Hillary Discusses her Jobs Agenda, Workforce Development with Columbus Families

Today, Senator Hillary Clinton participates in a "Solutions for the American Economy" town hall at the Community Education and Workforce Development Center at Columbus State College. At the town hall she will release her "Jobs Agenda" for Ohio workers and families. She will be joined by four people who will share their own stories of triumph in the face of economic challenge, hard work and support of a new "green" economy.

"We need to get real about America’s future and move from good words to good works, from sound bites to sound solutions," said Senator Clinton. "The American people need a champion in their corner. I will listen to their voices and work my heart out for families across the country and people like the ones who joined me today."

At the age of 29, Jason White, of Lewis Center, OH, was a bartender, working nights when he broke his wrist and he didn’t have healthcare. After that experience and nearly losing everything, Jason started looking into Columbus State College and signed up for the Construction Management Program. He is now an Assistant Project Manager overlooking the rebuilding and construction of elementary, middle and high schools in Newark, OH.

Jason’s construction projects have all started to include energy efficient materials, insulation and monitoring systems to measure how much energy is leaving the buildings.

Tom Robbins, a full-time faculty member in Columbus State’s new Program of Sustainable Design, also joined Hillary today. The Program of Sustainable design is the only one of its kind in central Ohio. It has been running for two years and roughly a dozen students have enrolled. The students who have participated in the program have included architects, manufacturers, and construction management students.

Tom has witnessed a surge in focus on energy efficiency in manufacturing, construction and architecture and believes people are becoming more and more aware of the importance and benefits of "going green." One particular course offered focuses on energy systems and how they function in the long run and how they should be approached to ensure energy efficiency.
Pam and Wally Ohert of Columbus, OH talked with Hillary about their lives working hard to raise 12 children together including their 20-year-old daughter Belinda, who attends Columbus State. Wally retired as an electrician with IBEW Local 683 after a near fatal heart attack that left him in a coma for four days. He worked as an electrician for 30 years and was a leader in his union. Pam is a Patient Financial Specialist at Mt. Carmel Health System in Columbus, OH. She processes applications for the patients who do not have health insurance.

HILLARY CLINTON’S JOBS AGENDAHelping Create Good Jobs and Prosperity for Ohio Families

With our economy slipping into recession, American workers and families need a President ready to fight for their economic interests from day one. Americans need a President who will fight for good, high-paying jobs here in the U.S. that cannot be outsourced. The unemployment rate in Ohio is 6.0%, up more than 13% from a year ago. The state has lost more than 200,000 manufacturing jobs since the Bush Administration took office, and across the country we have lost more than 3 million manufacturing jobs. Hillary has a comprehensive plan to create good jobs here in the U.S., train and equip our workers for the 21st century, and revitalize America’s manufacturing industry.

An Immediate Plan to Jumpstart Job Growth and Help Our Workers: While Hillary strongly supports immediate tax relief for working families and seniors, she knows it will take more than tax rebates to fix our economy. That’s why she has proposed extending unemployment insurance to help those who have lost their jobs and are struggling to find work. And it is why she is the only candidate in the race who has proposed making immediate investments to jumpstart green collar job growth, including a program to train green collar workers, weatherize homes, and retrofit public buildings.

Restoring a Strong, Vibrant Manufacturing Sector in America: Hillary believes that we cannot remain a great country with a strong economy if we don’t make things in America. As co-chair of the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, Hillary knows and understands both the challenges and opportunities facing American manufacturing. As President, she will invest in development of processes and products that could lower costs, improve efficiencies, and create more jobs in our manufacturing base and keep America competitive. She will provide $20 billion in Green Vehicle Bonds to help American auto companies retool the oldest auto plants to meet her strong efficiency standards. And she will expand the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which for a $100 million investment yields $910 million in new investments and trains or retrains 50,000 workers.

Providing New Support to Help Small Businesses Create Good Jobs. At this time of economic uncertainty, small businesses are more important than ever. They have accounted for 80 percent of net new jobs since 1990 and employ more than half of all private sector workers. As President, Hillary will double funding for the Small Business Administration, which has been cut by 50% under the Bush Administration. Hillary will also provide new tax credits to small businesses to make it easier for them to create new jobs with health care for their workers here in the U.S.

Investing in Infrastructure to Create Good Jobs, Ensure our Safety, and Enhance our Economic Competitiveness. New Orleans, the Minnesota bridge collapse, and the recent levee break in Nevada are all reminders that we have failed to invest sufficiently in our infrastructure. Hillary’s infrastructure plan would invest $10 billion in funding to help states review and repair their critical infrastructure; modernizing seaports; expanding funding for public transit and intercity rail; incentivizing environmentally sensitive land use policies; and a greater focus on reducing congestion. She is also a co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation to create a national infrastructure bank that would evaluate and finance large infrastructure projects.

Ending Tax Breaks for Companies that Ship Jobs Overseas, and Investing Those Resources to Spark the Innovative Potential of Our Economy. Hillary believes that investing in innovation is a key to creating the jobs of the future, stimulating economic growth, and ensuring American leadership in new industries. Hillary's plan calls for establishing a national broadband strategy; doubling the research budgets at the major federal agencies; strengthening education from pre-K to post-graduate study; making the R&D tax credit permanent; and restoring integrity to science by ending the Bush Administration's war on science.

Creating a $50 Billion Strategic Energy Fund That Will Help Create at Least 5 Million Green Collar Jobs. In 2007, many of the largest oil companies recorded record profits. Exxon earned $40.6 billion, the highest profit for any U.S. company in history. Hillary’s energy plan would give large oil companies a choice: invest more in renewable energy technology or pay into a Strategic Energy Fund that would jumpstart a clean energy future by injecting $50 billion over ten years into research, development and deployment of renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean coal technology, ethanol and other homegrown biofuels. These investments will lay the foundation for our economy to create at least 5 million high-paying green collar jobs over the next decade.

Making Trade Work for Working Families. Americans need a President who will fight for fair, pro-American trade policies that will not trap them in a race to the bottom. Low wages in other countries are costing America jobs and putting pressure on wages here at home. With approximately one quarter of our gross domestic product linked to international trade, we need trade policies that better manage globalization. As President, Hillary will make trade work for working families. She is the only candidate with a detailed plan to fix NAFTA, by dramatically strengthening its labor and environmental provisions; changing its investment provisions that grant special rights to foreign companies; strengthening its enforcement mechanisms; and reviewing NAFTA regularly. Hillary will also demand strong labor and environmental provisions in all trade agreements; implement a trade "timeout" to formulate a genuinely pro-worker and pro-American trade policy; appoint a new trade prosecutor; crack down on China’s currency manipulation; and strengthen support for workers adversely affected by trade.