S138 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 6, 2009 

By Mr. MCCAIN (for himself and 

Mr. KYL): 

S. 153. A bill to amend the National 

Trails System Act to designate the Arizona National Scenic Trail; to the 

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. 

Mr. MCCAIN. Mr. President, I am 

pleased to be joined today by Senator 

KYL in introducing the Arizona Trail 

Feasibility National Scenic Trail Act. 

This bill would designate the Arizona 

Trail as a National Scenic Trail. 

The Arizona Trail is a beautifully diverse stretch of public lands, mountains, canyons, deserts, forests, historic sites, and communities. The Trail 

is approximately 807 miles long and begins at the Coronado National Memorial on the U.S.-Mexico border and ends 

in the Bureau of Land Management’s 

Arizona Strip District on the Utah border near the Grand Canyon. In between 

these two points, the Trail winds 

through some of the most rugged, spectacular scenery in the Western United 

States. The corridor for the Arizona 

Trail encompasses the wide range of 

ecological diversity in the state, and 

incorporates a host of existing trails 

into one continuous trail. In fact, the 

Trail route is so topographically diverse that a person can hike from the 

Sonoran Desert to Alpine forests in one 

day. 

For over a decade, more than 16 Federal, State, and local agencies, as well 

as community and business organizations, have partnered to create, develop, and manage the Arizona Trail. 

Through their combined efforts, these 

agencies and the members of the Arizona Trail Association have completed 

over 90 percent of the longest contiguous land-based trail in the State of 

Arizona. Designating the Arizona Trail 

as a National Scenic Trail would help 

streamline the management of the 

high-use trail to ensure that this pristine stretch of diverse land is preserved 

for future generations to enjoy. 

Since 1968, when the National Trails 

System Act was established, Congress 

has designated over 20 national trails. 

Before a trail receives a national designation, a federal study is typically 

required to assess the feasibility of establishing a trail route. The Arizona 

Trail doesn’t require a feasibility study 

because it’s virtually complete with 

less than 60 miles left to build and sign. 

All but 1-percent of the trail resides on 

public land, and the unfinished segments don’t involve private property. 

The trail meets the criteria to be labeled a National Scenic Trail and already appears on all Arizona state 

maps. Therefore, the Congress has reason to forego an unnecessary and costly feasibility study and proceed 

straight to National Scenic Trail designation. 

The Arizona Trail is known throughout the State as boon to outdoor enthusiasts. The Arizona State Parks recently released data showing that twothirds of Arizonans consider themselves trail users. Millions of visitors 

also use Arizona’s trails each year. In 

one of the fastest-growing states in the 

United States, the designation of the 

Arizona Trail as a National Scenic 

Trail would ensure the preservation of 

a corridor of open space for hikers, 

mountain bicyclists, cross country skiers, snowshoers, eco-tourists, equestrians, and joggers. 

I urge my colleagues to support the 

passage of this legislation. 

By Ms. SNOWE (for herself, Mrs. 

LINCOLN, and Mr. BUNNING): 

S. 155. A bill to amend the Internal 

Revenue Code of 1986 to suspend the 

taxation of unemployment compensation for 2 years; to the Committee on 

Finance. 

Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise 

today to reintroduce a bill I offered 

last December that will provide muchneeded relief to struggling families 

across America. The Unemployment 

Benefit Tax Suspension Act of 2009 is a 

critical piece of legislation, which 

should be considered as part of any 

stimulus package, that would suspend 

the collection of Federal income tax on 

unemployment benefits for 2008 and 

2009. This bill would ensure that as individuals sit down in the next couple 

months to complete their 2008 tax bills, 

they will not have to worry about paying taxes on the unemployment benefits they received last year or can get 

refunds of taxes withheld. It also 

means that the unemployed would not 

be concerned with taxes on benefits 

paid this year. I thank Senators LINCOLN and BUNNING for joining me to introduce this legislation. 

In light of the calamitous labor market, Congress must act to ensure that 

workers who lose their jobs do not also 

lose their livelihoods. In December, the 

Labor Department released sobering 

statistics that demonstrated the gravity of the situation we face. In November, the economy shed 533,000 jobs, the 

largest monthly job loss since December 1974. Our unemployment rate now 

stands at a perilous 6.7 percent, a 15- 

year high. We have lost 1.9 million jobs 

since the beginning of our present recession in December 2007—including 

two-thirds of those jobs in the last 3 

months alone—and the number of unemployed stands at a whopping 10.3 

million. 

Suspending the Federal income tax 

on unemployment benefits is a simple 

way to assist our Nation’s unemployed 

workers and families. In fact, the CBO 

has estimated that in 2005, of the 8.1 

million recipients of unemployment 

compensation benefits, 7.5 million had 

incomes of under $100,000. As such, 

most of the benefits of suspending this 

tax are likely to go to lower- and middle-income families, those struggling 

harder than ever just to make ends 

meet. 

During these challenging times, 

taxes on unemployment compensation 

represents a burden that unemployed 

members of our society simply cannot 

afford. Working families are already 

suffering, with the high cost of groceries, an unstable energy market, and 

the outrageous pricetag for health 

care. My bill offers a means to help 

stimulate the economy by making unemployed workers’ benefits stretch farther. While it is certainly not a solution to the problem, it is a step in the 

right direction. 

President-elect Obama has voiced his 

support for this general idea, calling it 

‘‘a way of giving more relief to families,’’ and I believe that is the ultimate 

goal we must pursue in these trying 

times. I look forward to seeing this bill 

is passed in a timely manner, so that 

the impact can be immediate. 

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed 

in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the text of 

the bill was ordered to be printed in 

the RECORD, as follows: 

S. 155 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in 

Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Unemployment Benefit Tax Suspension Act of 2009’’. 

SEC. 2. SUSPENSION OF TAX ON UNEMPLOYMENT 

COMPENSATION. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 85 of the Internal 

Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to unemployment compensation) is amended by adding at 

the end the following new subsection: 

‘‘(c) TEMPORARY SUSPENSION.—Subsection 

(a) shall not apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2007, and before January 1, 2010.’’. 

By Ms. SNOWE (for herself, Mr. 

KERRY, and Ms. LANDRIEU): 

S. 156. A bill to amend the Internal 

Revenue Code of 1986 to extend enhanced small business expensing and to 

provide for a 5-year net operating loss 

carryback for losses incurred in 2008 or 

2009; to the Committee on Finance. 

Ms, SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise 

today to introduce legislation to provide critical tax incentives to our Nation’s small businesses, which will help 

them to make vital investments in new 

plant and equipment and weather the 

recession that is crippling our Nation’s 

economy. The Small Business Stimulus 

Act of 2009 is just three pages, but by 

extending enhanced small business expensing and establishing a 5-year 

carryback for net operating losses, it 

would pack a powerful punch and assist 

America’s 26 million small firms that 

represent over 99.7 of all employers. I 

am pleased that press reports indicate 

that President-elect Obama will include these proposals in his stimulus 

initiative, and I hope that Congress 

will feature them in any legislation we 

pass in the coming weeks. I thank Senator KERRY for joining me to introduce 

this legislation. 

I have long championed so-called enhanced Section 179 expensing, and I 

was gratified that Congress, as part of 

the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, allowed small businesses in Maine and 

across the nation to expense up to 

$250,000 of their investments, including 


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