Gov. Inslee unveils $120 million jobs package
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday unveiled a $120 million jobs package that would provide tax breaks for new companies in certain fields, create 500 new slots in aerospace-training programs, and assemble a commission to ensure that the state's colleges and universities are turning out students with math- and science-based skills relevant to the economy's needs.
Inslee declined to say how many jobs he expected his package would create. But he assured it would be worth the investment and said in some cases, results could be seen in a matter of months.
"We're rolling out today an action agenda for a working Washington" with an underlying focus on innovation, growing human intellectual capital and aligning the state with the needs of new and expanding industries, Inslee said.
The Democratic governor's proposals include up to $20 million in tax breaks for businesses hiring recent military veterans and another $8 million in tax incentives for startup companies in fields ranging from industrial-machinery manufacturing to software publishing.
With climate change a central campaign theme for Inslee, he also said he planned to engage the Legislature in creating a plan that would grow the state's economy while limiting its carbon footprint.
Along similar lines, Inslee proposed several million dollars to be spent on electrical energy storage and building electric car charging stations.
Inslee also said he expected that the state's expansion of Medicaid using federal dollars - approval of which is under consideration in the Legislature - would create more than 10,000 jobs.
The governor added that he supported a robust transportation spending plan and did not rule out backing a rise in the state's gas tax to help fund it.
Republican leaders in the Legislature declared themselves broadly supportive of Inslee's job-creation goals but insisted time is of the essence, with only a few days left for legislative committees to hear new policy-related bills.
"It's one thing to go out and say you're going to change the world and do something different," said House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt, a Republican from Chehalis. "But if you miss your timelines - oops - then that doesn't work for anybody. So he's got to pick up the pace."
Sen. Rodney Tom, a Medina Democrat who leads the GOP-dominated majority, applauded the governor's focus on job creation but lamented his cool reception to recently passed Senate legislation to save businesses money by reducing workers' compensation costs.
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Associated Press writer Rachel La Corte contributed to this report.
Inslee declined to say how many jobs he expected his package would create. But he assured it would be worth the investment and said in some cases, results could be seen in a matter of months.
"We're rolling out today an action agenda for a working Washington" with an underlying focus on innovation, growing human intellectual capital and aligning the state with the needs of new and expanding industries, Inslee said.
The Democratic governor's proposals include up to $20 million in tax breaks for businesses hiring recent military veterans and another $8 million in tax incentives for startup companies in fields ranging from industrial-machinery manufacturing to software publishing.
With climate change a central campaign theme for Inslee, he also said he planned to engage the Legislature in creating a plan that would grow the state's economy while limiting its carbon footprint.
Along similar lines, Inslee proposed several million dollars to be spent on electrical energy storage and building electric car charging stations.
Inslee also said he expected that the state's expansion of Medicaid using federal dollars - approval of which is under consideration in the Legislature - would create more than 10,000 jobs.
The governor added that he supported a robust transportation spending plan and did not rule out backing a rise in the state's gas tax to help fund it.
Republican leaders in the Legislature declared themselves broadly supportive of Inslee's job-creation goals but insisted time is of the essence, with only a few days left for legislative committees to hear new policy-related bills.
"It's one thing to go out and say you're going to change the world and do something different," said House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt, a Republican from Chehalis. "But if you miss your timelines - oops - then that doesn't work for anybody. So he's got to pick up the pace."
Sen. Rodney Tom, a Medina Democrat who leads the GOP-dominated majority, applauded the governor's focus on job creation but lamented his cool reception to recently passed Senate legislation to save businesses money by reducing workers' compensation costs.
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Associated Press writer Rachel La Corte contributed to this report.
$120 million is $55 million less than Felix Hernandez's salary over the next 7 years, but you don't hear anyone saying that's not right.
@jcman It is nice to see pro athlete's movie stars and all the glamor, They don't have a clue how the people that pay there salary really live.How sweet is it to see them in there million cars/ Dress on the red carpet jewels.And on top of that they want tell us how to live and vote for
When the Progressives and Conservative realize that it's the middle class that grow the economy and that if you want to see job creation stop taxing/tolling the middle class into poverty and stop spending our tax dollars on bridge to no where projects!
@gastoys Winner, winner chicken dinner... A+ for you....
Why doesn't he just make not having a job and being poor illegal? Problem solved.
More like another $120,000,000 handout! This won't create any jobs......... How does he figure it will?
Verification will take place "in a matter of months." The politican has  spoken so be it .......
This is the simple direct speak to our problems. Now lets take care of the mandated education as required by the WA Supreme Court. A new politician --- see how simple.Â
Ha Ha, just what we need - another commission populated chiefly by political flunkies. That'll help the economy. While we are at it let's raise the minimun wage to $25/hr and see what happens. By the liberal/left logic we'll be on our way to boom times! See how easy it is to fix things?
@70MonteCarlo How many people will 120 million put to work with the government controlling the payroll 20
@70MonteCarlo The government can not employ much more 40 t0 45 % of the population it has to be the private sector in the 55 to 60% Range because the of the Taxes support the government, people that work for the government are payed with dollars. That's Y they want to keep raising taxes to cover. Plus gov. people benefits, that keep going up. That's Y you need a strong private sector to cover the tax increase.
@Mike @70MonteCarlo If they all went to work for the government figuring about $75,000 per employee including all benefits, that would be about 1600 employees. That assumes the $120 million is spent in one year.
@jcman @Mike @70MonteCarlo That's twice as much a year as I was Making not right. They do not have a clue that's my point
Republican women should get medals for putting up with so much of their malignant idiocy. Never take economic or budget advice from a Republican. They ran up the bills, then bitched about the debt, saying their mistakes are not being corrected fast enough. Such derelict insight.Â
How is less money paid to workers better if you are trying to grow the economy? Conservatives are incapable of understanding that paying people less means less money in the entire system. It's like their brains do not function in this realm. OR maybe they understand and have no intention of growing the economy. This means they are liars, not idiots. That's worse!
Washington's economy is going to improve because money is being put into it for necessary infrastructure work. You can explain it to a "conservative" but you can't understand it for them, and neither can they.
@Bob Owen So you have a business that manufactures...or let's use mine for example multiple healthcare clinics in multiple states. In the past 5 years my gross income from the clinics is down about 20%%, while with all the increasing insurance requirements my direct operating costs are up a little over 15%%...that added to other increased business costs etc my net income is down over 50%% in 5 years. Now you "business types" say that putting more strain on these types of businesses by increasing what they HAVE to pay is going to save the economy! How far do you think you can "spread the wealth" before the well runs dry?
@aintno1special My feeling is that if your net income is down by 50% AND you are still in business then your gross profits must have been obscene.
@aintno1special @Furd I'm glad that you have created a successful business that undoubtedly employs a number of people. We can all be thankful that we live in a country that has the infrastructure paid by everyone so that employees can get a basic education and drive to work on decent roads and get police and fire protection that everyone pays for. Thank you for making a sacrifice to keep your employees employed. I just wish that the CEOs of the major corporations had your value system.
@Furd What is your definition of obscene?
I have cut my income in order to allow everyone else to maintain theirs. I have been blessed from what I worked to create. Yes I created it (well with my wife's support)..but I went to school and worked up to two jobs while going to make things work. I didn't sit and cry about not having enough...or expect anything from anyone. I have not, since becoming successful in business, change much about my life. Still live very modestly and because of that I can "afford" to not pay myself. I also am fortunate that I love what I do and who I work with so for, for now, I make the sacrifice.
I' didn't realize how many people recieved degrees in economics from Occidental College. Lets just give money to every one lets raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour.. that will grow the economyÂ
@Linc239 If you saved 10,000 dollars in 1970 and saved10,000 to day witch was worth more. The answer is not the same
@Linc239 Then they can take away with TAXE's
Just where is the 10,000 medicaid jobs supposed to be generated. Doctors and clinincs do not accept medicaid patients anymore, only hospitals and because they are mandated to. In fact many hospitals will not accept a medicaid patient in the emergency rooms either, they just ship them to harborview. Actually would have been good for the Democrat lemmings to have voted in a real governor that has business sense. but no got to follow the democrat lemming leadership..... Look where that got ya, 120 million in meaningless spending , AGAIN.......
Who voted this idiot into office?
@WhatdidIsay? He did ------------->
@4ShotLatte @WhatdidIsay? Who dat? "the blank man"?
@4ShotLatte @Scoondog @WhatdidIsay? lol... ok, got it!
@Scoondog @4ShotLatte @WhatdidIsay? That, my friend is the only person willing to admit he voted for Inslee. Just like Queen Crissy, won the election but nobody will admit they voted for them.
Good luck out there! I am going to retire and kiss this idiot goodbye!
@Grumpa Good for you. I plan to do the same.
In reality, it isn't businesses that create jobs. What creates jobs is a healthy economy. While it makes sense at face value to say less taxes or tax perks on businesses means more power to hire, it doesn't turn out that way. Having more money to play with doesn't give any incentive to hire, or provide a decent wage to new employees. A healthy economic market does. A demand for jobs does.Â
Also, it isn't telling the whole story to just say jobs are being created by businesses who get breaks and incentives. What has happened is that the people who lost their mid to high wage jobs are now gaining employment in low wage jobs. Mostly low wage jobs are what is being created right now. This doesn't help, because it doesn't return spending power to the middle class, which is what makes for a robust economy. There needs to be more mid to high level paying jobs created to fill that spending power gap. We get nowhere throwing low paying jobs at the unemployed and calling it progress.Â
Without a healthy middle class, more jobs doesn't mean much of anything.
@jowsufYes but business owners need to feel incentivized just like anyone else. If you work your @$$ off and take risks to build a business, then big Uncle O and his little off-shoot Jay just keep taking a bigger and bigger share, that is not going to create a strong economy. It's for that basic reason that I don't like big government- taxes go up and up, and they overspend on top of that. It's not sustainable.
still does not help me get a job. Next please!
is he paying for it out of his salary cause i can't afford to help make up the $120 million it costs. the city where i live is already making it hard to survive with the yearly increases in taxes and water and sewer rates.
@32jim2Â He will find somewhere to raise a fee and not call it a tax increase. The idiot voters of King county keep voting in the SAME morons and expect things to change.
So spending won't create jobs, and tax breaks won't create jobs. What will, then?Â
Looking back, I kind of wish I took an economics class or two in college.
@jowsuf I think the right kinds of tax breaks will help create jobs and help the economy overall. But for every tax break, there needs to be a way to pay for it.
@jowsuf Targeted tax breaks are a poor way to go about it. Companies will come in, take advantage of them and then split when they have to start paying the B&O Tax.
Creating wealth comes first, then the jobs will follow. Yes, a vast oversimplification So sue me... and the lawyers will pay a B&O rate of .018!
http://dor.wa.gov/Content/FindTaxesAndRates/BAndOTax/BandOrates.aspx
@Getov Mylon @jowsuf Agreed taxes should be lower across the board. Translation: Shrink government.
soo.. can we just call him Governor Spendslee ?Â
I love the little blurb about "electrical energy storage". That should take about zero dollars to solve as we already have that. It is called dams.Â
today, i want to listen to your opinions.
"Â Inslee also said he expected that the state's expansion of Medicaid using federal dollars - approval of which is under consideration in the Legislature - would create more than 10,000 jobs."
You know, Jay, if you just hire enough people to work for the State, there would be no unemployment, right? Do they teach economics in Law School at all?
@Getov MylonÂ
We can trust that those 10,000 jobs would be government bureaucrats, not doctors, nurses and medical technicians, of which there is already a shortage. Â
@Opus8no5 @Getov Mylon Trust me, there's no shortage of medical technicians. I'm a Certified Medical Assistant. I'm working as a truck driver because there is not a single clinic in the Puget Sound area willing to hire an MA with less than a year of experience in a medical office, especially not a male MA with zero experience outside of school.Â
Pssst, Jay: Â If our kids don't acquire adequate language, math and science skills during 12 years of public school education, no bureaucratic commission is going to make colleges and universities overcome that. Â Instead of dealing with what kids are required to learn starting with the first grade, Olympia wants to spend half a billion $$$ to provide great new school buildings in which students fail and graduate unprepared for college. Â
@Opus8no5 Yep, we have a winner! 100% correct.....
So... a guy that has never run a successful business is going to tell businesses how to be successful?
Did I miss anything?
Oh, LAWDY! An "edit" function. Glory Be! Great!Â
Libâs  ARE  intentionally  Taxing  Americanâs  into  Socialismâ¦.
 Not  for  âgood reasonsâ.  But,  for  âCONTROL  OF  EVERY  ASPECT  OF  OUR  LIVESâ
Pay for what we already haveâ¦..And keep them out of office.
The best jobs package is low taxes, and a business-friendly environment. That ISN'T his plan, though.
$120m doesn't even cover Felix...
Before we spend more money trying to create jobs, how about telling us how many jobs have been created by Hans 'Tax and Spend' Dunshee's $1 Billion 'Bonds for Jobs' bill created this last year.