JOBS LEGISLATION PUTS PENNSYLVANIANS
BACK TO WORK
Creates More Than 40,000 Transitional
Jobs
Earlier this week I joined my Senate
colleague Christine Tartaglione to
announce the introduction of a package
of bills that would create more than
40,000 transitional jobs statewide over
two years.
I am pleased to be working with Sen.
Tartaglione, who is Democratic Chair of
the Senate Labor and Industry Committee,
as well as Sen. Costa, Democratic Chair
of the Senate Appropriations Committee,
to help move this initiative forward.
I cannot thank Sen. Tartaglione enough
for her leadership, her initiative and
her efforts in this area and for keeping
the Senate Democratic caucus in focus
with regards to this particular
initiative. She has always been on point
with respect to the issue of dealing
with those who work and those who want
to work in the Commonwealth.
It has been our focus to ensure that
Pennsylvania’s economic development and
job creation programs are operating at
their highest peak, as well as making
sure that we get every job possible out
of each of those projects.
Let’s be clear. This initiative is all
about JOBS and putting people back to
work. It’s about employment; it’s about
investment and creating opportunities so
that while we make this transition to
recovery of the national economy,
jobless workers can find an opportunity
to work.
 These
community service jobs would employ
Pennsylvanians through a nine-month
contract paying $10 per hour for up to
30 hours per week for adults. A youth
employment component creates six-week
summer positions at $9 per hour for 25
hours per week.
The jobs program would be funded by
federal Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) block grant funding and
by instituting a tax on the wholesale
price of smokeless tobacco products. The
TANF funding was allocated to
Pennsylvania as part of a $5 billion
emergency fund created by the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Sen. Tartaglione and I have had a
history working with and finding
employment opportunities for young
people. We are continuing that by
introducing our legislation for youth
employment, which will create over
20,000 employment opportunities for
young people over the next two years so
that they can go to work, learn a skill,
be connected to the workforce, and be
contributors to their families.
This is important, because with
unemployment as high as it is nationally
and as high as it is in Pennsylvania,
everyone has to find a way that they can
bring new dollars to the table to help
out the family.
As of January, there are
19 counties in Pennsylvania with
unemployment rates higher than 10
percent. This must not be allowed to
continue. We must ensure that honest
work is available for jobless workers in
Pennsylvania.
In all of this, Pennsylvania remains the
last state in the nation, the very last
state that chooses not to tax smokeless
tobacco products. We Senate Democrats
believe that it is time to stop hiding
our head in the sand on this issue; we
must find the dollars to put people to
work to find jobs for folks. Through a
tax on smokeless tobacco products we
would raise sufficient dollars to be
able to finance both of these
initiatives.
 In his February budget address,
Gov.
Rendell proposed a tax on smokeless
tobacco products but would store the
revenue in a reserve fund to fill future
budget holes. My Senate democrat
colleagues and I are proposing to use
this tax revenue immediately to create
jobs.
In addition, we are working very hard
with Labor Secretary Sandi Vito to get
every last dollar available out of
Washington D.C. to find jobs for people.
We want every last dollar that is
available in Washington D.C. to come to
Pennsylvania.
After the two years of TANF money has
run out, the estimated $80 million per
year from the smokeless tobacco tax
would fund a continuing statewide
job-creation program.
If we move to institute a tax on
smokeless tobacco products, just like
every other state across the country has
done for years, we can use this money to
stimulate the economy and put
Pennsylvanians to work. The only way to
rebound a stagnant economy is to create
jobs and put money back into the economy
at the local level. That’s what we
intend to do.
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