The White House Estimates Thousands of Jobs for Local Districts
Jobs
The New Bedford Standard-Times
Cristian Hernandez
Boston University Washington News Service
02/20/09
WASHINGTON—The economic recovery package passed by Congress last week could mean thousands of jobs for the New Bedford area, according to White House estimates.
The $789 billion package would create or save an estimated 3.5 million jobs over a two-year period, 8,000 of which will be created in the 3rd Congressional District, 8,100 in the 4th District and 7,400 in the 10th District. The estimates are based on each district’s working age population, current employment, and types of business and industry, according to a White House press release.
“It’s going to keep people from getting laid off,” said Rep. Barney Frank, D-4th.
New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang said he wants jobs created by the recovery package to help stabilize local governments and the city’s infrastructure. He said the key issue now is waiting to see how the money will filter down to the city to help with education and public safety.
“In order to create jobs we have to make sure local governments are stable enough to create growth,” Lang said.
Massachusetts lost 16,800 jobs last month and the umeployment rate rose to 6.9 percent in December, the higest level in more then 15 years. The stimulus package would create an estimated 79,000 new jobs in the state.
“This package contains enormous opportunities for Massachusetts, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, education and funding for safety net services,” Gov. Deval Patrick said after the bill passed in the Senate.
It is still unclear how funds that will generate jobs will be distributed or how individuals can apply for jobs. Officials from the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development said they are working with the governor and the Obama administration to identify how projects will get approved and to understand what kinds of jobs will be created as a result of the bill.
Jennifer James, the department’s undersecretary, said they are working on a strategy that will allow them to match up people looking for employment with jobs generated by projects funded by the stimulus. They want to use the state’s 37 career centers to best match job opportunities with the unemployed, she said.
“We believe that the resources coming from the federal governtment are highly critical for Massachusetts,” James said. “We are very hopeful that they will create employment opportunities and retain jobs.”
Frank said the version of the legislation that emerged from the Senate is not as good as the version the House passed but said the bill was still a good deal. “Its going to be a lot better than we would have gotten under George Bush,” Frank said.
Rep. James McGovern, D-3rd District, praised the bill, which in addition to creating thousands of jobs in his district provides $180 million for infrastructure projects in Massachusetts.
“We need to act quickly and boldly to put people back to work and restore confidence,” McGovern said in a written statement.
Mayor Lang said that budget problems have forced the city to lay off employees. He said he hopes to put people back to work and jump-start local projects that have been put on hold because of the economic downturn. Among the projects the mayor said he would like to see receive federal funding are the creation of a commuter rail from Boston to New Bedford and Fall River and the renovation of schools. New Beford has the highest number of 100-year-old schools in the area, Lang said.
Local lawmakers in Congress and local offcials said they are satisfied with the legislation approved by Congress last week and are hopeful the stimulus package will pull the economy out of the worst economic crisis since the Depression.
“My feeling is that without the stimulus the economy would continnue to fall into a severe resession,” Lang said. “Full employment is the key to getting the economy moving.”
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