Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today voted to approve the first of what he hopes will be several bills aimed at creating more jobs.  The legislation was approved 70-28; the House of Representatives could pass the measure in the coming days.

The legislation, called the HIRE Act, contains the following provisions intended to spur job creation:

• A payroll tax holiday for businesses to encourage hiring
• An extension of a tax credit that helps small businesses make investments to grow
• An extension of the Highway Trust Fund to allow for billions in infrastructure investment and save one million jobs
• An expansion of Build America Bonds program to allow states to finance more infrastructure projects

"Our Number One priority in Congress should be to get our economy back on track. Investments from the Recovery Act are creating good jobs in New Mexico and across the country.  Now that our economy is showing some signs of strengthening, we must give it a boost.  This bill provides a host of tax incentives aimed at encouraging small businesses to hire more employees," Bingaman said.

"But we cannot rest with the passage of this bill.  We must continue to find ways to help small businesses grow.  In the coming weeks, it's my hope we'll take up legislation to do just that," he added.