Late last week, the U.S. House passed its own version of a $15 billion jobs bill, following the Senate's passage of the bill in late February. The Senate is expected to take up the measure this week in order to reconcile the changes made by the House in order for President Obama to sign it into law, according to the Washington Post.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said the bill "provides strong incentives for businesses to start hiring again." But economists are skeptical, saying the bill does little to help businesses who can't afford to hire more employees.
From the story:
Before Thursday's vote, some moderate House Democrats, and many Republicans, expressed concern that the measure violates recently enacted "pay as you go" budget rules, because only a portion of its spending and tax credits is offset.House Democrats altered the bill slightly to address those concerns, but some liberals remained critical of the bill's priorities.
The Senate also is considering amendments on a $150 billion jobs measure that includes one-year extensions of unemployment insurance and COBRA health benefits, plus renewals of a variety of expiring tax breaks.
