Jobs bill clears hurdle with 5 GOP votes

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan jobs bill cleared a GOP filibuster yesterday with critical momentum provided by the Senate's newest Republican, Scott Brown of Massachusetts.

The 62-30 tally to advance the measure to a final vote tomorrow gives President Obama and Capitol Hill Democrats a much-needed victory, even though the measure in question is likely to have only a modest boost on hiring.

All six Philadelphia-area senators voted in favor, except Frank Lautenberg, who did not vote due to illness.

Brown and four other Republicans broke with GOP leaders to advance the measure. Most other Republicans voted in favor of the filibuster because of what they called strong-arm tactics by Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. The bill is likely to enjoy far broader GOP support tomorrow when it is put to an up-or-down vote.

The bill featured four provisions that enjoyed sweeping bipartisan support, including a measure exempting businesses hiring the unemployed from Social Security payroll taxes through December and giving them an additional $1,000 credit if new workers stay on the job a full year.

It also would renew highway programs through December and deposit $20 billion in the highway trust fund.

Although employers seldom make hiring decisions based on tax breaks, economist Mark Zandi said the measure could potentially create 250,000 private-sector jobs. That is less than 4 percent of the 8.4 million jobs lost in the recession.

Joining Brown in voting to break the filibuster were two New England Republicans, Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, and two retiring GOP senators, Kit Bond of Missouri and George V. Voinovich of Ohio. Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska voted no.

Reid's bill is a far smaller measure than Obama's economic-stimulus bill of a year ago. It is also significantly smaller than a rival bipartisan bill unveiled earlier this month by two senior senators.

Brown, whose election last month gave Republicans the 41st vote that could sustain GOP filibusters, said: "This Senate jobs bill is not perfect . . . but I voted for it because it contains measures that will help put people back to work."

For his part, Reid was clearly pleased. "I hope this is the beginning of a new day here in the Senate," he said.

After the vote, Obama thanked the Senate. "The American people want to see Washington put aside partisan differences and make progress on jobs, and today the Senate took one important step forward in doing that," he said, adding that more needed to be done.

Among Obama's proposals to boost the economy are a $250 payment to Social Security recipients, $25 billion to help cash-strapped states, and $30 billion in Wall Street bailout money redirected to help community banks lend to small businesses.

Republicans and some Democrats were unhappy that Reid abruptly dumped about $70 billion worth of tax breaks for businesses and individuals, help for the unemployed, and additional Medicare payments to doctors from a compromise measure unveiled earlier this month.

In addition to the hiring tax incentives and highway aid, the bill would extend a tax break for small businesses buying new equipment and modestly expand an initiative that helps state and local governments fund infrastructure projects.