Owens introduces first bill

WASHINGTON — Rep. William L. Owens has introduced his first bill since joining Congress, proposing a tax credit for companies that add jobs in rural areas.

“We’re going to take whatever path is open to us” to pass the legislation, including tacking it onto a larger jobs bill Democrats are pushing through Congress, Mr. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, said in a telephone interview.

The bill, called the Rural Jobs Tax Credit Act, would provide a refundable tax credit to any business in a rural area that expands its payroll by at least an inflationary amount. The credit would account for 15 percent of additions to payroll in 2010 and 10 percent in 2011, Mr. Owens’s office reported.

Companies could be headquartered anywhere but would have to add the jobs in communties of fewer than 50,000 people.

Mr. Owens called for such a measure during his campaign. He said Wednesday that he is working to gain cosponsors, perhaps among upstate colleagues in the House.

The bill goes to the House Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-Manhattan.