On the recordFebruary 11, 2011
I strongly oppose H. Res. 72. This does nothing to create jobs. Secondly, it does nothing to address really the regulations and the policies that impact the poor and the long-term unemployed. I submitted an amendment to this resolution that required each standing committee to review administrative actions or policies that 'reduce poverty and address the needs of the chronically unemployed.' However, the Republican majority on the Rules Committee refused to include this modest but important provision. I am forced to conclude that my Republican colleagues don't quite understand the desperate conditions that confront the poor and long-term unemployed. In the United States, the number of persons below the poverty line increased from 39.3 million in 2008 to 42.9 million in 2009. In California, the rate increased from 4.8 million in 2008 to 5.1 million in 2009.
