Senate Approves $150 Billion Jobs Bill
The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to approve a $150 billion bill that will extend some tax credits for businesses and individuals that had lapsed at the end of 2009.
The 62-36 vote will move the legislation to the House where representatives will either have to vote to accept the bill or work with the Senate to come to an agreement on the difference between the two versions of the legislation.
The Senate bill includes $70 billion for emergency benefits programs, including unemployment extensions and would provide $25 billion to state governments to aid tight budgetary conditions.
The move is being billed by Democrats in the Senate as another step in efforts to spur job growth in the recovering U.S. economy, where the unemployment rate rest at an unsettling 9.7 percent during an election year.
A $15 billion bill that was recently passed by the House, which focuses on tax breaks for businesses who hire new employees, will still need to be passed by the Senate before President Barack Obama can give it a final signature.
The bill passed by the Senate on Wednesday will give $25 billion to states to offset the rising costs of Medicaid and would avert a 21 percent increase in the payments made to doctors of Medicare patients.
For the financial sector, the bill would offer a tax break to U.S. banks for overseas income. It also includes incentives for business investment in recovering disaster areas of the U.S., like the Gulf Coast.
For the individual, the bill would offer state sales tax deductions and a reduction in the out-of-pocket expenses for classroom teachers in the U.S. Also included is language focused on helping pension plans that were devastated during the economic collapse and additional aid for the unemployed.
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