Jobs and the Economy

Promoting Economic Security for Middle Class Pennsylvanians

Senator Casey is a strong supporter of legislative initiatives to promote economic security for individuals and families. As a member of the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, each of which has broad jurisdiction over programs and issues that impact Americans’ financial security, Senator Casey has worked to implement policies and legislation to support job creation, income growth, small businesses, families and children.

  • Senator Casey cosponsored the Working Families Tax Relief Act, which would help families with children and low-income individuals. Parts of this bill were passed in the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act in December 2015, including permanent improvements the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit.
  • Senator Casey introduced the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Enhancement Act, which seeks to make child care more affordable by expanding and improving access to the tax credit for low- and middle-income families.
  • Senator Casey introduced the Foster EITC Act, which would extend the EITC to foster youth at age 18. The bill proposes to provide assistance to youth exiting foster care, who often lack familial support in their transition to adulthood.
  • Senator Casey supported a provision in the PATH Act to make college more affordable for working families by permanently extending and enhancing the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which provides up to a $2,500 tax credit to offset the cost of college.
  • Senator Casey cosponsored and voted for provisions to permanently extend the deduction for expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers, and to improve the Mortgage Tax Relief Act, which allows for the exclusion of mortgage debt forgiveness from income tax, through 2016.
  • Senator Casey supports expanding options for employee ownership and profit sharing. He is a cosponsor of legislation to expand access to Employee Stock Ownership Plans or ESOPs. These types of businesses help promote retirement security by giving all employees equity in the business which employs them. This promotes stability in the labor force and also, in turn, leads to greater wage and schedule stability.
  • Senator Casey championed a foreclosure mitigation provision in the Dodd-Frank Act that provided $1 billion in funding for the Emergency Homeowners Loan Program, which provided interest free loans to unemployed and underemployed homeowners who were at least three months delinquent on their mortgage.  More than $100 million of this funding went to Pennsylvania, helping more than 3,000 homeowners.
  • Senator Casey supported the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), an independent agency that serves as a one-stop-shop for consumers to report abusive financial practices such as scams and predatory lending, promotes financial education, monitors financial markets for risks to consumers and unfair practices.
  • Senator Casey cosponsored the SAVE Benefits Act, which would give seniors a one-time payment of about $580 to make up for the lack of a Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2016.

Resources for Pennsylvanians

  • If you have a complaint about a financial product or service, such as a mortgage, loan or credit card, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/.
  • If you have received a suspicious phone call allegedly from the IRS that you believe may be a scam, record the employee's name, badge number, call back number and caller ID if available. Call 1-800-366-4484 to determine if the caller is an IRS employee with a legitimate need to contact you.
  • Please do not hesitate to call Senator Casey’s Harrisburg office at (717) 231-7540 or visit http://casey.senate.gov/constituents/casework/.

Latest

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    U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), the primary Democratic author of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act, applauded the passage of his legislation into law. The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act will help students and workers get the skills they need to find high-skill, high-wage or in-demand jobs in the future. Read More

  • Ahead Of Back-to-School: Casey Calls On Congress To Keep Promise To Invest In Schools, Infrastructure

    Philadelphia, PA - As kids and parents across Philadelphia gear up to start the new school year in exactly one month, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) called on the Administration and his colleagues in Washington to commit to investing in Pennsylvania's school infrastructure and highlighted Senate Democrats’ $50 billion proposal to assist states and school districts in closing funding gaps for critical capital modernizations and repairs. Read More

  • Casey Presses U.S. International Trade Commission to Protect Newspaper Industry

    In public testimony before members of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) spoke in support of the Pennsylvania newspaper industry. In addition to reaffirming the importance of a free press to our democracy, Casey submitted the concerns of newspapers in Pennsylvania to the Commission for review. Read More

  • Following PA Congressional Delegation’s Efforts, Philadelphia Selected as Finalist to Host Army Futures Command

    Following a push from Pennsylvania's congressional leaders, the City of Philadelphia has been selected as one of the final five potential host cities for the new Army Futures Command. U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Pat Toomey (R-PA), alongside U.S. Representatives Bob Brady (D-PA-1), Ryan Costello (R-PA-6), Brendan Boyle (D-PA-13), Dwight Evans (D-PA-2), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-8) led a number of their colleagues in penning a letter to the Under Secretary of the Army which outlined the strength of the city’s application and Philadelphia’s place as a technology, defense, academic, and research hub. Read More

  • Casey Secures Wins for PA Farmers, Families in 2018 Farm Bill Legislation

    As the text of the 2018 Farm Bill was just unveiled, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, is announcing a number of critical wins for Pennsylvania farmers, families and rural communities. Among other legislative provisions authored or pioneered by Casey, the bill will include measures that address senior nutrition needs, improve conservation efforts across the commonwealth and work to protect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Read More

  • Casey Presses Commerce Department to Protect Newspaper Industry

    In an effort to reach a swift resolution to a trade case impacting the American newspaper industry, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) has called on U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to use his authority under the Tariff Act of 1930 to initiate a suspension agreement that would generate a resolution between American and Canadian paper firms. This letter comes as follow up from a personal call Casey made to Secretary Ross last month on the issue. Read More

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