Lawmakers pass cut-and-sew bill

JACKSON — The state Senate has passed a bill to provide help to the cut-and-sew industry in Mississippi.

The bill, passed March 11, would provide a $2,000 tax credit for each new cut-and-sew employee hired in the ailing furniture industry.

The legislation now goes back to the House for consideration of Senate changes.

Supporters of the bill tells the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that it will help keep jobs in the state. Many of those jobs have been lost to foreign countries where the labor costs are cheaper.

The tax break is designed to make the Mississippi work force more attractive to the furniture manufacturers, many of which are located in Northeast Mississippi.

The bill is House Bill 1674.