Joe Biden to discuss jobs bill at Houston Hall

United States Vice President Joe Biden will be at Houston Hall’s Bodek Lounge Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. to talk about how the proposed American Jobs Act bill can improve public safety.

He’ll be joined at a round table discussion by — among others — Philadelphia Mayor and 1976 Wharton graduate Michael Nutter, city Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske and public safety officials from nearby universities.

The talk will focus on the impact public safety budget cuts can make in policing communities and how the American Jobs Act’s proposed allocation of $5 billion can help police staff retention and hiring.

Biden’s appearance coincides with a bus tour President Barack Obama launched yesterday campaigning for his jobs bill — the second such tour since his initial proposal.

Obama proposed the American Jobs Act to Congress Sept. 8. The act has been met with strong opposition from Congress — on Oct. 11 the Senate voted 50-49 to advance the bill, 11 short of the 61 needed to overcome a filibuster. Of the 49 opposed, 46 were Republican senators.

Much of the controversy stems from a stipulation in the bill to pay for billions of dollars in public works spending, public school teacher retention and tax relief for individuals and businesses by adding new marginal tax rates for those making more than $1 million a year.

“Tonight’s vote is by no means the end of this fight,” Obama said in a statement following the vote.

Biden’s appearance also preempts an appearance by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) at Huntsman Hall this Friday. Cantor said in an Oct. 12 article of The New York Times that “the president will drop his all-or-nothing approach and begin to work with us on areas of commonality.”

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