Scott Fitzgerald: “I was in the city of Chicago to announce the introduction of a bill today called the Federal Fuel Tax Relief Act of…”

“I was in the city of Chicago to announce the introduction of a bill today called the Federal Fuel Tax Relief Act of 2000. I was standing in Chicago on La Salle Street, in what is known as the Loop, the premier business district in downtown Chicago. I was at a gas station there. Behind me you could see the prices at the pump that that particular gas station in Chicago was advertising. Those gas prices were well over $2 a gallon. In fact, I think the price for the premium blend of fuel was up over $2.30 a gallon. Right now, we are in the midst of a very serious crisis in my part of the country with respect to gas prices. Prices throughout Illinois are at record highs. They are at record highs in Michigan, in Ohio, in other parts of the Midwest. I am afraid if we do not bring down the cost of gas at the pumps, we are going to be seeing shock waves throughout our entire Nation's economy. The bill I am introducing today is S. 2790. What it would do is bring immediate relief by lowering the cost of gas nationwide for 90 days by temporarily rolling back the 18.3-cent-per-gallon Federal gas tax.”