I am running for re-election because Pennsylvania families are facing very difficult times.
With an economic recession unrivaled since the Great Depression, too many workers are jobless, too many families are struggling to make ends meet and too many elected officials are more interested in pointing fingers than in rolling up their sleeves to solve our problems.
I first ran for office after more than a decade in the private sector because I believe that we can and should expect more from our elected officials. Elected in the wake of the payraise scandal, I have focused on helping small businesses create jobs, improving education for every child and reforming Harrisburg.
I hope you take the opportunity to review my website, what I’ve done as a legislator and where I stand and support my re-election. And please, if you have questions or want more information, please do not hesitate to contact us either by email or call us. I’d love to hear from you.
We must help businesses grow, create more jobs.
August 16, 2010
OpEd contributed by Representative Rick Taylor
Recently, state attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett said that jobs are available to Pennsylvanians, but folks would rather collect unemployment than seek work. Contrary to Corbett's presumption, family-sustaining jobs are few. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, there are five unemployed individuals for every job opening. We must do better, and strengthen our commitment to finding solutions to help Pennsylvanians get back to work.
Small-business owners I talk with want to hire, but big banks are not lending them the capital they need. In an effort to connect small businesses with the funds needed to expand and create jobs, I have introduced legislation (H.B. 2401) that would make more small businesses eligible for low-interest loans through the Small Business First program.
Financing through this program is currently restricted to businesses with 100 employees or fewer and for specific types of projects in manufacturing, agricultural construction, recycling, defense-related and child day-care enterprises.
My bill would open program eligibility to those with as many as 200 employees, as well as small restaurant and hospitality ventures. This legislation has passed the state House and is awaiting action in the Senate.
Additionally, the cost of health care is hurting many companies' bottom line, resulting in fewer job openings. That's why I am leading a legislative effort to create an E-medical records system in the Commonwealth through legislation I introduced, called the Health Information Technology Act (H.B. 2106).
E-medical records would improve health-care outcomes, save money and, by one estimate, create 7,000 jobs. According to the governor's Office on Health Care Reform, E-medical records could save $1.5 billion annually in the cost of health care delivery in five years.
We also need to change our tax law to encourage more investment in infrastructure and hiring by reducing the Corporate Net Income tax, changing the single sales factor formula and lifting caps on net operating losses - all critical changes for growing businesses.
Furthermore, as co-chairman of the legislature's Life Sciences Caucus, I have been a strong voice for the fast-growing biotechnology industry in southeast Pennsylvania. These companies not only produce life-sustaining research initiatives and treatments, they also employ thousands of area residents.
I have fought to keep biotechnology jobs in Pennsylvania, encouraging expansion of this industry through my support of legislation such as Research and Development tax credits (H.B. 2250 of 2007).
Having spent most of my professional career working in the private sector, I understand that businesses just need a helping hand. These proposals will help them without interfering in doing what they do best: creating jobs and prosperity.
And what Pennsylvanians need most right now are jobs so that they can get back to work and contribute to the economy. While the Commonwealth and much of the country face a tough road to recovery, we can be heartened by two of our great strengths: Pennsylvanians are hard-workers and they are resilient. We can get through this difficult time by working together to ensure better days lie ahead.
The New TaylorForPA.org
Welcome to my new website!
Pennsylvania families are facing difficult times and you deserve answers to your questions. You also deserve a Representative who will fight for you, not for special interests.
I'm providing this website so that voters in the 151st District and across Pennsylvania can get to know what I have accomplished in Harrisburg - fighting for jobs in our region, protecting our families and future, and changing the way Harrisburg works.
My candidacy has always been about the people I seek to represent. During my time as a legislator I have always stood up for what is best for the people of my district, regardless of who sponsored the bill or what special interests oppose it. I have stood up for our children and families, have been taking the fight to big oil, and am working hard to keep good, family-sustaining jobs in Pennsylvania.
I’m going to do my best to make this website, and my entire campaign, an interactive experience. I’ll be posting YOUR stories and ideas and asking for your opinions on issues and how to confront our most critical challenges.
Please check back often and please let me know what you would like to see on my website. Please contact our campaign and I will do my best to make sure your voices are heard on this website, in my campaign, and in our government.
-- Rick
