[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 22643]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      TRAVEL STIMULUS ACT OF 2001

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Grucci). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, on November 13, 2001, I introduced 
H.R. 3281, the Travel Stimulus Act of 2001. This bill will allow 
individuals to claim a temporary tax deduction for travel expenses for 
cost of travel after September 11, 2001, and before September 12, 2001.
  Mr. Speaker, people are not traveling. In my home State of Hawaii, 
our beaches and hotels are empty, our economy is floundering, and our 
workers are being laid-off at staggering rates. The total unemployed as 
of this date is 27,000.
  I have introduced the Travel Stimulus Act of 2001, to allow 
individuals to deduct personal travel expenses for all personal travel 
to a destination of 500 miles or more from home. These deductions cover 
the taxpayer's spouse and any dependents and must be used on commercial 
travel (air, bus, train, boat). The taxpayer may also use these 
deductions for hotels, meals and other travel costs.
  Hotels are lowering their prices to try to entice tourists to come 
and stay. The federal government must do our part to give the public 
incentives to travel again in order to revive the depressed economies 
of all states and communities that rely on tourism for their living. 
The President and my fellow colleagues have repeatedly stated that we 
must keep America rolling and we must return to some sense of normalcy. 
Giving these incentives will actually accomplish these feats.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Travel Stimulus Act of 2001.

                          ____________________