Jobs & the Economy
North County San Diego and South Orange County are home to some of the world’s leading biotechnology, research, and clean energy institutions, as well as a thriving tourism industry, and Rep. Levin is a champion for policies that help them grow jobs and put workers first.
Rep. Levin was proud to help introduce the Raise the Wage Act, which would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 in 2024, index future minimum wage increases to median wage growth, and ensure all workers are paid at least the full federal minimum wage by phasing out the subminimum wages for tipped workers, youth workers, and workers with disabilities. He also cosponsored the Protecting America’s Workers Act to expand workers’ protections under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
He worked to grow local jobs by cosponsoring the Brand USA Extension Act, which reauthorizes the Brand USA public-private partnership to support jobs and small businesses in Southern California that depend on tourism. Rep. Levin also supported the Investing in Main Street Act to increase the percentage that a bank can invest in Small Business Investment Companies; the Expanding Contracting Opportunities for Small Business Act to give small businesses more opportunities to compete for federal contracts, and the Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act, which would reauthorize the Small Business Development Center Program through fiscal year 2023.
Rep. Levin has consistently fought for federal investments in biomedical and climate research, which helps to support thousands of local jobs, and he helped secure billions in federal funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), which supports research conducted by institutions in the 49th District.
Another local economic issue that Rep. Levin addressed is the 2017 Republican tax bill, which capped the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction, unfairly hurting taxpayers and municipalities in California and other states. He cosponsored the bipartisan Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act, which would eliminate the SALT cap, as well as the SALT Deductibility Act.
In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Rep. Levin helped pass multiple bipartisan bills to provide relief for families, workers, and small businesses, including expanded unemployment insurance, paid emergency leave, forgivable small business loans, and much more. He will continue to work across the aisle with his colleagues on legislation to address the long-term economic consequences of the coronavirus crisis.
For more information concerning work and views related to Economy, please contact our office.
More on Jobs & the Economy
San Juan Capistrano, CA – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) introduced the Solar Jobs Preservation Act with Rep. Dave Schweikert (R-AZ) to protect jobs in the solar industry by strengthening the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). Since the ITC was created in 2006, it has helped create hundreds of thousands of jobs and generate billions of dollars in investment.
San Juan Capistrano, CA – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA), Chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, sent a letter to United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General Louis DeJoy pressing him for information on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on veteran hiring and employment within the agency.
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) led a bicameral letter with 46 House members and nine Senators calling on Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to use his statutory responsibility as Chair of the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) to address the serious risks climate change poses to financial institutions and markets.
Washington, D.C – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA), Chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, led a hearing entitled "Getting Veterans to Work After COVID-19." The hearing featured testimony from Mr. Maurice D. Wilson, MCPO, USN (Ret), President of the National Veterans Transition Services, Inc.
San Juan Capistrano, CA – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) announced that with the release of new data from the Small Business Association’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Congressman Levin helped sustain 20,456 small businesses in California’s 49th Congressional district, which supported 241,446 employees.
San Juan Capistrano, CA – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (CA-49) hosted a virtual tourism roundtable with California’s 49th congressional district’s tourism and hospitality leaders to discuss the challenges their industry is facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Washington, D.C. — Today, Reps. Mike Levin (CA-49), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), and Matt Cartwright (PA-08) led a group of 177 lawmakers to request economic relief for the clean energy industry, which has been severely hit by the COVID-19 crisis.
The struggling United States Postal Service could get a $25 billion lifeline if the Senate approves an emergency funding request from a bipartisan group of 137 House members, led by Rep. Mike Levin of Orange County.
The federal bailout, which could be voted on as early as this week, is needed to offset losses triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, which postal officials say will total more than $22 billion over the next 18 months and could force the 245-year-old agency to close for good.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Rep. Mike Levin heard from a variety San Diego County community members Friday about priorities for Washington’s COVID-19 relief efforts.
They discussed the need for expanded COVID-19 testing, small business relief and more financial aid for local governments.
The hour-plus Zoom discussion featured representatives of small businesses, community health clinics, labor, law enforcement, the city of Carlsbad, and postal workers. It showcased the challenges facing Americans as Congress debates its next relief bill.
San Juan Capistrano, CA – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) released the following statement on The Heroes Act, an ambitious COVID-19 response bill that includes many of Levin’s top priorities for the 49th District. Among the many provisions in The Heroes Act, the bill includes bipartisan legislation introduced by Rep.