Congressman Mike Sodrel

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Job Growth and Economic Development

Congress has continued to advance important measures that will further spur the economy and create jobs.

What I’ve been striving to do since elected is support policies that make it possible for our economy to grow. I’m very aware that the government doesn’t create jobs, people and businesses do. But what government can do is reduce the burdens that we put on the people that do create jobs.

Among the most important steps we’ve taken is the passage of a comprehensive energy bill. It’s no secret that Americans are paying the price, quite literally, for the United States failure to establish a national energy strategy. A long-tem plan passed recently by the House is necessary to answer our long-term energy concerns.

The energy plan we passed will lower energy prices for consumers, spur the economy and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, and take unprecedented steps to promote greater energy conservation and efficiency.

The United States has become too dependant on foreign sources of oil while high energy prices have claimed thousands of American jobs. The bill decreases America’s dangerous dependence on foreign oil by increasing domestic oil and gas exploration and development on non-park federal lands and by authorizing expansion of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve’s capacity to 1 billion barrels.

Important to Indiana farmers is a provision of the bill that establishes a Renewable Fuels Standard of five billion gallons to be introduced into the marketplace by 2010, which will increase the demand for ethanol by the end of the decade.

Another drag on the American economy has been an increase in frivolous law suits that often cost employers millions. Already this year Congress passed, and the President signed, legislation to unclog over-used courts and curb law suit abuse practices known as “forum shopping” that allow trial lawyers to bring class action lawsuits in a small number of jurisdictions that have little, if anything, to do with the suit.

I also voted in favor of the permanent repeal of the Death Tax. We must put an end to this onerous tax on America’s families, farmers and small businesses. Repealing the Death Tax will go a long way toward creating a tax policy in this country that enhances, rather than undermines, our ability to grow the economy and create opportunities for economic prosperity.

The Death Tax is not only unfair, but it costs farmers and small businesses millions of dollars a year in fees to accountants and lawyers. Those are resources that should be spent creating new jobs, providing better wages and benefits for current employees, and investing in new equipment.

One of Congress’ most important obligations, and one that has a dramatic effect on local economies, is to provide for reliable means of transportation by the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges.

In the House passed version of the Transportation Equity Act, which I co-sponsored, Indiana will receive $5.4 billion to put toward transportation and infrastructure projects. That’s a 37 percent increase in the rate of return on federal gas tax receipts over the last six-year funding cycle. The $1.45 billion increase for Indiana is the fourth best increase among the states, and eighth best in terms of raw dollars.

Businesses need to locate to communities where their transportation and infrastructure needs are met. In today’s economy, thousands of businesses, large and small, depend on “just in time” deliveries, making reliable transportation of goods vital to our communities.

Strengthening our economy will always be my top priority. I will continue to work to protect Indiana manufacturers, simplify the tax code, end burdensome regulatory policies, and ensure that we only enter into trade agreements that don’t disadvantage American workers and producers.