Dr. Ruiz Announces Jobs Package at SCORE Congressional Breakfast

PALM DESERT, CA – Today, Dr. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert) announced the introduction of his legislative package designed to help small businesses create jobs in the Coachella Valley and across the country. Dr. Ruiz outlined his plan for the region's business community today at the SCORE Congressional Breakfast.

"This legislative package takes firm steps to help foster a pro-business, pro-job creation environment in our region, and across the nation," said Dr. Ruiz. "By finding pragmatic ways to turn our competitive advantage strengths into opportunities, we can help promote job growth in key areas of our economy. My jobs plan focuses on growing our health care and renewable energy workforce, expanding trade, and attracting foreign investment to our region so we can help our business community expand, create new, good-paying jobs, and improve the long-term economic outlook for our Valley."

Health Care Jobs:

The Building a Health Care Workforce for the Future Act addresses the health provider shortage by attracting new students to the health care profession, improving and expanding mentorship programs to support primary care, promoting educational innovations to prepare providers for the future, and studying ways to eliminate burdensome regulations that affect primary care. This bill would build upon on the National Health Service Corps scholarship program by establishing a state scholarship program that provides more flexibility to educate and train physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and other health professionals in states with documented shortages. It also authorizes grants to medical schools to develop primary care mentorship programs and identify and implement mentorship best practices.

Renewable Energy Jobs:

The Renewable Energy Jobs Act will help prepare individuals for careers in renewable energy. This legislation will help create jobs and increase America's energy independence. The bill establishes a three year pilot program to allow the Secretary of Labor (the Secretary) to award competitive grants to the five states with the highest installed alternative energy power capacity, like California, to train people for employment in the renewable energy industry.

Increasing Jobs Through Trade:

The Increasing American Jobs Through More Exports Act allows the Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank to better serve the business community. In order for U.S. businesses to remain competitive with foreign companies they must have access to export financing tools. The bill allows the Ex-Im Bank to use no more than 3 percent of its surplus profits per year for 5 years to expand access to these critical job-creating resources, to help U.S. businesses exports. The other 97 percent of the banks' profits will be used to pay down the national deficit.

Foreign Investment Jobs:

The Get Reinvesting in Opportunities for Workers (GROW) American Jobs Act would re-authorize funds for SelectUSA, a foreign direct investment recruitment program launched in 2011. The SelectUSA program has facilitated over $18 billion in new investments to support job creation and economic growth opportunities in the U.S. by serving as a single point of contact for investment resources. The Increasing American Jobs Through More Exports Act allows SelectUSA to have the resources it needs to continue to attract businesses from around the world to create jobs and strengthen the U.S. economy.

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