Earlier this week, the House reconvened to consider the “Education, Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act.” I know there was a lot of misinformation out there about this bill, but the bottom line is that this legislation provides state aid that will create and save nearly 320,000 jobs for teachers, police officers, firefighters and nurses. About 2,500 of those jobs are here in Maryland. More than half of these jobs will be in the private sector.

In this tough economy, creating and preserving jobs is my number one priority. This bill does that and will be completely paid for by closing tax loopholes that encourage big corporations from sending jobs overseas and cutting spending elsewhere. In the long-term, it could even reduce the federal deficit.

Earlier this year, 42 governors (from both sides of the aisle) wrote to Congress asking for this help. States are hurting. Between fiscal years 2008 and 2010, states cut spending by nearly 11 percent. Failure to pass this bill would force states to lay off more workers, cut more services and even raise taxes to balance their budgets. This would further slow our economy.

Last month, I urged Senate leaders to follow the House’s lead and pass a desperately-needed extension of unemployment benefits for jobless Marylanders. Economists agree that extending this emergency aid is the most immediate and cost-effective thing Congress can do to stimulate the economy. In fact, research shows that every $1 spent on unemployment benefits generate more than $1.60 in new economic growth because nearly all of it is spent – and spent quickly – on basic necessities. Previous extensions have contributed $1.3 billion to Maryland’s economy.

The economy is still improving, but millions of Americans are still searching for work. Aside from legislation, I will continue to do everything I can to help Maryland rebound from this recession. My office recently held a seminar for small business owners and entrepreneurs on how they can grow even during these tough times. We’ve also had several successful job fairs, and more are planned in the future. To check out local job fairs in the Baltimore area and for information on government job opportunities, please visit the new jobs page on my official Congressional website.