FactCheck.org: Boyd's ad on jobs stretches truth

Congressman Allen Boyd is taking heat from FactCheck.org for spreading inaccurate information in a recent TV ad against challenger Alfred "Al" Lawson.

From FactCheck writer Michael Morse:

Democratic Rep. Allen Boyd of Florida is running a TV ad falsely accusing his primary opponent of having "killed jobs," while exaggerating his own record for creating jobs.

The ad, titled “Job Killer,” has been airing since May 20 in Boyd’s North Florida district.

Job Killer?

Rep. Boyd’s ad goes too far when it charges that his rival, state Sen. Al Lawson, “killed” transportation and hospital jobs when he voted for the fiscal year 2011 state budget.

■ The ad says Lawson “killed 8,000 more construction jobs by raiding the transportation fund.” This is simply false. For one thing, the budget Lawson supported actually increased the Department of Transportation’s capital budget by $400 million, to $5.8 billion, according to the Department of Transportation budget office. That will support a lot of construction jobs gained, not "killed." The same bill also would have diverted $160 million out of the state Transportation Trust Fund, which in theory might have offset some of the job gain. But Florida Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed the trust fund diversion, so Boyd can’t accurately claim that Lawson "killed" any jobs.

■ Boyd also claims that Lawson “killed thousands of health care jobs by cutting aid to hospitals.” Lawson did vote for a budget bill that included a 7 percent reduction in the Medicaid reimbursement rates paid to hospitals. The ad cites a report by the University of Florida saying thousands of health care jobs may be affected statewide. But those jobs haven’t been "killed" yet: The new fiscal year doesn’t start until July 1. Furthermore, Boyd’s mostly rural district may be largely spared, thanks to a provision in the House-Senate conference report — supported by Lawson and others — which exempts rural hospitals from the reduction.

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