My Letter to Congress: S.3706 Americans Want to Work Act

I am writing as your constituent in the 6th Congressional district of Massachusetts. I am writing as your constituent in the 6th Congressional district of Massachusetts. I support S.3706 - Americans Want to Work Act, and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability.

Sincerely,
tanya nichols

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Dear Mr. Nichols,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the state of jobs and unemployment in our current economy. I always value the input of my constituents on all issues and appreciate hearing from you.

My main focus continues to be on policies that create jobs in Massachusetts and across the country, and restoring common-sense governing and fiscal responsibility to Congress. While our state's economy may be showing slow signs of improvement, the Massachusetts unemployment rate still hovers at 8%. Too many families are still trying to make ends meet and our workers are still pounding the pavement looking for work. If you lined up the 15 million unemployed people in this country, the line would stretch from Boston to California, and back again.

We need to create economic growth and jobs by reining in our excessive spending habits and keeping Americans' tax burden low so individuals have more of their income to spend and businesses are able to invest in new projects and initiatives. We need to focus on policies that support innovation and small businesses, which can help fuel the Massachusetts economy. Finally, we must find ways to make America more competitive so we are open for business, now and in the future.

As you may know, one of my first votes in the Senate was on jobs legislation, the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act [P.L. 111-34]. The bill was not perfect. I wish the tax cuts were deeper and broader, but I voted for it because it contained measures that will help put people around the country, and in Massachusetts, back to work. As you may know, the HIRE Act passed the Senate on February 24, 2010, and was subsequently signed into law.

Further, one of my first legislative actions in the Senate was to introduce the Immediate Tax Relief for America?s Workers Act on March 3, 2010. This legislation would have provided working-class Americans with a six-month tax cut of approximately $100 each month. This tax relief would have been funded entirely from unobligated stimulus funds meaning that we would not be raising our national debt. I offered my legislation as an amendment to the Tax Extenders Act (H.R. 4213), but unfortunately, even though it received bipartisan support, my amendment was defeated on a 44 to 56 vote.

As the 111th Congress came to a close, Congress debated legislation that would extend current tax policy, as well as continue unemployment benefits at their current levels through the end of 2011. This compromise was approved on a bipartisan basis in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, was signed into law by the President on December 17, 2010, and included a version of the payroll tax cut that I had proposed back in March. While I wish the new spending in the legislation was offset with other cuts, I supported this legislation because I believe it will start to help get our economy back on track by allowing people to keep more of the money they earn.

Our country was built by hardworking men and women, and I am committed to building on this foundation by focusing on the economy and jobs at home. I remain hopeful that as the Senate enters the 112th Congress, we can work together to advance policies that create jobs and restore growth to our economy.

Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. I will keep your thoughts in mind as Congress continues to discuss how to build our workforce and get our economy back on track. Should you have any additional questions or comments, please feel free to contact me or visit my website at www.scottbrown.senate.gov.