Friday, May 11, 2012

Final Day of Public Hearings for GOP Jobs Package

In case you missed it, the final two bills in a 5 bill omnibus jobs package filed by the Republican Legislative Caucus received a public hearing yesterday.

The Joint Committee on Revenue heard testimony on House Bill 4036, An Act Incentivizing Job Creation and Reducing the Burdens on Small Businesses. The legislation, filed in response to the Republican Legislative Caucus’ statewide Jobs Tour, seeks to address the central role Massachusetts’ tax system plays in addressing the recovery gap and the continuing jobs crisis in the Commonwealth.

Furthermore, House Bill 4036 seeks to incentive job creation while reducing the burdens of small businesses by: (1) encouraging in-state business creation and providing predictability throughout the year for small businesses, (2) offering tax-free savings assistance to first-time homebuyers and ensuring that Massachusetts workers have access to affordable housing opportunities, (3) incentivizing the registration of commercial vehicles in Massachusetts as opposed to neighboring states while making the commercial vehicle registration process more accommodating, and (4) offering two new tax expenditures - Job Creation Tax Credit and Angel Investor Tax Credit.

Additionally, the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing conducted a public hearing regarding House Bill 4034, An Act Reducing the Health Care Burden on Businesses.

This comprehensive piece of legislation focuses on the central role healthcare plays as one of the greatest impediments to job growth in Massachusetts.

House Bill 4034 seeks to create jobs via Massachusetts’ healthcare system by: (1) reforming fair share contributions, (2) increasing the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) threshold from 10 employees to 50, (3) reducing healthcare mandates, (4) suspending the prescription drug requirement from the minimum creditable coverage guidelines, and (5) reforming medical malpractice.

Below, you will find letters of testimony submitted to the aforementioned Committees by House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

Additionally, Representative Vinny deMacedo appeared on the Jeff Katz show to provide listeners with a recap of Wednesday’s public hearings on the business regulations component of the GOP Jobs Package and to give a brief preview of yesterday’s public hearing on revenue and healthcare.

Click here to listen to the interview in its entirety.

H. 4036_Revenue
H.4034 Healthcare