[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14936]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        REVITALIZING CITIES AND TOWNS BY BRINGING BUSINESS BACK

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                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 30, 2010

  Mr. KIRK. Madam Speaker, today I introduce a bill to help our 
commercial neighborhoods to recover the economic activity they have 
lost during the Great Recession. When the economy tumbled and 
unemployment rose to the highest level seen in a generation, businesses 
were forced to close their doors, transforming once-thriving commercial 
streets into quiet avenues with ``For Rent'' signs.
  My bill encourages private investors to develop land and vacant 
properties that have had no substantial economic activity for at least 
two years by exempting them from taxes for up to ten years.
  Proper tax incentives can ignite an economic renaissance in our 
cities and towns by nurturing private investment and enterprise. This 
is the best government stimulus I know.

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