Bills will encourage employers to hire seniors and make retraining more affordable and accessible
TUCSON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Monday will announce the introduction of legislation that will support seniors and create jobs by encouraging employers to hire older workers and making retraining more affordable.
To help seniors find employment, the congresswoman will announce the introduction of two bills: The Older Americans’ Job Opportunities Blueprint (JOB) Act and the Back to School Act.
Giffords’ Older Americans Job Opportunities Blueprint Act sets in motion a national initiative to help seniors who want or need to work. The bill would:
• Expand eligibility of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to by allowing credit for employers that hire workers 55 and older whose income is below 125 percent of the federal poverty threshold.
• Extend the tax credit through Dec. 31, 2012.
• Create a National Resource Center on Aging and the Workforce within the Department of Labor to collect, organize and disseminate older worker information.
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit provides employers with business tax credits for certain wages paid to individuals from targeted groups. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act expanded the credit to include unemployed veterans and disconnected youth.
Giffords’ bill recognizes the ever-growing need for seniors to re-enter the workforce and would expand the tax credit to include this population.
Because the high cost of education and re-training results in limited career advancement opportunities for millions of workers, Giffords also will announce introduction of the Back to School Act to create a tax credit to help Americans 55 and older who wish to obtain additional schooling.
The credit would offer a 100 percent tax credit for the first $2,000 of qualified expenses and a 25 percent credit for the next $2,000 each year to Americans 55 and older who enroll in classes, part-time or full-time, at accredited educational institutions.
The congresswoman will announce her legislation after meeting with members of her Senior and Aging Issues Advisory Council. Giffords formed the 53-member group to provide advice and input to her on matters affecting senior citizens.
WHAT: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords announces introduction of legislation to encourage employers to hire seniors and make retraining more accessible
WHEN: 11 a.m., Monday, June 7
WHERE: Pima Council on Aging, 8467 E. Broadway, Tucson