North Carolina State Senator Gene McLaurin, of Rockingham, filed two bills Thursday with co-sponsor Senator Josh Stein, for the Wake District.
Senate Bill 242, also called Hire Long-Term Unemployed Workers Incentive, will allow a $2,000 tax credit to businesses that hire the long-term unemployed.
“Our district has been particularly hard hit by the recession and too many of our friends and neighbors remain our of work,” McLaurin said. “Recognizing that employers are still concerned about adding to their payroll, this legislation provides an incentive to companies to hire qualified employees who have been out of work for a prolonged period of time.”
Stein said there are more than 170,000 North Carolinians who are unemployed past the 26 week unemployment benefit period. “They’re unemployed not because they are lazy, they are unemployed because the unemployment rate in North Carolina is exceptionally high,” Stein said.
Stein said that Senate Bill 242 is a common sense solution to help unemployment in North Carolina.
In order to be eligible for the credit, “the taxpayer must satisfy the wage and health insurance standards set forth … .”
McLaurin also filed Senate Bill 185, called Extend Sunset for Earned Income Tax Credit, to extend the Earned Income Tax Credit for five more years. Bill 185 has been referred to the committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate.
In a statement released by McLaurin, the senator said, “The Earned Income Tax Credit expands our workforce, encourages gainful employment and provides much-needed relief for hard working families.”
“Earned income tax credit is an excellent way to reward work and lift children out of poverty,” Stein said.
McLaurin said, “I am pleased to file this bill to help hard-working people in our district and across the state.”
“These two bills support working families, help unemployed people find a job, and give the business community an incentive to hire more people. Creating jobs is my top priority and I remain focused on ways we can work together to make that happen,” McLaurin said.
— Staff Writer Laura Edington can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 18, or by email at ledington@civitasmedia.com.
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