Jobs
and the Economy
Every ten
years during the national census, we find that people are leaving the
Commonwealth in droves despite the superb quality of life that we enjoy
in rural Pennsylvania. In order to reverse this trend, we must find a
solution to our faltering economy so that young people will be able to
find good jobs right here in our rural towns and communities. We need
to find a way to unite our talents and resources in order to retain, attract
and create high-quality jobs across our region.
On
the federal level I continue to work to reduce burdensome taxes, open
up foreign markets to American products, restore corporate accountability
and remove federal barriers to job creation. While these are important,
our local economy largely depends on having a healthy business environment
within the Commonwealth and a local plan of action for retaining and attracting
employers.
From high
business taxes to antiquated tort laws, Pennsylvania has serious challenges
that must be overcome if we are to compete with other states for high-quality
jobs. In addition, our State's economic development funding system forces
our numerous local and regional development agencies to compete against
each other for the same limited pot of money instead of working together
to promote regional economic growth. We need to find a way to simplify
our system, to develop a new, streamlined approach with one point of contact
that can quickly provide help to those who are trying to start or grow
a business in our region.
At my recommendation,
the Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning
and Development Commission contracted with a nationally-recognized
consulting firm, FutureWorks, to explore new ways to make economic development
more effective. The final version of this study has yielded important
important results that can be applied across our entire region. (To
read the entire FutureWorks report, click here) As we move ahead,
I will continue to work with local community and economic planners to
find ways to improve our economy in rural Pennsylvania.
To address
the economic difficulties facing our region, I have developed two concept
papers targeted at improving our economic development system and the creation
of a consortium of rural Pennsylvania community colleges.
Columns
and Opinion Pieces
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