Gov.-elect Nixon Announces Initial Steps of Show Me JOBS: A Bipartisan Plan to Get Missourians Back to Work

Press Release - Jay Nixon Gov.-elect Nixon Outlines Proposal to Create New Jobs, Help Small Businesses Grow KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Gov.-elect Jay Nixon today announced the initial steps of the Show Me JOBS initiative, a bipartisan plan to get Missourians back to work and support small-business growth during these challenging economic times. Joined by students, teachers and skilled craftsmen, Gov.-elect Jay Nixon announces his Show Me JOBS initiative in the carpenters' workshop at the Builders Association Training Facility in Kansas City. Gov.-elect Nixon's plan focuses on creating new jobs and supporting small-business development during these difficult economic times. Gov.-elect Nixon's initiative will help create new jobs in Missouri by supporting small-business development, providing incentives for worker training and re-training, expanding the Quality Jobs Program and bringing next-generation auto jobs to the state. "During these difficult economic times, we must come together, across party lines, to get Missourians working," Gov.-elect Nixon said. "Missouri is home to the most innovative, most productive workers in the world, but as the national economic crisis worsens, too many of our friends and neighbors are unemployed. Too many Missouri families are struggling to make ends meet. I'm proud to join the leaders of both parties in taking historic steps to turn this economy around. By working together, we'll create new jobs, support small-business growth and foster the high-tech, high-paying industries of the future here in Missouri." Legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle share Gov.-elect Nixon's belief that the top priority for the upcoming session must be creating new jobs and turning Missouri's economy around. "In the Senate, we are committed to working early on with the Governor-elect to pursue responsible, job-creating legislation," Senate Majority Leader Charlie Shields said. "We share the common goal of putting more Missourians to work at better-paying jobs with good health care benefits." Gov.-elect Jay Nixon visits with students from the linemen-training program at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley following his announcement of the Show Me JOBS initiative on that campus. "The solution to this economic crisis won't come from a Washington policy or a Wall Street bailout," said Sen. Victor Callahan, the Senate Minority Leader. "It will come from small-business owners right here in our state. That's why Republican and Democratic leaders are coming together to help Missouri businesses hire new workers, get them trained and get them on the job. Missourians aren't looking for a handout. They're looking for an opportunity to work hard and make an honest living. As we begin the new legislative session, we must put politics aside and focus on the pressing needs of Missouri families." "I welcome any commitment from the new Governor that helps us protect and create Missouri jobs," said Speaker-elect Ron Richard of the Missouri House of Representatives. "This continues to be an early priority for the House next session. I look forward to working with the Senate and Governor Nixon on this critical matter." "To fix this broken economy, we've got to revitalize Main Streets across Missouri, and that's what Show Me JOBS is all about," House Minority Leader Paul LeVota said. "Helping small businesses grow is the key to creating new jobs and jumpstarting this economy. This plan will help small-business owners access capital, train workers and expand their operations here in Missouri. When the legislature convenes next month, I look forward to working with the Gov.-elect Nixon and my colleagues in both parties to develop and pass the necessary bills to turn this important plan into law." Show Me JOBS: A Bipartisan Plan to Get Missourians Back to Work To get Missourians back to work and begin to turn the economy around, Gov.-elect Nixon and the legislative leaders will take the following, multifaceted course of action: Provide low-interest loans specifically for small businesses. To create the jobs of the future, small businesses must have access to affordable capital. Under the Show Me JOBS plan, the Missouri Development Finance Board will develop a low-cost, direct-loan program specifically for small businesses. Funding for this program will come from the 4 percent fee currently collected on all MDFB tax credits. Expand the Missouri Quality Jobs Program. Across the state, the Quality Jobs Program has helped create new jobs that offer both above-average wages and health care for employees. Gov.-elect Nixon and the legislative leaders will look for opportunities to expand this program and the benefits it offers. Create incentives for worker training and re-training. To compete in the new global economy, Missouri workers must be equipped with 21st-century knowledge and skills. And employers must have the resources necessary to provide this training for their employees. Under the Show Me JOBS plan, employers would be eligible for tax credits to offset a portion of the pre-employment training costs for full-time employees, such as tuition at a Missouri community college or vocational school. An employer would be eligible for this reimbursement once a trained employee had completed his or her second anniversary with the company. Coordinate all state actions with federal efforts. To ensure that these efforts are as efficient as possible, state officials will coordinate all job-creation initiatives with Missouri's Congressional delegation and the current and incoming presidential administration. This will avoid any needless duplication and guarantee that all state efforts complement any federal stimulus package. Establish an Automotive Manufacturing Task Force. Missouri is home to the most productive auto industry employees in the country as well as state-of-the-art production facilities. But the economic crisis has hit the auto industry especially hard, and too many Missouri autoworkers have seen their jobs disappear. In the years to come, America's auto industry employees will be rolling out new lines of high-tech, fuel-efficient vehicles. By executive order, Gov.-elect Nixon will establish a task force to ensure that Missouri's autoworkers and other industry employees are at the forefront of this cutting-edge production. Foster expansion of Missouri businesses. The Missouri BUILD Program provides tax credits to help large-scale businesses expand their operations and create new jobs in the state. Under the current program, however, Missouri businesses are required to solicit economic-development proposals from other states before becoming eligible for an incentive here in Missouri. To help keep these businesses in Missouri, the Show Me JOBS plan would empower the Director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development to waive this requirement on a case-by-case basis. -- http://MissouriNetizen.com http://www.bransonedge.com http://www.bransonmissouri.missourinetizen.com