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My Voting Record

  DateRC#BillVote
 
  12-1 595 H RES 1724 Yea
 
  12-1 594 H RES 1217 Aye
 
  12-1 593 H J RES 101 Nay
 
  12-1 592 H RES 1430 Aye
 
  12-1 591 H RES 1735 Aye

» Complete voting history - 1st Session

» Complete voting history - 2nd Session

Jobs and the Economy

Click here for a list of job resources here in Southern Arizona.

Job Seekers’ Expo

Getting our economy back on track means putting Arizonans back to work. On April 17, I hosted a Job Seekers’ Expo featuring some of the area’s largest and most respected employers. It also included representatives from agencies specializing in job placement for veterans and personnel experts who will offer advice and answer questions for individuals looking for new employment opportunities.

The goal of the Job Seekers’ Expo is to provide a forum where people seeking employment can speak directly with potential employers as well as experts who can help them with practical advice, such as interview tips and polishing up their résumés.

The employers attending the event included GEICO, Canyon Ranch, Paragon Space Development, Carondelet Heath Network, Tucson Medical Center, Ventana Medical Systems, CODAC Behavioral Health Services, Horizon Moving Systems, Solon, The Solar Store, Fort Huachuca, the Transportation Security Administration and the Arizona Army and Air National Guards.

Creating Opportunities for Older Americans

In these difficult economic times, the face of retirement is changing.  There is no longer a clear divide between working and retirement.  Today, more than ever, seniors are staying on the job longer, not just because they want to but because they have to.

I introduced the Older Americans’ JOB Act with the help and advice from seniors’ advocacy groups and organizations on aging in Southern Arizona.  The legislation will expand eligibility of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include Older Workers over age 55 by modifying the WOTC to allow credit for employers that hire workers 55 and older whose income is below the 400 percent of poverty threshold >>READ MORE

In addition to creating incentives for employers to hire older workers, we need to do more to identify the barriers to workforce entry and the unique needs of the mature worker. The Older Americans’ JOB Act will form a National Resource Center on Aging and the Workforce within the Department of Labor to collect, organize, and disseminate older worker information. 

Creating Jobs for Arizonans

America is facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and middle class families have found their economic circumstances increasingly uncertain. Today, many in Arizona face prolonged unemployment and worry about retirement. All of this uncertainty comes at a time when families face increasing costs for education, health care, and energy.  That is why Congress has taken action to both create jobs and gain a better understanding of the factors that led to the crisis.

In February 2009, Congress took action to stem the tide of job loss and stabilize the economy by passing the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), which was signed into law on February 19, 2009.  I supported the ARRA because I believed it was necessary to protect existing jobs, create new ones, and prevent the economic recession from becoming into a depression. In total, the ARRA provided Arizona with $4.3 billion, intended to be spent over two years on a number of programs and initiatives. >>READ MORE

The Recovery Act includes $570 million for Arizona to repair and replace aging highway and bridges. Construction on several projects has already begun putting people back to work. More than $700 million went to the state’s fiscal stabilization fund to prevent drastic cuts in the state’s education budget that would have forced teachers to be laid off, and, in turn, increased class sizes. More than $2.2 billion was provided to AHCCCS, preventing the state from having to cut benefits or reduce coverage. The ARRA also provided funding to a number of federal competitive grant and loan programs that Middle Tennessee governmental and non-governmental organizations can apply for.

Helping Small Businesses Grow

I was the only Arizonan to support the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act, a bipartisan bill that provides tax cuts for small business to help them expand their business and hire more workers.   The bill includes a new payroll tax exemption would create a common-sense, targeted, and effective way to encourage employers to begin hiring unemployed workers immediately and is estimated to spur about 300,000 new jobs.  The bill also includes a payroll tax exemption for every worker hired in 2010 who has been unemployed for at least 60 days. 

The HIRE Act will help spur small business growth by extending Recovery Act provisions that double the amount small businesses can immediately write off their taxes for capital investments and purchases of new equipment made in 2010 from $125,000 to $250,000. This will help small business make the investments they need to grow and hire more workers.  The bill also reforms municipal bonds by allowing the money to be spent on construction and repair of public projects like schools, highways and transit projects, as well as green and clean energy programs like wind turbines and solar energy projects.

Cutting Taxes for Working Families

Everyday, hard-working Americans make hard earned dollars to provide for their families. That's why I support tax cuts that serve as an engine of economic growth. In 2009, I was proud to support legislation which created tax cuts for 95% of all hard-working Americans.

Thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by Congress in 2009, billions of dollars of low to middle income tax cuts benefited Arizonans across our state.  While I supported each of these tax incentives, the “Making Work Pay” tax cut will benefit nearly all working Americans.  Starting in April 2009, each paycheck that working Americans receive will include a reduced federal withholding.  For the next two years, the “Making Work Pay” tax credit will provide regular tax relief that could amount to an additional $800 for individuals and $1,600 for families in extra income.  
Learn more about these tax cuts

Protecting Americans from Credit Card Companies

As the economy has worsened, credit card companies have increasingly been raising interest rates on cardholders, even those in good standing.  The Federal Reserve examined common business practices employed by credit card companies and determined many were "unfair," "deceptive," and "anti-competitive."  I recently supported the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights, which was signed into law on May 22, 2009.  The new law will prohibit card companies from raising interest rates without reason or advanced notice. 

It will prevent card companies from raising interest rates unless the promotional rate has expired, the cardholder has not paid the minimum balance 60 days after the due date, or the interest rate is tied to a variable index.  If one of these requirements is met, card companies must notify the cardholder at least 45 days before the increased rate would take effect.

Protecting Consumers

As Americans work to stretch their dollars and balance their budgets in this tough economic climate, we need to ensure big banks and Wall Street can't jeopardize our recovery and hurt hard-working families and small businesses.  Wall Street may be bouncing back, but we know from experience they’re not going to police themselves.  Wall Street reform is the next critical step to create jobs and grow the economy.

Click Here for more information on Wall Street Reform.

In 2009, I also voted and helped pass the following consumer protections:

The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act will curb abusive and predatory lending and will outlaw many of the egregious industry practices that sparked the sub-prime lending meltdown in 2008.

The Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act
provides critical funding and updated tools to help law enforcement pursue and prosecute the mortgage and corporate fraud that impacted millions of Americans.