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Rep. Solis (CA) Appointed Secretary of Labor
On Friday, December 19, President-elect Obama announced his appointment of Congresswoman Hilda Solis (CA) as the new Secretary of Labor. Having served four terms in Congress, Solis sits on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Committee on Natural Resources, and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. Though she has not served on the Education and Labor Committee, she has been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration’s labor policies and has championed legislation providing green job training.
In June 2007, Congresswoman Solis passed legislation to help train American workers for jobs in the renewable energy and energy-efficiency industries. The Green Jobs Act of 2007 (H.R. 2847) authorized up to $125 million in funding to establish national and state job training programs, administered by the U.S. Department of Labor, to help address job shortages that are impairing growth in green industries, such as energy efficient buildings and construction, renewable electric power, energy efficient vehicles, and bio-fuels development.
Solis is the only member of Congress on the Board of American Rights at Work. She is a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, which makes it easier to organize workers and has led the fight for higher minimum wage in the California legislature.
Delegation of Mayors Meets With President-Elect Obama on Stimulus
On Thursday, December 18, President-elect Obama and his transition team met with a U.S. Conference of Mayors delegation in Chicago to discuss the economic stimulus package. Those in attendance included the following:
Mayor Gregg Nickels of Seattle (WA)
Mayor Elizabeth Kautz of Burnsville (MN)
Mayor Jerry Abramson of Louisville (KY)
Mayor Douglas Palmer of Trenton (NJ)
Mayor Donald Plusquellic of Akron (OH)
Mayor Joseph Riley, Jr. of Charleston (SC)
Mayor Michael Coleman of Columbus (OH)
Mayor Kathryn Taylor of Tulsa (OK)
Mayor David Cicilline of Providence (RI)
Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia (PA)
Mayor John Hickenlooper of Denver (CO)
Mayor Ralph Becker of Salt Lake City (UT)
Mayor Sheila Dixon of Baltimore (MD)
Mayor Bob Foster of Long Beach (CA)
Mayor R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis (MN)
The mayors and Obama’s senior advisor, Valerie Jarrett, spoke about the President-elect’s planned economic-stimulus package, but focused equally on building a relationship between cities and the federal government that would focus on sustainable issues such as jobs, housing, energy and education.
Click here to view the latest U.S. Conference of Mayors Ready-to-Go Jobs Infrastructure Projects report discussed at the meeting.
In that report, 641 mayors of cities of all sizes in all regions of the country outline a total of 15,221 local infrastructure projects that are “ready to go.” These projects represent an infrastructure investment of $96,638,419,313 that would be capable of producing an estimated 1,221,677 jobs in calendar years 2009 and 2010. These are the cumulative totals of projects, required funding, and jobs to be created that have been reported in the three surveys of cities conducted by the Conference of Mayors. The list is expected to be updated twice more by the time Obama is sworn into office January 20.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Moves Forward on TAA Reform
On Tuesday, December 16, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced that it will move forward on efforts to modernize the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program for displaced workers early next year, after the enactment of an economic stimulus package. The chamber stated that there is consensus in Congress to address TAA modernization and need for a full discussion on building a “holistic” approach to trade policy.
To view the Chamber’s recommendations for advancing TAA, click here for the International Engagement: The U.S. Chamber’s Agenda to Help Americans Compete and Win in the Worldwide Economy. It is a 14-point agenda for trade policy in the 111th Congress, also shared with President-elect Obama’s transition team.
Bush Announces $13.4 Billion for Auto Bailout
On Friday, December 19, President Bush announced that $13.4 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds will be designated for immediate loan assistance to help struggling automakers -- with the possibility of an additional $4 billion in funding February.
These loans would include conditions such as warrants, limits on executive compensation/perks, and a suspension of dividends. Additionally, the loans can be called back if firms are not deemed viable by March 31, 2009.
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