House and Senate Republicans highlight plan for Oregon jobs

News release from House and Senate Republicans

With more than 236,286 Oregonians looking for work, House and Senate Republicans presented a ten point plan to create lasting and local jobs Tuesday. While Oregon’s unemployment rate is the highest in over 25 years, House and Senate Republicans have been pushing proposals to create and sustain jobs for the past two months.

“While the mortgage, grocery and heating bills continue to pile up, jobs are becoming Oregon’s newest endangered species,” said Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day). “These proposals are built on the idea that when we empower small businesses and give families extra breathing room in their budgets, they make decisions that are best for them and best for the economy.”

House and Senate Republicans spoke about four of the proposals in detail:
1. Reduce income tax withholding tables by 4.2% to immediately put $100 million back into Oregonian’s paychecks and create 2,500 jobs, without costing government a penny.
2. Implement the Main Street Incentive Program to encourage home and business owners to engage in capital improvement projects. Creates more than 5,000 jobs.
3. Provide matching funds for public and private airports to improve facilities through a Flight Plan for Local Jobs. The improved facilities will create economic development opportunities for local communities. Using $7.7 million, more than $128 million can be leveraged. The plan would create 2,214 jobs.
4. Reconnect to the federal tax code so Oregonians receiving unemployment benefits won’t be taxed. This would give unemployed Oregonians an additional $15 million to help make ends meet.
Republicans believe these solutions have merit and look forward to working with Democrats on these proposals to make new jobs a reality for Oregon.

“As the Legislature struggles to balance the budget, we must remember that we’re facing an historic shortfall because we have fewer employed Oregonians and fewer successful businesses,” said House Republican Leader Bruce Hanna (R-Roseburg). “Hard decisions will be made in the coming months to balance the state’s budget, but the only long term solution to our economic situation is to create jobs and help Oregon become competitive again. Republicans believe the best solutions come from Main Streets across Oregon, not the Government.”

Senator Brian Boquist (R-Dallas) stressed the needs of working and unemployed Oregonians.

“Oregonians are hurting as they face reduced hours and record unemployment,” said Boquist. “Every extra dollar in the average Oregonians’ paycheck helps pay for winter coats, school books, the heat bill or rent.”

Infrastructure investment is a key to long term job growth, according to Senator Chris Telfer (R-Bend).

“These projects are planned and ready to go, all they need is the seed money,” said Telfer. “This is a small investment for a big return both now, in construction jobs, and into the future when the finished projects will bring tremendous economic benefit to communities all around the state.”

Republicans will continue to urge their Democrat colleagues to address Oregon’s unemployment rate by enacting some of these job-creating proposals.