Lisa Murkowski: “In the past week, we have heard a great deal of discussion regarding voluntarism in America. In Philadelphia, President…”

“In the past week, we have heard a great deal of discussion regarding voluntarism in America. In Philadelphia, President Clinton has been joined by former President Bush and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell, in what has been styled a voluntarism summit. On the floor of the Senate, we have been attempting to move legislation, which I believe should not be controversial, that would protect volunteers from fear of legal actions resulting from their efforts. I would hope that the impasse over this bill could be broken and we could move forward on this important bill. In the spirit of encouraging more volunteer efforts in America, I am today introducing the Charitable Equity Mileage Act of 1997. This bill will increase the standard mileage rate deduction for charitable use of an automobile from 12 cents a mile to 18 cents a mile. I think this bill should be unanimously supported by my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Mr. President, many of our citizens who volunteer for charitable activities incur expenses for which they are not reimbursed.”