WASHINGTON (February 2, 2010)—Sen. Wayne Baucus, D-Montana, who chairs the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, says there’s bipartisan support in the Senate for a bill that offers tax credits to employers that add workers, such as the credit President Barack Obama has proposed.

Baucus said at a hearing Tuesday that he supports Mr. Obama's plan and noted that other senators on the committee, including Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, have proposed similar bills.

Mr. Obama's plan would give companies a $5,000 tax credit for each new worker they hire in 2010.

Businesses that increase wages or hours for their current workers in 2010 would be reimbursed for the extra Social Security payroll taxes they would pay.