Political Quotes

“it was my intention to introduce today an amendment to provide three new tax incentives for private property owners who want to conserve land for the preservation of endangered, threatened, and other species. But the amendments were subject to points of order because they did not have accompanying offsets. Rather than have the amendments lose on a parliamentary procedure, I have accepted Chairman Roth's offer to work on these issues in conference. For too long, the Federal Government has relied almost exclusively on regulatory mandates and enforcement to preserve habitat for endangered species. That approach has failed to produce the kind of results we want. If we're serious about preserving our rare and unique species, and their habitat, we must make it easier for people to purchase and set aside land for species. The amendment would have consisted of three provisions. The first provision would have provided an additional 25 percent exclusion from capital gains associated with the sale of property so long as the property is transferred to a qualified organization for conservation purposes.”