Tim Mahoney, Minnesota District 67A

Minnesotans are enduring uncertain economic times. Our state is facing the highest unemployment rates and the worst recession we’ve seen in 25 years. Over the last 12 months Minnesota has lost nearly 20,000 jobs. Economic experts predict that number will increase to 50,000 by this time next year.

In the upcoming legislative session, we must take decisive action to put Minnesota’s economy back on track. Driving innovation in new and promising industries – such as green technology – is the state’s most promising avenue for rebuilding our economy and putting people back to work. By partnering with private business and academia, lawmakers can help grow tens of thousands of local, reliable, good-paying jobs for working Minnesotans.

ST. PAUL – Rep. Tim Mahoney (DFL – St. Paul), who chairs the Biosciences and Emerging Technologies Committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives, responded to the green jobs proposal Governor Tim Pawlenty unveiled Monday morning. Mahoney called the initiative “encouraging” but said the proposal lacked a necessary focus on rebuilding the foundation of Minnesota’s economy – our workforce.

“I didn’t know JobZ was chameleon – apparently if it isn’t working, it just changes color,” said Rep. Mahoney. “Relying on broken programs won’t work any longer. Instead, we have to broadly explore the best ways to strengthen the long-term economic competitiveness of Minnesota. Education investment, research and design, and job re-training are critical in our efforts to capitalize on emerging green job technologies and secure our economic future in Minnesota. A narrow solution that simply relies on tax cuts isn’t enough to sustain a prosperous state economy for the long-term.”