II Calendar No. 2 111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES January 6, 2009 Mr. Reid (for himself, Mr. Levin, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Begich, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Casey, Mr. Lautenberg, Ms. Stabenow, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Lieberman, Ms. Klobuchar, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Mikulski, and Mr. Brown) introduced the following bill; which was read the first time January 7, 2009 Read the second time and placed on the calendar A BILL To improve the lives of middle class families and provide them with greater opportunity to achieve the American dream.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Middle Class Opportunity Act of 2009.

2.

Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that Congress should enact, and the President should sign, legislation to improve the lives of middle class families and provide them with greater opportunity to achieve the American dream by— (1)providing middle class tax relief while making the tax laws simpler and more reliable; (2)promoting investments in the new economy and enacting policies that create good, well-paying jobs in the United States; (3)enhancing the incentives and protections to help middle class families adequately meet their needs in retirement; (4)improving programs to help families acquire the education and training to be productive participants in the modern economy; (5)promoting families by improving the access and affordability of child and elder care; (6)restoring fairness, prosperity, and economic security for working families by ensuring workers can exercise their rights to freely choose to form a union without employer interference; and (7)removing barriers to fair pay for all workers.

January 7, 2009 Read the second time and placed on the calendar