They Voted for You: Jobs

U.S. Reps. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, and Nick Rahall, D-3rd, voted to pass the "Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act."

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, opposed the measure, as did all but 6 GOP members present for the 217-201 roll call.

Thirty-five Democrats also voted against what The Associated Press reported as "legislation giving companies that hire the jobless a temporary payroll tax break," and that "also extends federal highway programs through the end of the year."

With "further jobs measures are promised," AP notes the debate over the scale of this bill as well as the tension between the House and Senate over such proposals.

"Economist Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com said the new hiring tax credit could spur creation of about 250,000 new jobs," AP reported. "Several lawmakers in both parties criticized the payroll tax break, saying that it wouldn't do much to create jobs and that the bulk of it would go to employers for new hires that would be made anyway."