Source:  Sen. Kay Hagan, 6/24/11


This week, Senator Hagan introduced a jobs bill, the AMERICA Works Act, to help connect people who are out of work with employment opportunities. The bill aims to sync job-training programs with the needs of local employers by creating a nationwide credentialing program. Workers will receive industry-recognized, portable credentials from local community colleges that qualify them for employment in any state.

Also this week, Hagan continued her “Fighting for our Future” budget listening tour with stops in Greensboro and Charlotte. Hagan is convening the listening sessions across the state with community leaders to hear their ideas for achieving a fiscal balance that reflects North Carolina values and creates jobs. She will take the ideas she gathers on the listening tour back to Washington to ensure North Carolinians have a seat at the table as Congress works to tackle our mounting federal deficit and debt.

On Wednesday, Hagan was joined by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to urge regulators not to restrict the ability of well-qualified, middle-class families to secure a mortgage. Last year, Hagan, Sen. Isakson (R-GA) and Sen. Landrieu (D-LA) worked together on a commonsense, bipartisan provision exempting Qualified Residential Mortgages (QRM) from a requirement in the Dodd-Frank Act. In contrast to the amendment's express intent - and despite repeated warnings from members of Congress, consumer groups, and bankers - regulators in March issued a proposed rule requiring QRMs to include a 20 percent down payment that could restrict credit to well-qualified families.