Jobs Bills Clear Committee, Up for Votes Thursday

Lawmakers wasted no time taking action on an aggressive job-growth agenda in the 2012 Regular Session, as key economic development bills received favorable votes in committee Wednesday and will be up for votes of the full House Thursday.

The bills are:

o    The  “Heroes for Hire” Tax Credit Act, House Bill 152, sponsored by Rep. DuWayne Bridges (R-Valley), passed unanimously out of the Education Ways and Means Committee.

• With wars winding down in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands of Alabama veterans will soon return home to a difficult economy in which it is hard to find a job.
• This proposal would offer Alabama businesses a $2000 tax credit for hiring a veteran recently returned from war.

o    The Alabama Job Creation and Retention Act, House Bills 159 & 160 Sponsored by Rep. Barry Mask (R-Wetumpka), passed out of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee.

• Alabama’s success in landing world-class companies like Mercedes, Honda, Hyundai and ThyssenKrupp proves how effective tax incentives can be for bringing jobs to this state.
• This constitutional amendment (HB 159) would allow voters to give the Governor and the Alabama Development Office more flexibility in offering tax incentives to land major economic development projects and retain companies that might otherwise relocate outside Alabama without having to call a special session of the Legislature.
• The corresponding enabling bill (HB160) sets strict parameters for how incentives can be used to ensure return on investment.

o   The Alabama Data Processing Center Economic Incentive Enhancement Act , House Bill 154 sponsored by Rep. Dan Williams (R-Athens), passed unanimously out of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee.

• Data processing centers are key components of the 21st century economy.  These centers employ a skilled workforce, provide high-paying jobs, and have a low environmental footprint.  Alabama is uniquely positioned to compete for jobs in this growing industry.
• This proposal would expand the scope of certain tax incentives in order to focus on recruiting more data processing centers to Alabama.

House Speaker Mike Hubbard said lawmakers are making good on their promise to make job growth legislation the top priority in the 2012 session.

“Our number one focus is boosting private sector job growth and getting more Alabamians back to work,” Speaker Hubbard said. “We’re leading the nation in reducing unemployment and the state has added more than 41,000 jobs since last January, but we have a long way to go. Too many Alabamians are still without work, and we’re taking action to remedy that.”

Speaker Hubbard said he was particularly pleased to see Rep. DuWayne Bridges’ “Heroes for Hire” bill moving so quickly to become law.

“Those that served on the frontlines for our country deserve to go to the front of the line for new hires,” Speaker Hubbard said.

Rep. Bridges, who chairs the House Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, said the “Heroes for Hire” bill shows Alabama is committed to taking care of its veterans.

“Our men and women in uniform have dedicated years of service to this country and made great sacrifices that too often get taken for granted,” Rep. Bridges said. “In this tough economy we need to give returning veterans every advantage we can toward landing a job. Our ‘Heroes for Hire’ bill offers that by giving businesses a $2,000 tax credit for hiring a veteran recently returned from war.”

Rep. Barry Mask, who chairs the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee, said the job-growth package was designed to give the state more tools for helping existing industry expand and recruiting new companies to the state.

“Our jobs bills are designed to give state and local economic developers more tools to help grow existing businesses and land new industry, both of which result in more jobs for Alabamians,” Rep. Mask said. “Working in local economic development myself, I can tell you the best thing we can do jumpstart job growth is to foster a friendly business climate and have a diverse tool kit for pursing new projects.”

Rep. Dan Williams said his data processing center bill could add a whole new dimension to Alabama’s economic development efforts.

“Alabama has an opportunity to tap into a growing industry that could contribute to significant job growth,” Rep. Williams said. “Data centers provide good-paying jobs and have a low environmental footprint. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be competing for those jobs.”