H. 1870, AN ACT SUPPORTING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMONWEALTH
LEAD SPONSOR: REPRESENTATIVE ALICE WOLF
HEARING DATE: Wednesday February 13, 10 AM, Room B2
This bill will establish a Jobs Creation Commission to investigate and study how to create and maintain quality jobs in
the Commonwealth. The Commission will be comprised of eleven members and two co-chairpersons from diverse
backgrounds, including state government, labor, business, academia, and the unemployed. Investigation findings and
recommendations shall be reported to the Legislature.
Current Law:
n Although there are several commissions and taskforces related to workforce development
already established, there is currently no group or board studying job creation and how to promote and maintain jobs in the Commonwealth as they relate to the
environment and meeting the challenges of a shifting economy.
Related Information on Job Losses in Massachusetts:
n Massachusetts has been ranked 49th in job creation nationally over the past six years.
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n As of July 2007, Massachusetts is still 100,000 jobs below the peak employment level and has trailed its 10
economic competitor states and each of the New England states in job creation.
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n Massachusetts suffered the deepest job losses in the nation after the bust of the tech boom in 2001, losing 6% of
jobs, compared with 2% nationally.3 Job losses since 2001 have also takes a substantial toll on less educated and lower income adults and families.
n The state’s share of the nation’s high-tech jobs dropped from 4.2% in 2000 to 3.9% in 2005, indicating other
states are adding those jobs faster the Commonwealth.
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n Job losses in the Commonwealth have contributed to the high numbers of people moving out of state. Relative
to population, Massachusetts ranked 3rd in the nation’s highest levels of out-migration.
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Benefits of the Bill:
n Talking about job creation is not enough. Studies have already shown that a strategy is needed for
Massachusetts to produce an environment that actively promotes job growth. The 2007 MasslNC study called for public and private leaders to come together and
create a broad-based job creation strategy.
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n Creating new jobs is critical to the economic vitality of Massachusetts. The lack of employment
opportunities for people with limited education, history of incarceration or children to support, coupled with the migration of young, educated adults out of the
Commonwealth, threaten the growth of Massachusetts’ talented workforce.
Comparable Initiative:
n In Michigan, the Council for Labor and Economic Growth was recently created by an Executive.
Michigan's council has over seventy members who are leaders in labor, business, community colleges, universities, and other organizations.
For history, co-sponsors, previous testimony and language of H.1870, see website at:
www.massjobscreation.org
If you have any questions or concerns about H. 1870, please contact Jesse Dixon in Representative Wolf’s office
at x.2400 or jesse.dixon@state.ma.us or Laurie Taymor-Berry at
laurietaymorberry@yahoo.com