Unemployment

November 17, 2009 -- OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Commerce awarded $6.4 million in competitive Recovery Act grants to 43 applicants in small cities and counties for energy efficiency and conservation projects. Projects include energy audits and building retrofits, as well as energy efficient traffic signals and street lighting.

The funding is targeted to reduce fossil fuel emissions and help communities be more environmentally sustainable through reduced energy usage and improved energy efficiency in the building and transportation sectors. The work is also expected to save or create more than 100 jobs.    » read more »

Federal Recovery Funds Will Help Local Governments, Non-Profit Groups Reduce Energy, Save Money

Nov. 17, 2009 -- Harrisburg – Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced Pennsylvania’s Conservation Works! grant program will save more than 570 million kilowatt hours of electricity, generate an additional 14.4 million kilowatt hours, and reduce natural gas use by 2.1 million thousand cubic feet over the lifetimes of the various projects.

Conservation Works! is a $22 million competitive grant program, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to help local government and non-profit organizations improve energy efficiency, curb energy consumption and reduce energy costs by at least 25 percent.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- DOVER -- Delaware Governor Jack Markell and Secretary of Labor John McMahon announced today that unemployed Delaware workers will be eligible for up to fourteen weeks of additional unemployment insurance benefits.

“These benefits will help Delawareans who have been hit hard by the national economic recession get back on their feet,” Markell said. “Turning around the state’s economy takes time. That’s why my administration is working hard every day to move our economy forward and create jobs by making Delaware the best state in the nation for starting and growing businesses.”    » read more »

Just the Beginning of a Sustained Commitment to Science

November 17, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Rush Holt, Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming Chairman Edward Markey, Congressman Bill Foster, and Robert Shelton, President of the University of Arizona, held a press conference this afternoon to highlight the benefits of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to the science and research community.

The Recovery Act provided $22 billion for scientific research and development at universities, to establish new facilities, and to purchase lab equipment. Below are the Speaker’s remarks as prepared:    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- “As American families prepare to gather for Thanksgiving, we received an unsettling report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that found that hunger rose significantly last year. This trend was already painfully clear in many communities across our nation, where food stamp applications are surging and food pantry shelves are emptying.

It is particularly troubling that there were more than 500,000 families in which a child experienced hunger multiple times over the course of the year. Our children’s ability to grow, learn, and meet their full potential – and therefore our future competitiveness as a nation – depends on regular access to healthy meals.    » read more »

Economic Research Service Report Demonstrates Need for Action

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2009 - USDA's Economic Research Service's (ERS) today released its annual report on Household Food Security in the U.S., which revealed that in 2008, 17 million households, or 14.6 percent, were food insecure and families had difficulty putting enough food on the table at times during the year.

This is an increase from 13 million households, or 11.1 percent, in 2007. The 2008 figures represent the highest level observed since nationally representative food security surveys were initiated in 1995. The full study is available at www.ers.usda.gov/features/householdfoodsecurity/.    » read more »

Heads for disposal facility in New Mexico

ARGONNE, Ill. (Nov. 16, 2009) – The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has been removing transuranic (TRU) waste from its site for three years, but the Oct. 15 shipment of radioactive material to a disposal facility near Carlsbad, New Mexico marked the first time the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) picked up the tab.

The cleanup work is paid for by DOE’s Office of Environmental Management. The influx of ARRA funds will allow the laboratory to ship out more than four times as much TRU waste (including both remote- and contact-handled) in the next 24 months as it has since the project was conceived three years ago.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- Harrisburg – Pennsylvania Secretary of Administration Naomi Wyatt today provided details on how the state’s workforce will be further reduced due to budget cuts. The administration will begin furloughing 319 employees today.

“It is with deep and sincere regret that we announce these furloughs. This administration has been cutting costs and improving efficiency since 2003, but the sharp decline in state revenues left us with no other options,” Wyatt said. “While it was originally thought that up to 1,000 furloughs might be needed, the Governor was able to preserve as many jobs as possible by working to maintain spending at $27.8 billion and developing creative cost savings solutions.”    » read more »

Nov. 16, 2009 -- (Salem) – “Today’s employment report shows that Oregon’s unemployment rate is starting to level off and stabilize, which is promising news. This week we will also receive the next quarterly state revenue forecast, which will provide another snapshot about the state of Oregon’s economy.

“Today’s employment report and the forecast later this week are critical indicators for state and local governments as we continue to budget prudently and plan for a long, slow economic recovery.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) -- Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.) today announced that Milwaukee will receive $5,839,100 in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funding awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the Recovery Act. These funds are intended to create local green jobs and help improve energy efficiency in communities across the country by reducing energy use and fossil fuel emissions.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Today, Congressman Paul Hodes announced his support for legislation that would make health insurance more affordable for unemployed families in New Hampshire. Currently, unemployed individuals and families receive 9 months of COBRA premium assistance under the jobs and recovery plan that passed earlier this year, but this assistance is beginning to run out this month.

Congressman Hodes is a cosponsor of H.R. 3966, which would extend this assistance for another 6 months. The premium assistance helps New Hampshire families to afford health insurance while they continue to search for a job.    » read more »

Sends Letter to the President Urging Action

November 16, 2009 -- Representative Mike Capuano today called on President Barack Obama to use the remaining funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to create jobs.

In a letter to the President, Rep. Capuano noted that the unemployment rate is at a "26 year high" and asked the President to "direct the remaining TARP funds towards projects that put more Americans back to work." With $210 billion in TARP funds currently unspent, and another $50 billion expected to be repaid in the next year, Rep. Capuano urged that these funds should be used for job creation.

"TARP was established to address the financial crisis," state Rep. Capuano in his letter. "I do not believe we can reasonably say that the job of TARP is complete."    » read more »

November 12, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the Department of Transportation has jumpstarted more than 10,000 transportation projects across America thanks to its swift allocation of Recovery Act dollars. As of this week, state agencies reported a total of 10,041 approved    » read more »

ARRA Watershed Project Creates Jobs in Local Economy

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2009 – San Jose, Calif., is using $18 Million in Recovery Act funds to rebuild a flood control structure that will protect homes and businesses from the threat of disaster, as well as stimulate the local economy by adding as many as 700 jobs. Watch this Recovery Act success story video at: www.youtube.com/usda#p/a/u/0/FFE8WGF5YW8 .    » read more »

Washington, DC--Today, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) released the following statement of Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger on President Obama's call for a jobs forum in December:

Said Burger, "We are now 22 months into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. In those 22 months we have lost 8.1 million jobs, and 17.5 percent of the workforce - 27.4 million workers - are unemployed, underemployed, or have given up looking for work. The scale of our problems is simply staggering.

"We need swift, bold action to create millions of jobs. In order to build long-term sustainable economic growth, we need a comprehensive approach that deals with our immediate jobs crisis and makes strategic investments to create the jobs that Americans will need in the future.    » read more »