Washington, DC- U.S. Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) released the following statement in response to the announcement of Connecticut’s state unemployment numbers for January 2010:
“Creating jobs and improving our economy has and will remain my number one priority. I am proud of the steps we’ve taken to put the American people back to work, passing the Jobs for America Act, the Jobs for Main Street Act and the Recovery Act. But, I know that people are still suffering and we must do more.
“I believe that we are beginning to see signs of recovery. Connecticut added 2,300 new jobs in January-the largest increase since the start of the economic downturn. The Recovery Act has played an important role in saving and creating over 7,000 jobs in our state and it is on track to save or create 3.5 million jobs around the country. Recently, I received a letter from the owners of the R. Pelton Builders, a residential energy audit business in Berlin, extolling how, through the Recovery Act Weatherization program, they were able to create 5 new full time positions. As the owners Michael, Stephen, and Rebecca Pelton stated, the Recovery Act did what it was intended to do-- create jobs . Many small business owners are staying open and creating new opportunities for the unemployed due to the funding secured for the state through the Recovery Act.
“I will continue working to help spur economic growth in Connecticut and provide small business owners, like the Peltons, the resources they need to help create good paying jobs in our community.”