Washington, DC— U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) voted today to pass additional measures to create jobs, help Americans hurt most by the recession, and further strengthen our country’s foundation for future economic growth. The Jobs for Main Street Act (H.R. 2847) passed the House by a vote of 217-212 and must clear the Senate before it can be signed into law.

“Right now, my highest priority is jobs. I am focused on putting folks back to work. In these tough times we must do everything possible to create jobs, help those hurt the most by the recession and strengthen the foundation for our economic growth,” said Larsen.

“A year has passed since the economic crisis hit, but too many people are still out of work and struggling to make ends meet. And while the recovery package continues to help stem the tide of job loss, more needs to be done,” said Larsen.

“This jobs package is about putting people back to work; helping small businesses gain access to credit; helping teachers, firefighters and local law enforcement to keep their jobs serving our communities; and building infrastructure that will help strengthen our future economic growth,” Larsen continued.

The jobs package passed by the House today includes $35.9 billion to invest in our nation’s roads, bridges and transit, including nearly $500 million for Washington state; $23 billion for an Education Jobs Fund to create or retain an additional 250,000 education jobs, $1.18 billion to support an additional 5,500 law enforcement officers, and $500 million to retain, rehire and hire firefighters across the United States. It helps the Americans getting hurt the most by the recession by extending for another 6 months unemployment benefits and help for health insurance for unemployed workers (COBRA). And it extends two widely used Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs so that small businesses can continue to access needed capital.