My top priorities as a Member of Congress are job creation and cutting the excessive spending and ever-increasing debt. In this current economy, many Ohioans know someone who is struggling to find work. Congress must focus on policies, legislation and oversight that promotes job creation.
Over the past few years, there have been numerous, burdensome new mandates and regulations put on our small businesses. That is why Congress needs to do away with the job-destroying restrictions that have been placed on our small businesses. It is our small businesses that create a majority of the jobs across the country. We must support efforts to help small businesses grow and create jobs, not put our job creators on life support.
Congress also needs to lower the corporate tax rates to remain competitive, in the world economy. We cannot compete with other countries without being innovative and matching the incentives of other nations. If we want to bring jobs back here to the United States, we must take the necessary steps to reduce both taxes and regulations on our businesses.
I have also introduced my own jobs initiative, The American Made Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, a bill which will create jobs, reduce the price of gas at the pump, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. My plan opens up untapped oil resources in the Outer Continental Shelf that will raise revenue from new offshore drilling leases and provide a new dedicated source of revenue to fund infrastructure projects, creating thousands of new jobs. The measure was part of the energy and infrastructure jobs bill announced by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) in late 2011.
In the 112th Congress, I introduced the HIRE at Home Act to help make it easier for returning veterans in the fields of health care and transportation to find employment once they are home. This bill makes it possible for service members who are trained by the military to do jobs such as truck driver or nursing assistant to receive the necessary certification to do those equivalent jobs in the private sector when they leave service. I was proud to see this bill signed into law last year.
VIDEO: CLICK HEREto listen to Stivers' radio interview on Middle Market businesses and the economy. VIDEO:CLICK HERE to view Stivers' floor speech on job creation. VIDEO: CLICK HERE to view Stivers answering a constituent's question on jobs at a listening session.
