Voinovich would OK stimulus funds for jobless aid

Staff report

washington

U.S. Sen. George Voinovich said he will support the extension of unemployment insurance if Senate Democrats agree to use stimulus funds to cover some of the cost.

In a floor speech Wednesday, Voinovich, R-Ohio, said he would vote for a stand-alone extension of unemployment benefits if at least half of the $33 billion cost is paid for using some of the “estimated $40 million in unspent stimulus money.”

Congress allowed extended unemployment benefits to expire in June. Senate Democrats have since failed to come up with the 60 votes necessary to overcome Republican demands that the federal deficit be reduced.

“Our national debt is one of the most important problems that we face,” Voinovich said.

Voinovich also urged President Barack Obama to support the reauthorization of a surface transportation bill, paid for by increases in the federal gasoline and diesel taxes. The bill, he said, will create jobs and lead to infrastructure improvements.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown also pushed for increased transportation investment Wednesday, highlighting the economic benefits of expanding Ohio’s passenger rail service during a press conference call.

In January, Ohio was awarded $400 million in federal stimulus funds to build a passenger railroad that would connect Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton. The route would restart passenger rail service between the state’s largest cities for the first time in more than three decades.

Brown discussed a new report released Wednesday by the economic advocacy group Policy Matters Ohio, which illustrates how increased investment in rail service infrastructure will benefit Ohio’s manufacturing industry.

The report found that 13 passenger rail equipment producers and suppliers have operations in Ohio, the fifth-highest in the nation.

The state also has a wider network of rail industry contractors and manufacturer firms, the report said, with 226 firms that are part of the rail supply chain, including six in the Mahoning Valley, according to the study.

“Passenger rail is about more than another option for getting from Cincinnati to Columbus or Cleveland,” Brown said.