Montpelier, Vt – January 21, 2010 - Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin and Speaker Shap Smith,  hosted a jobs forum Thursday at the Statehouse to hear from Vermont’s successful employers about ways in which the state can better partner with them to help our businesses grow and create jobs.

The leaders called for the forum after hearing from Vermonters who are either unemployed or underemployed and business owners who, despite the recession, are trying to expand but lack either the capital or the trained workforce to do so. Recognizing that investments must be made to build a stronger state and a healthier economy, Senator Shumlin and Speaker Smith invited ten employers to the State House to learn how we can best target the state’s resources for job creation.

“Our top priority this legislative session will be crafting a jobs bill,” said Senator Peter Shumlin. “Today’s job forum was critical to this effort as we heard from successful employers that we need to continue providing venture capital to help our businesses grow, maintain our commitment to policies that encourage renewable energy and invest in workforce training to better train unemployed and underemployed Vermonters.”

Legislators from both the House and Senate attended to hear from a cross section of Vermont’s successful businesses. Legislators will now begin to craft solutions to the challenges that our businesses face and reinforce what our state is already doing well.

“Many of the recurring themes we heard from employers were heartening and encouraging,” said Speaker Shap Smith. “Successful employers spoke of the wonderful assets that Vermont already has – our natural resources, quality education system, Buy Local campaign and land use programs. As we fashion a jobs bill over the upcoming months we will continue to make investments in these important areas while also addressing the challenges that our employers are facing.”

Lt. Governor Brian Dubie, who has been conducting his own “Jobs Tour” attended the job forum and applauded the legislature for its effort to assess Vermont’s difficult jobs market. However, Dubie said that lawmakers would do well to get out of Montpelier and meet with Vermont businesses and workers in the “real world”.

Year in and year out, Dubie said, the state’s employer community has told lawmakers what it needs to strengthen Vermont’s jobs market. “And year in year out,” he said, “when lawmakers hit the campaign trail, they tell voters they’ll work to grow jobs. But when they arrive in Montpelier every January, those promises are quickly forgotten.”

Dubie said, “I sincerely hope it will be different this year. The proof will be in the budget, and other measures, that the legislature passes this year.” Last year’s budget, he said, the first ever authored by a legislature and passed over a governor’s veto, raised taxes, and hurt jobs and paychecks for Vermonters.

-Vermont Daily News report