"THE creation of jobs in Nevada will be a priority to halt the further rise in unemployment rate in the state," Sen. Harry Reid said.
"I have an obligation to create jobs," the senator told members of the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce (ACC) last August 26.
To realize this goal, the senator is banking on a pending small jobs bill in Congress, as well as the state’s investment in clean energy.
"By giving continuing our work on the small business jobs bill, we are cutting taxes and taking steps to make it easier for Nevada businesses to put more Nevadans to work," Sen. Reid said.
Salient provisions in the bill include a provision for $500,000 in loans and lines of credit for small businesses. It also provides for sales tax exemption for machinery, supplies and fuel used in renewable energy industries.
Tax credits and a cap of $200 on insurance premiums for small businesses that create new jobs and/or hire workers with disabilities, is also included.
In the ACC forum, Sen. Reid said the bill if passed is expected "to benefit private small businesses which have suffered a lot during the recession."
"The road to recovery runs through the private sector," he said, noting that a large number of small businesses in Las Vegas are owned by Asian Americans.
President Obama, himself, endorsed the bill saying earlier this week that it should be Congress’ "first order of business" when it comes back from its August break.
The President said that he and his economic team were working on identifying additional measures to promote growth in the short term and promote competitiveness for businesses in the long term.
The Republican minority blocked the Small Business Jobs Bill from coming to the Senate floor on July 29. A similar bill passed the House in June.
Sen. Reid, meanwhile, also said the state’s in clean energy may is also expected to create jobs and ease unemployment in Nevada .
"Recent progress on the clean energy transmission line from White Pine County to Clark County is promising," he said.
"It will put thousands of Nevadans to work on an industry that will help diversify our state’s economy," he added.
"By continuing to invest in clean energy, we are developing an industry that can whether any economic storm," he also said.
( Published September 2, 2010 in Asian Journal Las Vegas p. A1 )
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
