Creating Jobs, Rebuilding Communities

We continue to experience the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, and families across America are in deep distress. The depth of this crisis calls for bold and decisive action from our nation’s leaders to put unemployed Americans back to work and get us on the road to a real economic recovery.

A broad coalition of national and local organizations is calling on Congress and the Obama Administration to enact the Local Jobs for America Act, introduced by Congressman George Miller in the House (H.R.4812) and Senator Sherrod Brown in the Senate (S.3500). The Act is designed to put create or save 1 million jobs, to put people to work quickly. The legislation includes $75 billion for a Local Community Jobs Program, $23 billion to create or retain jobs in education, and funding for law enforcement officers, firefighters, and private sector on-the-job training. The House version already has over 160 co-sponsors.

Click here to see the number of jobs created in your community by this Act.

The Local Community Jobs Program would provide federal assistance to states and localities to directly create jobs that meet crucial community needs and retain existing public workers in the face of crushing budget crises. By directly funding 750,000 jobs over two years, the Program would immediately reduce unemployment, ensure that cities and towns across the country can maintain critical services, boost local economies, and help rebuild our communities.

We are organizing with partners around the country in support of this bill.

Join the fight for the Local Jobs for America Act.

We are a part of the Jobs for America Now coalition, a national coalition focused on winning legislation to create jobs and strengthen the safety net for unemployed workers.

Resources on Local Jobs for America Act

• Local Jobs for America Act legislative language (House version, Senate version).
• Local Jobs for America Act brief summary.
• Local Jobs for America Act detailed, technical summary.
• Estimates of jobs created or saved (pdf or maps).
• Letter of support from more than 360 national and local organizations.
• Testimony by Deepak Bhargava at CBC Hearing on March 17, 2010
• EPI Paper: “Cheaper Than You Think, Why Smart Efforts to Spur Jobs Cost Less Than Advertised”
• Congressional forum on direct job creation on May 25, 2010 (speaker information, testimonies)
• Testimony by EPI President Lawrence Mishel at Hearing of the Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Support and Family Support on June 10, 2010