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Senate Memorial

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A memorial to the Congress of the United States, urging

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Congress to summarily reject any legislative proposal that

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would increase the federal excise tax on gasoline.

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     WHEREAS, several proposals have been put forth by members of

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Congress to raise the federal excise tax on gasoline, and

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     WHEREAS, historically high gasoline prices have greatly

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increased the costs of driving and increasing federal gasoline

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taxes will hurt residential and business consumers even more, and

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     WHEREAS, among residential consumers, lower-income consumers

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whose fuel costs consume a proportionally larger share of their

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budgets and consumers who reside in rural or suburban areas and

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must drive long distances for their livelihoods will be hurt the

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most, and

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     WHEREAS, among business consumers, the nation's airlines,

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merchant marine industry, and trucking industry will be

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disadvantaged since fuel costs are a proportionately larger share

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of these industry's costs, and

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     WHEREAS, increasing the federal excise taxes on gasoline

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increases the cost burden in the transportation sector,

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increasing costs associated with virtually all products requiring

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transportation to market, and

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     WHEREAS, increased federal gasoline taxes would lead to

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reductions in the disposable income of consumers who must pay

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more for their own fuel and transported products, and

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     WHEREAS, reductions in consumers' disposable income

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adversely affect economic growth in general and this state's

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tourist-based economy in particular, NOW, THEREFORE,

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Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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     That the Congress of the United States is requested to

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summarily reject any legislative proposal that would raise the

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federal excise tax on gasoline.

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     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be

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dispatched to the President of the United States, to the

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President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the

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United States House of Representatives, and to each member of the

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Florida delegation to the United States Congress.