A group of U.S. senators and House members from the Midwest have introduced a bill that would create tax incentives for charitable giving to help victims of the recent storms, tornadoes, and floods that have hit their region.

The Midwestern Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2008 would allow individuals and corporations to get unlimited charitable deductions for donations to relief efforts in the affected areas through the end of 2008.

The bill would also allow people who use their vehicles for disaster relief to deduct 41 cents per mile — or about 70 percent of the current business mileage rate through the end of 2009. The rates now are 14 cents per mile for charitable activities and 58.5 cents for business activities.

Volunteers could also exclude from their income reimbursements from charities for use of their vehicles up to the amount of the standard business rate through the end of 2009.

The bill, S. 3322, would also extend through 2009 provisions that expired at the end of 2007 that allow a variety of businesses, such as restaurants, grocery stores, or farms, to earn an “enhanced deduction” for donating surplus food to charity.

In general, federal law allows companies to deduct the production costs of certain goods they donate, which is usually below their fair market value.

The “enhanced deduction,” which is now limited to certain kinds of corporations, allows donors to deduct production costs, plus some of the difference between production costs and fair market value.

Sponsors of the new bill are 11 senators from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, and Missouri. They include Iowa Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, and Tom Harkin.

Five Iowa members of the House of Representatives also introduced the bill.

The legislation is similar to a proposal made by several senators last month who had hoped to pass it as an amendment to an unrelated bill designed to ease the housing crisis.