Cochran disappointed in jobs bill

WASHINGTON — Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) said he is hopeful that the payroll tax holiday incentives included in a Senate jobs bill will help bring down the unemployment rate in Mississippi.

Cochran voted for Senate passage of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (HR.2847), which was approved on a 70-28 vote.

“The jobless rate in Mississippi is increasingly troubling, and this measure is intended to prompt employers to put more people to work. This bill is not everything I would want in legislation to bolster our economy, but it does have merits that I believe might help decrease our unemployment rate,” Cochran said.

Cochran initially voted against proceeding to HR.2847, because it was stripped of provisions in a larger bipartisan legislative jobs package that originally included a version of the crop disaster assistance plan he authored last November to aid farmers in Mississippi and other disaster areas.

“I am disappointed in the parliamentary tactics employed by the majority leader to cast aside a bipartisan plan and then to block any amendments to his alternative. I hope we can work in a more cooperative and bipartisan manner as we consider legislation to improve our economy,” Cochran said.