Issue Position: Economy and Jobs

Issue Position

As a small business owner and as past Chairman of the Committee on Commerce & Labor and the Committee on Consumer Affairs & Business Regulation, Michael Rodrigues understands better than most what it will take to breathe life back into our economy. Michael has a proven track record of bringing together government, business, and labor leaders to arrive at common-sense solutions on issues relative to workforce development and job creation. Some of Michael's recent and more notable accomplishments include:

· UMass Dartmouth's Advanced Technology & Manufacturing Center Rising from the ashes of the former Kerr Mill site is a regional economic development treasure that is supporting venture start-up companies and partnering with industry to provide excellent educational opportunities for UMass Dartmouth students and research opportunities for faculty. Michael's leadership help make the ATMC and the SouthCoast Research & Technology Park a reality, planting the seed for the innovative economy in the region.

· SouthCoast Biopark

After years of tireless effort and hard work, Michael and his colleagues in state and local government have brought the SouthCoast Biopark to the brink of reality. Promising to build on the success of the ATMC and the SouthCoast Research & Technology Park, the SouthCoast Biopark will make Greater Fall River a center for the new economies of biotech manufacturing, medical device manufacturing, life science and IT industries.

· Keeping Unemployment Insurance Rates Under Control

Recognizing the need to protect small businesses and the jobs they provide in a fragile economy, Michael's leadership and tireless efforts prevented a 43% increase in the state's unemployment insurance rate which would have cost businesses over $300 million and further job losses. With the high cost of unemployment insurance hurting many businesses across the Commonwealth, the next logical step to provide relief is to reform the state's unemployment system. Michael's efforts toward reform will bring Massachusetts UI system in line with a majority of other states and lead to a stronger business climate.

· House Passage of Major Economic Development Package

Michael and his colleagues on the House Committee on Ways and Means recently put forward a major economic development legislation aiming to create jobs, improve business climate and create economic opportunities for Fall River and other Gateway Cities.Provisions include.

o Aiming job creation tax credits at the state's Gateway Cities

o Improvements to the Gateway Cities Manufacturing Retention
Program that would award job creation tax credits to qualifying
businesses who retain at least 50 jobs or create at least 25 jobs
in Gateway Cities.

o Creation of a Gateway Cities Housing Development Incentive
Program, designed to promote new market rate housing.

o Recapitalization of the Growth Districts Initiative, providing
significant commercial and residential transportation and
infrastructure development in Gateway Cities.

o Extension of the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit program.

o Permit Extension for certain local and state projects, which
allow shovel ready projects experiencing temporary financial
difficulties to move forward preventing locally supported project
from collapse--ensuring future tax revenue and much needed
job growth.

o 3-in-3 Investment Incentive, which applies a 3% capital gains
tax rate to investments made by individual investors in MA-based
start-ups that are held for more than 3 years.

· Fiscal Responsibility and Balanced Budgeting

Michael and his colleagues in the House passed a balanced 2011 budget with no new taxes or use of state stabilization fund reserves. The budget closes a projected $3.2 billion budget gap through cuts to state spending totaling over $1.4 billion. The budget saves the Commonwealth approximately $300 million through debt restructuring.

· Investments in the Commonwealth's Workforce

Michael and his colleagues in the House fully restored $9.5 million in funding to the Workforce Training Fund for fiscal year 2010. Through the beginning of this year, more than $175 million in grants have been awarded to train almost a quarter-million workers through the Workforce Training Fund. In addition, the House's fiscal year 2011 budget fully funds the Workforce Training Fund at $21 million to provide employers with grants aimed at education and training existing members of the workforce and new hires.

Michael's common-sense approach in addressing issues facing our economy, spurring economic development, and creating and saving jobs has earned him the respect of the many stakeholders across the economic spectrum. His leadership in the Massachusetts Senate will allow him to continue his work on:

1. - Continued investments in regional economic development
- Assuring that Massachusetts maintains a trained and skilled workforce,
- Continued investments in the innovative economy and jobs of
the future, and
- Keeping Massachusetts competitive by providing for a fair and equitable
tax system, a reformed unemployment insurance system, and a
streamlined regulatory and permitting process.

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