• Congressional Republicans support Wall Street banks, credit card companies, Big Oil, and insurance companies – the special interests that benefited from George Bush’s policies and created the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. A decade of Republican rule nearly doubled our national debt.  Why would we go back?

• Democrats in Congress are fighting to help small businesses create jobs here at home.  Democrats are taking America in a New Direction – creating good American jobs, providing the lowest taxes in 60 years for the middle class and small businesses, and closing tax loopholes that send jobs overseas.

A new National Association for Business Economics (NABE) survey released today found that 31 percent of businesses added workers between April and June, the highest level in three years. Of those surveyed, 39 percent say they expect to hire more workers over the next six months — the most since January 2008.  Manufacturers reported the strongest increase in demand and profitability.  [Associated Press, 7/19/10]

Charlotte Business Journal (North Carolina) - Report: Stimulus has saved 90,000 N.C. jobs

The federal stimulus bill passed in early 2009 has created or saved 90,000 jobs in North Carolina, according to a report the Council of Economic Advisers released Friday.

In the region, the stimulus has created or saved 41,000 jobs in South Carolina, the report says. The impact in Virginia was 41,000 jobs, and in Georgia the total was 91,000.

Seeing the biggest bang were California, with 357,000 jobs, and Texas, 225,000.

Some 618,000, or 20 percent, of the jobs created or saved nationwide were in various forms of construction; 292,000 in health care and health-care information technology; 254,000 in environmental cleanup; and 827,000 in clean energy. [7/19/10]

HometownSource.com (Minnesota) - Federal stimulus money helpful in creating more jobs in Minnesota

A central question for Minnesotans is the effectiveness of spending American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) dollars in Minnesota.

Tom Stinson, Minnesota’s State Economist, and a professor from the University of Minnesota, said that up to now since the program began last July, 20,000 jobs were directly or indirectly created in Minnesota. It’s projected that when the final results are in at the end of 2012, the federal stimulus money either will have saved on created 40,000 jobs for Minnesotans.

The Department of Finance and Administration reports that $910 million of stimulus money has been spent on job creation so far.

The Department of Finance and Administration has reported that based on 40-hour full-time equivalent jobs created and saved, 11,852 jobs were reported Sept. 29 of last year, 10,300 were reported in January and 8,961 were reported March 31. [7/19/10]

Columbia Missourian - Missouri Summer Jobs Program offers 4,600 jobs to low-income youth

In an effort to provide work experience for young people, the Missouri Summer Jobs Program is offering more than 4,600 paid jobs and internships to 14- to 24-year-olds.

Through the Central Missouri Community Action Center, there are 94 youth and young adults enrolled in the program with 20 employers. Statewide there are more employers than there are employees in the program.  There are 1,149 employers working with the 1,121 total participants.

Participants receive payment for their work through an $18 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. [7/18/10]

The Macon Telegraph (Georgia) - Summer program in Bibb helps 334 teens with jobs[DISTRICT MENTIONED: Jim Marshall (GA-8)]

This summer, $632,000 from federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds are paying about $8.50 per hour for 334 high school and college students to work internships…

Since the work program pays teens their salaries with federal funding, it helps out businesses that need workers but are often unable to afford them. [7/19/10]

The Post Journal (New York) - Schumer Announces YouthBuild Grant Funding For CHRIC

Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corporation in Mayville will receive $241,519 in YouthBuild Grant funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and FY 2009 funding.

The funding will be used to provide education and training to disadvantaged young people.

"In these economic times, funding for education and job creation is a top priority," said U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-.N.Y. "There are few things more valuable than educational funding that directly prepares young people to be active, accomplished and successful members of the workforce. Training and service opportunities like the ones that will be provided by these YouthBuild Grants are of the utmost importance in building strong communities, a strong economy and a strong workforce." [7/18/10]

Other Headlines:

• Asheville Citizen Times (North Carolina) - NCDOT receives portion of $545M for rail service
• Daily Inter Lake (Montana) - Lake County gets $12 million for roads
• NJ.com (New Jersey) - YouthBuild Newark and other NJ YouthBuild programs to get $1.6 million in Recovery Act funds