BOSTON—House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. issued the following statement today in response to Governor Patrick’s recently filed Job Creation Bill.I welcome today’s filing by the Patrick/Murray Administration relative to job creation for small businesses. While there is much to commend in the filing it is regrettable that it took the possibility of losing their jobs for the Administration to start caring about those that have already lost their jobs over the past many months.
The Administration’s long overdue bill does contain some good ideas including one I filed as legislation at the beginning of the current legislative session. House Bill 2789, An Act Relative to Stimulating the Economy through Job Creation would allow a tax credit for small businesses that create at least 5 new direct jobs in the Commonwealth. The credit is equal to 25% of the salary attributable to the increase of jobs multiplied by Massachusetts personal income tax rate. That bill had a public hearing last July and no further action has been taken. The UI rate freeze is one they should have embraced months ago and was a part of a more comprehensive UI piece Republicans filed in January of 2009.
This legislation is long overdue - not only are we deep into this recession, but even Capitol Hill has already passed one job bill. While the success of that bill is debatable, at least lawmakers in Washington, DC are acting like they are interested in putting people back to work. It took plummeting polling numbers to act instead of rising unemployment rates to inspire action on the part of this Administration.
While this overdue bill will be cold comfort for thousands we can only hope that it will provide relief to others who are hanging on by a thread.
