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State Representative Andrew Falk
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4228
For more information contact: Jenny Nash 651-296-4122
NEWS COLUMN
Legislature should focus on jobs and not other divisive issues like constitutional amendments
How many of you know a person who has recently found a new job or has gotten back to work? Most people do. Unfortunately, most people know a friend, family member, neighbor, or other acquaintance that is still unemployed. For these people, the recent economic gains have been nothing more than headlines. In Minnesota, more than 150,000 people are still out of work. More interestingly, businesses in Minnesota currently have more than 80,000 job openings? So what is the issue? Seems like a pretty simple solution – businesses start hiring the unemployed.
While I agree that large corporations with billions of dollars on their balance sheets need to step-up and start hiring, many small businesses (who actually create most of the new jobs) are still facing economic headwinds. One of the greatest challenges they have expressed is the ability to find highly skilled and trained employees. There is a skills gap that needs to be addressed.
Governor Dayton and the DFL members of the legislature have brought forward a series of legislative proposals to address the jobs issue. These proposals are highly targeted with measureable outcomes of success. First and foremost, we know that veterans, recent college graduates, and the long-term unemployed are having the hardest time finding work. These demographics suffer from above average unemployment. To help businesses hire these workers, we have proposed a $3000 tax credit this year and a $1500 tax credit next year for any business that hires a veteran, recent college graduate, or a person who has been long-term unemployed. This proposal is estimated to add 10,000 private sector jobs and is focused to those individuals who need a job the most.
To address the skills gap, we have proposed achievement grants. Two thousand Minnesotans would be able to apply for a $2,000 grant that would be applied to two semesters of training for in-demand careers that have immediate worker needs and pay in excess of 175% of the federal poverty level; again, a highly focused program with measurable outcomes.
Another proposal is Bridges to Work. This program would allow a person on unemployment to go back to work for up to eight weeks at or near the minimum wage and still collect his/her unemployment benefits. During this time, the business has the opportunity to train that unemployed individual at very low cost (essentially minimum wage) to see if they are a good fit with the company and able to successfully perform the job. Small business have said that one of their largest fears in hiring a new employee without the necessary skills is the time and resources spent training that employee only to see that person leave for another job once they have been trained. This proposal reduces the risk to business owners while also helping people who are unemployed re-enter the workforce. Important to note, this proposal does not cost any additional money because the unemployment benefits are already being paid. Once again, a highly targeted, specific proposal that has measurable outcomes.
These are but a few of the jobs proposals the DFL has brought forward. These are common sense proposals that are paid for by closing foreign-offshore corporate tax loopholes and requiring that out-of-state Internet businesses pay the same sale taxes as any other business located in Minnesota. The DFL and Governor Dayton are focused on jobs and not other divisive issues like constitutional amendments. That’s what Minnesotans want. I hope the Republicans start listening.
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