HR 1000 — “The Humphrey-Hawkins 21st Century Full Employment & Training Act”
Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and 43 cosponsors have introduced HR 1000, a comprehensive bill that creates a new national jobs program. HR 1000 recommits the U.S. to seeking a national goal of full employment, where everyone has the right to useful work at living wages. The bill would create millions of new local jobs through partnerships between the Department of Labor and state and local governments, non-profit community organizations, and small businesses. HR 1000 would create new jobs in the fields of construction, infrastructure repair, energy and conservation, education, health care, human services and neighborhood renovation. The bill’s provisions respect existing collective bargaining agreements, and protect worker rights to join labor unions.
HR 1000 creates a “National Full Employment Trust Fund,” funded by a Financial Transactions Tax on Wall Street financial speculation. The financial transactions tax will include a 1/4 of 1 percent (0.25%) tax on stock transactions; and similar small taxes on futures, options, and swaps transactions. These modest assessments on Wall Street operations would generate $100-150 billion per year — enough money to create 2.5 to 3.9 million jobs throughout the US during the first two years of the program. The bill would also help bring down the federal deficit. For every 1 million unemployed people who go back to work, the federal deficit decreases by $54 billion.
HR 1617 — “Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act”
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) have 17 cosponsors have introduced HR 1617, which would create over 2 million jobs over two years, to build and renovate schools and housing, implement energy audit programs and retrofits, and expand childcare and early education. In addition, the bill would create many new jobs for teachers, police, firefighters, and health care workers, while providing 250,000 part-time and work-study jobs for college students, and 100,000 jobs for youth to improve public parks. HR 1617 would cost $227 billion over two years, and is fully paid for through separate legislation that creates higher tax brackets for millionaires and billionaires, eliminates subsidies for Big Oil, and closes loopholes for corporations that ship American jobs overseas.
HR 2553 — “The National Infrastructure Bank Act”
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) has introduced the National Infrastructure Bank Act, with 73 cosponsors. The bill would create and fund a public bank to leverage private and public capital to support infrastructure projects of national and regional significance, including transportation, environment, energy, telecommunications and water projects. The Bank would consider each project’s economic, environmental, social benefits, and costs objectively before selecting projects to finance. It would supplement other federal infrastructure programs by providing loans, loan guarantees and proceeds from bond issuances for projects, and make payments to help states and localities cover their bond interest payments.
OTHER NOTEWORTHY PROPOSALS & BILLS
“The New Apollo Program” is a comprehensive economic investment strategy to build America’s 21st century clean energy economy and dramatically cut energy bills for families and businesses. It will generate and invest $500 billion over the next ten years and create more than five million high quality green-collar jobs. It will accelerate the development of the nation’s vast clean energy resources and move us toward energy security, climate stability, and economic prosperity. And it will transform America into the global leader of the new green economy”.
You can help!! Contact members of Congress who represent you, and urge them to cosponsor and support these bills. Pass a resolution supporting these bills in your union, Labor Council, community organization or city council. Visit http://www.putamericatowork.net/ for more information about the bills, related federal legislation, and sample resolutions.
Compiled by Chuck Bell, August 16, 2013