Per VPR / Bob Kinzel:
Governor Peter Shumlin has released a jobs bill that he says will put Vermont in an excellent position to create new employment opportunities in the next year.
The plan calls on several agencies of state government to better coordinate their efforts to expand manufacturing and agricultural-based jobs.
[…]
The plan creates tax credits for companies that hire veterans, it includes an additional million dollars to help dairy farmers diversify their operations and it offers financial incentives to businesses that hire new graduates in various scientific fields. Shumlin is asking lawmakers to pass the bill this year.
The plan is geared towards putting people to work, subsidizing business hiring as opposed to just giving business a tax break. Even if you don’t fit into the above categories of people, this decreases competition for jobs overall as well.
It’s about time we had government that wanted to do something beyond complaining about what we can’t afford to do.
They cannot be trusted. That said, I have faith in certain ppl for certain things until they prove otherwise. Shumlin has proved himself highly capable again & again.
Highly gifted in being able to detect the way the political winds are blowing or shifting & act accordingly. Each step he takes results in a multifaceted actions w/manifold result.
The Dems are nearly activist, collective intuitiveness plus the skilled members they have, have done & are doing great things. Every issue, or so it seems has resulted in a concensus & an action.
Each day seems to bring a new change or report on actions taken. Vermont is a happening place.
Douglas tenure was ceremonial by comparison, he was merely a suit. Dems formidablness is the biggest reason Douglas headed for the door, they & supporters drove him, and Dubie’s bid, out.
What part of jobs does this guy at Associated Industries not get? A I’s vice president William Dricoll, quoted by the pay-walled Vermont Press Bureau’s Peter Hirchfield
can’t see too far beyond his group’s tax break and VY forever agenda.
http://www.timesargus.com/apps…
the plan is constrained by limited resources but avoids some of the tired (and ineffective) proposals we saw annually from the last administration
the collaboration between Commerce & Agriculture is wellcome and long overdue; as a longtime critic, I’m optimistic about this (and think Lawrence Miller & Chuck Ross will be a good team)
I am also pleased that the Governor spoke directly to the need for performance measurement, something the Douglas crew ignored (ideologues don’t need no stinkin’ data)
however (you knew this was coming), there are a couple of clunkers in here; one is the continued reliance on business incentives from VEPC; in my view, the money could be better spent elsewhere
the other relates to the VT Training Program; I’m all for training but the devil is in the details and this program has some warts
finally, the next step has to be a thorough review of all existing policies & programs to ensure that we’re getting a good return on the investment; if not, have the courage to tell the vested interests that we tried but we must now take another path