Emergency Jobless Assistance

In February 2012, Senate Democrats succeeded in securing a continuation of jobless benefits for Americans to help them get by while they look for work.  Senate Democrats succeeded in passing into law a new "Work Sharing" initiative that allows struggling employers the option to temporarily reduce hours and wages of employees instead of laying off workers, while using unemployment insurance to supplement the employees' reduced wages.  This is a common sense solution that will keep workers on the job and businesses productive during tough times. At the end of the year, the American Taxpayer Relief Act extended emergency unemployment insurance for 2 million Americans. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that each $1 spent on unemployment benefits generates up to $1.90 in economic growth.

The HIRE Act

First ushered into law by Senate Democrats in March 2010, the HIRE Act provided job creators with two incentives for hiring unemployed workers. First, it granted employers a tax cut on the employer share of payroll taxes. Second, it provided job creators with a $1,000 tax credit for each unemployed worker hired. Less than eight months after the bill was signed into law, U.S. employers had hired nearly 10.6 million workers who qualified for the HIRE Act's tax credits, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

Travel Promotion Act

One of the industries hit hardest by the economic downturn was America's travel and tourism industry. In February 2010, Senate Democrats led the way in creating a new  tourism promotion agency designed bring in more foreign tourists by marketing the United States as a travel destination around the world. According to the U.S. Travel Association, increased foreign tourism due to a successful marketing campaign could create as many as 40,000 jobs around the country in the first year alone.