Accessibility menu
State Representative Tim Mahoney
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4277
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
Press/News Releases
REP. TIM MAHONEY RESPONDS TO PAWLENTY’S GREEN JOBS INITIATIVE
ST. PAUL - Rep. Tim Mahoney (DFL - St. Paul), who chairs the Biosciences and Emerging Technologies Committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives, responded to the green jobs proposal Governor Tim Pawlenty unveiled Monday morning. Mahoney called the initiative “encouraging" but said the proposal lacked a necessary focus on rebuilding the foundation of Minnesota’s economy - our workforce.
“I didn’t know JobZ was chameleon - apparently if it isn’t working, it just changes color,” said Rep. Mahoney. “Relying on broken programs won’t work any longer. Instead, we have to broadly explore the best ways to strengthen the long-term economic competitiveness of Minnesota. Education investment, research and design, and job re-training are critical in our efforts to capitalize on emerging green job technologies and secure our economic future in Minnesota. A narrow solution that simply relies on tax cuts isn’t enough to sustain a prosperous state economy for the long-term.”
As the Governor held his press conference, the Legislative Green Jobs Task Force met to discuss strategies to create green jobs in Minnesota. Mahoney said he was glad the Governor appeared finally ready to join lawmakers in crafting solutions that will create new green jobs in Minnesota.
“We look forward to working with the Governor during the upcoming legislative session on solutions that will create jobs and restore Minnesota’s economy,” said Rep. Mahoney. “The Legislature took action last year in creating the Green Jobs Task Force and it’s good to see the Governor appears to be on board to work toward solutions that will strengthen our economy with new jobs.”
Mahoney said several of the Governor’s proposals were legislative proposals authored by DFL legislators last session, including a Job Growth Investment Tax Credit and a Small Business Investment Tax Credit.
“We clearly have some common ground here to work with the Governor toward solutions that will create jobs and strengthen our economy,” said Mahoney. “It’s nice to see the Governor is supporting several DFL proposals that can spark job creation in emerging technologies.”
Still, Rep. Mahoney cautioned that lawmakers need to pay close attention to what Congress accomplishes to address the nationwide economic crisis in the coming months.
“With the Congress in lame-duck session, we need to partner with the federal government and build off of what is accomplished in the coming weeks to put Minnesota in a position of strength moving forward,” said Mahoney. “We are stronger when we work together in a common, coordinated effort.”
News Items
- DFL Legislators Introduce the “Contraceptive Equity Act” - (Posted: 2012-03-07 00:00:00)
- DFL Jobs Initiatives to be Heard in House Jobs and Economic Development Committee - (Posted: 2012-02-29 00:00:00)
- REP. MAHONEY, DFL LEGISLATORS BUILD ON DFL JOBS PLAN WITH NEW INITIATIVES - (Posted: 2012-02-01 00:00:00)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.