"Local Jobs For America" Bill Helps Minorities, Lawmakers Say

By Brandon Kosters - Talk Radio News Service

A group of lawmakers and local politicians spoke to the press today about the “Local Jobs For America Act,” a bill which, if passed, will invest money in job training for and hiring of teachers, police officers and firefighters in economically vulnerable cities throughout the country.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, believes that this legislation will have a notable affect on the unemployment rate areas with large African American and Hispanic communities.

“The national unemployment rate is about 9.5%, yet in minority communities, in the African-American and Latino communities, it hovers around 16-17 %,” Lee said. “The Congressional Black Caucus wants to make sure [that] on every jobs bill that we work on, that we leave no one behind.”

Congressional Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who also sits on the Congressional Black Caucus, said that the reduction of state services “diminishes the quality of life for our citizens,” and that the bill will ultimately stimulate the national economy. “Public jobs stimulate private job growth,” he said.

While the members of Congress conceded that there are lawmakers who oppose the bill, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said that focus needs to be shifted from partisan politics to the people being affect the most by the struggling economy.

“I’m not exactly sure what the mood is in the Senate, but I would only suggest that maybe we need to be a little more concerned about the mood of people who are unemployed, [and] their mood is they’re pissed off,” Nutter said. “They don’t have a job, I think that’s what we need to try to stay focused on.”