Pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with the House Provisions to Save and Create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs and Invest in Education

“As Congress works on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), we in the civil rights community strongly express support for the House version and its focus on creating jobs as the best way to stimulate the economy.

Economists across the political spectrum, business forecasters and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report that between 430,000 and 538,000 more jobs will be created or saved by the House version of the bill.

The state aid level in the House version is especially crucial for the nation’s education future because it provides for both immediate stimulus and long-term educational benefits that will help us build a 21st century workforce.

By allowing funds for shovel ready school construction, the preservation of classroom jobs, equipping labs, and training teachers, for example, the House version of the State Stabilization Fund would create or save 286,000 jobs for construction workers, teachers, and state workers.

We urge the conferees and Congress to maintain the House bill’s focus on job creation and quickly pass the ARRA.”