Led by House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R- North Reading) and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), the Republican Legislative Caucus has formally filed their innovative jobs package aimed at cultivating economic growth in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The formal proposal, which comes on the heels of the Republican Caucus’ statewide 2011 GOP Jobs Tour, offers policies that are key to facilitating economic growth in Massachusetts and supporting individuals and businesses statewide.
Unveiled during a press conference in February, House and Senate Republicans have identified five targeted areas aimed at creating and maintaining jobs: business regulations, education, energy, healthcare, and taxes.
“With the recent news that the Commonwealth in fact created 30,000 fewer jobs in 2011, now is the time to act on a solution that will put our residents back to work,” said House Minority Leader Brad Jones. “I encourage my colleagues to join the Republican Caucus in taking a proactive approach towards job creation and retention in Massachusetts.”
“We’ve got no time to waste to create a better climate for job creation in Massachusetts, and the corrected job growth figures released last week prove it,” said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr. “The Republican jobs package offers a prime opportunity for all of us to work together to take targeted, decisive actions to confront real barriers to creating jobs, and to get people who need them back to work.”
Highlights of the G.O.P. Jobs Package legislation include:
• Business Regulations: Reduce costs for employers, reform the current Unemployment Insurance paradigm and streamline and consolidate processes for businesses;
• Education: Empower vocational schools by strengthening collaborations with community colleges and employers, improve overall access to higher education, and qualify veterans for licensure and/or academic credit at public institutions of higher learning;
• Energy: Decrease the cost of electricity for businesses and ratepayers, increase the efficiency of Green Initiatives and promote cost-effective renewable energy;
• Healthcare: Shift focus to the consumer, increase options for employers and employees and make healthcare affordable for all;
• Taxes: Reduce commercial vehicle registration fees, simplify and eliminate corporate fees and taxes, incentivize first-time home buyer savings accounts, and establish a job creation tax credit.
The legislation has been filed as five omnibus bills in the House of Representatives, and as sixteen individual bills in the Senate.
