[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 49 (Tuesday, April 28, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H2356-H2357]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
concur in the Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 37) expressing 
the sense of the Congress that Little League Baseball Incorporated was 
established to support and develop Little League baseball worldwide and 
that its international character and activities should be recognized.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 37

       Whereas Little League Baseball Incorporated is a nonprofit 
     membership organization, chartered by the Congress of the 
     United States in 1964 to promote, develop, supervise, and 
     assist youth worldwide in participation in Little League 
     baseball and to instill in youth the spirit and competitive 
     will to win, values of team play, and healthful association 
     with other youth under proper leadership;
       Whereas Little League Baseball Incorporated has chartered 
     more than 18,000 local Little League baseball or softball 
     leagues in 85 countries, across 6 continents, through which 
     more than 198,000 teams and 3,000,000 youth worldwide come 
     together in healthy competition, learning the value of 
     teamwork, individual responsibility, and respect for others;
       Whereas Little League Baseball Incorporated provides 
     administrative and other services, including financial 
     assistance from time to time, to such leagues without any 
     obligation to reimburse Little League Baseball Incorporated;
       Whereas Little League Baseball Incorporated has established 
     a United States foundation for the advancement and support of 
     Little League baseball in the United States and around the 
     world, and has also created in Poland through its 
     representative, Dr. Creighton Hale, the Poland Little League 
     Baseball Foundation for the construction of Little League 
     baseball facilities and playing fields, in which youth may 
     participate worldwide in international competitions, and is 
     providing all the funds for such construction;
       Whereas the efforts of Little League Baseball Incorporated 
     are supported by millions of volunteers worldwide, as 
     parents, league officials, managers, coaches, and auxiliary 
     members and countless volunteer agencies, including sponsors, 
     all of whom give their time and effort without remuneration, 
     in service to others, to advance the goals of Little League 
     Baseball Incorporated and thereby assist the economic 
     transformation of societies worldwide, the improvement in the 
     quality of life of all citizens and the promotion of a civil 
     international community; and
       Whereas, as demonstrated by the success of its efforts 
     worldwide, Little League Baseball Incorporated is the largest 
     nongovernmental international youth sports organization in 
     the world and continues to grow: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That (a) it is the sense of the Congress that 
     Little League Baseball Incorporated is international in 
     character and has engendered international goodwill through 
     its worldwide activities, particularly among the youth of the 
     world.
       (b) The Congress reaffirms that Little League Baseball 
     Incorporated was established to support and develop Little 
     League baseball worldwide, through the chartering of local 
     leagues and the provision of assistance to such local 
     leagues, through the creation or location of facilities in 
     other countries, and the provision of other support as 
     appropriate, including financial support, without right of 
     reimbursement or repayment.
       (c) The Congress calls upon the parliamentary bodies and 
     government officials of other nations, particularly those 
     that participate in Little League baseball, to recognize and 
     celebrate the international character of Little League 
     baseball.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Luther) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  (Mr. SMITH of New Jersey asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)


                             General Leave

  Mr. Smith of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote 
unanimously in favor of S. Con. Res. 37. This resolution makes clear 
that Little League Baseball Incorporated is a bona fide nongovernmental 
organization and that it should be treated as such by our government 
and those of other nations.
  Little League Baseball Incorporated is a nonprofit membership 
organization that was chartered by Congress in 1964 to promote 
participation by children around the world in Little League baseball. 
Unfortunately, the charter did not explicitly use the words 
``nongovernmental organization.'' That phrase and its acronym, NGO, 
were not in vogue in those days. So there has been some confusion, 
particularly in nations where Little League baseball is relatively new, 
about the undeniable fact that this organization indeed is a not-for-
profit organization.
  Because the U.S. Congress originally chartered this organization, it 
falls to us to clarify the matter. This resolution calls on the 
parliamentary bodies and government officials of other nations to 
recognize and celebrate the international charter of Little League 
Baseball, the largest nongovernmental international youth sports 
organization in the world, with over 18,000 local leagues in 85 
countries supported by a network of many thousands of volunteers and 
coaches around the world.
  S. Con. Res. 37 was introduced by Senator Coverdell and has already 
passed the Senate. It also passed the Subcommittee on International 
Operations and Human Rights by a voice vote on February 12 of this 
year. On April 1 the full Committee on International Relations ordered 
the bill favorably reported, again by a unanimous vote.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to point out the relentless dedication of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. McDade) on this issue. The gentleman 
from Pennsylvania helped draft the Senate resolution as well as a 
parallel House Resolution. He brought the resolution to the attention 
of our subcommittee and full committee, and he has pushed every step of 
the way to ensure the success of this resolution. He deserves the 
credit for its passage on the floor today.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUTHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, 
and I rise in support of this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution expressing the 
sense of Congress that Little League baseball is international in 
character and has engendered international good will.

                              {time}  1500

  I commend the gentleman from Pennsylvania for introducing the 
companion measure in the House.
  The resolution affirms congressional support for the Little League 
organization and calls upon other governments to recognize and 
celebrate the international character of Little League baseball. In the 
House, the companion to this resolution has received widespread 
bipartisan support.
  Mr. Speaker, we all know Little League is a good organization, 
encouraging good, healthy life-styles for our young people, and I am 
happy to support its activities for kids around the world. I urge 
adoption of this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. Con. Res. 37, the 
Little League Baseball Resolution.
  Senator Coverdell and Representative McDade introduced this 
resolution last year in support of the international activities of 
little league baseball. The Senate has already acted on this 
resolution, and I support House passage today. The measure is broadly 
supported in the House, with a total of 42 co-sponsors.
  This non-controversial measure is designed to reaffirm the importance 
and the values exemplified by the long-standing American institution 
known as ``little league baseball''.

[[Page H2357]]

  In addition, it expresses the sense of Congress that Little League 
Baseball Incorporated was established to develop Little League Baseball 
worldwide recognizing that its international activities are similar to 
other non-governmental organizations.
  As a former president of our local Little League in my hometown in 
Middletown, NY, I am pleased to recommend approval of this resolution, 
affirming our support for the worthy international activities of Little 
League Baseball.
  Mr. McDADE. Mr. Speaker, it is my very great pleasure to rise today 
in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 37 which I wrote, on behalf 
of Little League Baseball, Incorporated.
  I'd like to thank my good friend, the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. 
Smith, for bringing this resolution to the floor. I would also like to 
express my gratitude to the Chairman of the International Relations 
Committee, Mr. Gilman, for moving this measure. I am also grateful to 
Ranking Member Lee Hamilton and to the 45 bipartisan cosponsors of the 
House companion of this resolution which is so important to Little 
League Baseball.
  As the sponsor of the companion resolution in the House and the 
Representative of the World Headquarters of Little League, 
Williamsport, Pennsylvania, I ask that my colleagues join with me in 
supporting this resolution which recognizes the international character 
of Little League Baseball.
  Today's Little League Baseball has programs in 85 countries on six 
continents. It brings three million young people worldwide together 
every year to learn the value of teamwork and individual responsibility 
in a setting of healthy competition. Clearly, Little League Baseball is 
international.
  However, when the Congress acted in 1964 to incorporate Little League 
Baseball, we failed to foresee that it would one day take the joys and 
disciplines of the American game of baseball to children around the 
world. Now that Little League Baseball has gone worldwide, it is time 
that we recognize its international character and activities.
  Without an official imprimatur concerning its international 
character, Little League was unable to get a much-needed exemption from 
the Value-Added Tax from the Finance Ministry of the Republic of Poland 
related to the cost of building the Little League Baseball European 
Training Center in Kutno, Poland. Despite that setback, Little League 
has finished Phase I of the Center. Ultimately, the Center will have 
four little league-sized and three regulation-sized fields, two 
practice fields, dining and laundry facilities, a dormitory, and a 
conference center as well as other athletic facilities and 
administration buildings.
  I am delighted to tell my colleagues that the Polish Ministry of 
Sports and Tourism recently awarded Little League a generous grant 
toward the cost of a regulation baseball field at the facility in 
Kutno.
  I hope sincerely that the House will pass this resolution and that 
the nations of the world will recognize Little League's international 
qualities and extend to them all appropriate privileges.
  Let's go to bat for Little League!
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. LUTHER. Mr. Speaker, likewise, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules 
and concur in the Senate concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res. 37.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the 
ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a 
quorum is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5, rule I, and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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