Abbie Fentress Swanson, Culture Editor & Interactive Content Producer
Abbie Fentress Swanson covers arts and culture for WNYC and is the editor for WNYC's Culture Web site. Follow her on Twitter @dearabbie.
Senate Passes $15 Billion Jobs Bill
Thursday, February 25, 2010
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Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand (azipaybarah/flickr)
Senate Democrats passed a $15 billion jobs bills yesterday.
The bill gives tax breaks to companies who hire new employees. The Wall Street Journal reports that employers wouldn't have to pay their 6.25 percent share of federal payroll taxes through December for any new workers that have been unemployed for at least 60 days. If that employee was still on the books in a year, the business owner would receive an additional $1,000 tax credit.
The bill also includes small-businesses tax credits, road and bridge repairs spending and federally subsidized bonds for other infrastructure projects.
The vote to approve the bill was 70 to 28.
“This package is not a panacea; it’s not going to solve everything,” New York Senator Charles Schumer told The Times. “But because we have a jobs agenda, not just a jobs bill, we will keep at it and at it and at it.”
Next, the bill moves to the House.
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