Rep. McDermott Introduces the Emergency Jobs Program and Assistance for Families Extension Act

WASHINGTON, DC — Today Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) introduced legislation to extend and expand an existing program to incentivize job creation and aid struggling families with children. As part of the Recovery Act, Congress created an Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF) to help States with increasing expenditures on cash assistance for families in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program; short-term, one-time aid for needy families; and subsidized employment programs that temporarily pay for the wages of a worker in a public or private job. States across the country have taken advantage of these funds in a variety of ways.

"This bill will both create and preserve jobs and prevent increased deprivation among the poorest children and their families," Rep. McDermott said. "As Congress works with the President on a jobs bill, we must continue to invest in programs with measurable success."

This emergency fund is now scheduled to expire on September 30, 2010 and without an extension, States may have no choice but to reduce or eliminate subsidized employment programs and cut assistance to needy families.

Rep. McDermott´s legislation would extend the current Emergency Contingency Fund through August of 2011 and improve incentives for States to use these dollars to create or expand subsidized employment programs.

For more information about Rep. McDermott, visit www.house.gov/mcdermott.