Putting New Yorkers Back to Work
As we emerge from the worst economic climate since the Great Depression, New Yorkers are struggling to make ends meet. Many who want to work can’t find a job, and small businesses are struggling to keep their employees on payroll.
That is why job creation is the number one priority for Senate Democrats.
We know that investment in the ingenuity of New York residents is the cornerstone to restarting our struggling economy and providing much-needed jobs throughout the state. Tax credits and business development initiatives can jump start small business growth and job creation. And investments in education and green technology will increase our competitiveness and provide the foundation of long-term economic growth for decades to come.
After gaining the majority in 2008, the New York Senate Dems made strides on all of these fronts. We worked to get our economy back on track and reboot the economic engine that can create jobs for all New Yorkers – from Western New York and the North Country, down to New York City and out to the tip of Long Island.
While much work remains to be done, here are just some of the ways the New York Senate Dems saved and created jobs in 2009 and 2010:
- Our fiscal year 2009 – 2010 budget funded a variety of initiatives to create 80,000 new jobs, including $32 million for targeted, subsidized employment programs for low-income New Yorkers in health access, green pathways, out of poverty and transitional employment initiatives.
- Power for Jobs: We took action to make permanent the successful Power for Jobs program, which provides low-cost power for hundreds of businesses, and will protect 250,000 jobs statewide.
- Green Jobs/Green NY: Our initiative created 14,000 jobs for local contractors at a total cost of $0 to the taxpayers of New York. The program is helping homeowners and small businesses retrofit their homes and workplaces to be more energy efficient, saving the money on utility costs. And we’re working to add new ways to help families and businesses afford energy-efficiency retrofits, including on-bill financing in utility bills.
- Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit and New York “Main Street” Initiative: We provided tax credits for businesses and homeowners to rehabilitate commercial and residential buildings in distressed areas, encouraging job growth and revitalize communities.
