Economy & Jobs

View Also: Information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Job creation is Congresswoman Speier’s top priority. Every day, she is looking for more ways to put Americans back to work. Although we are seeing the signs of recovery in our economy, too many people are still out of work. She is committed to job creation legislation that rebuilds our economy in a way that puts Main Street – not Wall Street – first. She has held seven Job Hunters Boot Camps in the 14th District, helping more than 3,000 local job seekers improve their resumes and interview skills through workshops and one-on-one sessions with employment professionals, and connect with local businesses who are looking to hire.

Speier believes we need to see the words Made in America more often. She believes we can lead the world in manufacturing if we make the choices and investments now to rebuild our broken manufacturing industry and put people back to work making things again. Every time she meets with a company she asks them what it will take to bring jobs back home, and to increase hiring by those who are still manufacturing in America. She believes it is all of our responsibility to be more aware and to make choices to buy products made in America that will help rebuild our economy and create good middle class jobs. According to economists, 200,000 new American jobs could be created if every American spent just $64 more per year on American-made products. You can find information on companies and products that are made in the United States through this website created by ABC News.

That’s also why Speier worked with her colleagues in the 111th Congress to pass the Small Business Jobs Act - to increase much needed lending to millions of small businesses, and offer 8 new tax incentives to companies, so that they may expand, hire, and fuel our economy. Small businesses are the foundation of our economy and are an integral part of creating jobs and rebuilding the economy for the future. Speier believes we owe it to them to ensure that they have a business environment in this country that helps them grow and flourish. Increased access to capital and new tax cuts will not only keep jobs in America, it will allow small businesses to make it in America. While Democrats are working to rebuild our manufacturing base and create jobs, Republicans want to take us back to the failed economic policies of the Bush Administration that cost this nation 8 million jobs. They are threatening to repeal legislation that closed the loopholes that encourage companies to ship jobs overseas and voted against legislation to give small American businesses access to the capital they need to expand and grow.


The Small Business Jobs Act would:

  • Provide a payroll tax holiday for businesses that hire unemployed workers and an income tax credit of $1,000 for businesses that retain these employees. (According to the Treasury Department, between February and June 2010, businesses had hired 5.6 million workers who had been unemployed for 8 weeks or longer, making those businesses eligible for HIRE Act tax exemptions and credits.) (HIRE Act, PL 111-147) 97% of House Republicans voted NO.

  • Effective January 1, 2010, provide $40 billion in tax credits for small businesses to help them offer employee health insurance coverage – if they choose to do so. These tax credits will cover a portion of the premium costs for their employees’ coverage. More than 4 million small businesses are eligible for these credits. (Affordable Care Act, PL 111-148) All House Republicans voted NO.

  • Allow businesses to use net operating losses for 2008 and 2009 to offset profits from five previous years, up from two years. (Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act, PL 111-92)

  • Spur small business investment by providing enhanced small business expensing, doubling the amount small businesses can immediately write off their taxes for capital investments and purchases of new equipment made in 2009. (Recovery Act, PL 111-5) All House Republicans voted NO. Extends the enhanced small business expensing provisions for investments and purchases made in 2010. (HIRE Act, PL 111-147) 97% of House Republicans voted NO.

  • Help businesses quickly recover costs of new capital investments by providing increased bonus depreciation for businesses that made investments in new plants and equipment in 2009. (Recovery Act, PL 111-5) All House Republicans voted NO.

  • Spur investments in small businesses by providing an exclusion of 75 percent (up from 50 percent) of capital gains from taxes for investors in small businesses who buy stock (in 2009 and 2010) and hold it for more than five years. (Recovery Act, PL 111-5) All House Republicans voted NO.

  • Reduce the required estimated tax payments for certain small businesses in 2009. (Recovery Act, PL 111-5) All House Republicans voted NO.

  • Provide tax relief for taxable corporations converting into S corporations in 2009 and 2010 by reducing the built-in gains holding period from 10 years to 7 years (with gains held for the holding period exempt from tax). (Recovery Act, PL 111-5) All House Republicans voted NO.

Speier also opposes efforts by Republicans to move legislation that would end guaranteed federal unemployment benefits (H.R. 1745) even though there is only 1 job opening for every 4 Americans looking. In December of 2010, most Republican Members voted to extend the tax cuts for the very wealthiest while agreeing to extend federal emergency unemployment insurance. But Republicans are a reneging on extending unemployment insurance. Not only does this bill threaten unemployment insurance benefits for more than 4 million out-of-work Americans, it could also destroy as many as 300,000 jobs this year.

MINIMUM WAGE

While real incomes have dropped or remained stagnant, the cost of food, travel, healthcare and other necessities has skyrocketed. Speier believes a fair and livable minimum wage is a key component to strengthening the economy, getting Americans off welfare and helping families.

EQUALITY & FAIRNESS

Speier believes the only factor that should determine whether someone gets and keeps employment is their ability to do the job. Whenever and wherever discrimination or unfair hiring practices are uncovered, she will do all that she can to root it out and restore fairness, equality and basic human decency to the workplace. Since being in Congress, she has proudly supported legislation to guarantee equal pay for equal work, return the right of employees to sue when they discover they've been discriminated against, and ensure that every American's workplace is free of harassment, intimidation and prejudice.