projects. Moving quickly on water and sewer rehabilitation investment will put people to work now. The administration can also shift $30 million in federal grants to fund Pennsylvania’s version of Georgia Works because Pennsylvania already has a federal waiver that allows them to take this action. This action will put thousands of long-term unemployed on the job now.    

In the meantime, I will continue to provide information to you, my constituents, on job opportunities and more through a special edition of News & Views, like I did this past Wednesday. I am committed to doing everything in my power to ensure that creating and retaining good-paying jobs is part of any discussion that we have at the state level—and pledge to work with my colleagues to accomplish that this fall in Harrisburg.