Aguilar Bills Included in Democratic Party Platform for Economic Prosperity

SAN BERNARDINO >> Representative Pete Aguilar (D-San Bernardino) announced two of his bills were included in House Democrats’ updated Make It In America plan, which is their economic prosperity plan and focuses on supporting American entrepreneurs and increasing technological innovation. Aguilar’s On-the-Job Training Tax Credit Act and the Displaced Jobs Relief Act were included in the economic agenda, which was released last week. “My top priority has always been growing the Inland Empire’s middle class,” Aguilar said. “Bills like the On-the-Job Training Tax Credit Act and the Displaced Jobs Relief Act were ideas that emerged from conversations I had with residents, business owners and local labor leaders looking for solutions to problems that have been affecting San Bernardino County families for years. We must do more to help get our economy back on track, and I believe these bills will play an important role in allowing us to do just that.” “In order to help more of our businesses and workers make it in America, Congress must take steps to break down barriers to manufacturing. Rep. Aguilar’s bill – the Displaced Jobs Relief Act of 2015 – would help do so by increasing funding for trade adjustment assistance for firms," House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) said. "I will continue to work with Rep. Aguilar to advance his bill as part of the new Make It In America, and I thank him for his work to expand job creation here at home.” The Make It In America plan was originally introduced in 2010 by House Democratic Leadership as a plan for encouraging economic growth and supporting American jobs. Since its introduction, over a dozen bills have been signed into law that address a number of important economic areas, including loans for small businesses, eliminating tax loopholes that allow companies to ship jobs overseas and training skilled workers. Aguilar introduced the On-the-Job Training Tax Credit Act in May 2015 and the Displaced Jobs Relief Act in December 2015. The bills create a temporary tax credit for employers to use to help pay for training new hires and increase funding for the trade adjustment assistance for firms (TAA-F) program, which helps businesses that have been negatively impacted by foreign competition. Since taking office, Aguilar has introduced five bills that incentivize skills training, help small businesses expand, assist firms impacted by flawed trade deals, waive burdensome fees on Inland Empire entrepreneurs and open communication channels for local workforce development boards to communicate with job seekers. These bills were drawn from conversations Aguilar held with community members at his Jobs Roundtable Discussions last year, which led to the creation of his Jobs Plan. Both of these bills, in addition to the Small Business Jobs Act, were also included in the New Democrats Coalition’s American Prosperity Agenda, which outlines similar principles for spurring economic growth and creating good-paying American jobs.