Congressional Record, Volume 156 Issue 66 (Wednesday, May 5, 2010)

[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 5, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H3168-H3170]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

AUTHORIZING USE OF CAPITOL GROUNDS FOR DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SPECIAL
OLYMPICS LAW ENFORCEMENT TORCH RUN

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 263)
authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the District of Columbia
Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.
The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

H. Con. Res. 263

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring),

SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION OF USE OF CAPITOL GROUNDS FOR DC
SPECIAL OLYMPICS LAW ENFORCEMENT TORCH RUN.

On June 4, 2010, or on such other date as the Speaker of
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Rules and
Administration of the Senate may jointly designate, the 25th
Annual District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement
Torch Run (in this resolution referred to as the ``event'')
may be run through the Capitol Grounds as part of the journey
of the Special Olympics torch to the District of Columbia
Special Olympics summer games.

SEC. 2. RESPONSIBILITY OF CAPITOL POLICE BOARD.

The Capitol Police Board shall take such actions as may be
necessary to carry out the event.

SEC. 3. CONDITIONS RELATING TO PHYSICAL PREPARATIONS.

The Architect of the Capitol may prescribe conditions for
physical preparations for the event.

SEC. 4. ENFORCEMENT OF RESTRICTIONS.

The Capitol Police Board shall provide for enforcement of
the restrictions contained in section 5104(c) of title 40,
United States Code, concerning sales, advertisements,
displays, and solicitations on the Capitol Grounds, as well
as other restrictions applicable to the Capitol Grounds, in
connection with the event.

[[Page H3169]]

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Shuster) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.

General Leave

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent
that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and
extend their remarks and to include additional material on House
Concurrent Resolution 263.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time
as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to support House Concurrent
Resolution 263, which authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for the
25th Annual District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch
Run. The Capitol Police, along with the D.C. Special Olympics, will
participate in the Torch Run to be held on June 4, 2010. Law
enforcement officers, who are part of the extended volunteer network
that supports the Special Olympics, carry the Olympic torch across the
Capitol Grounds throughout the District of Columbia.
The D.C. Special Olympics expect over 1,500 law enforcement officers
to participate in the Torch Run, which will be a 2.3 mile course from
the Capitol Grounds to Fort McNair. These events, along with others
throughout the year, are designed to raise funds to support year-round
activities for the D.C. Special Olympics. The D.C. Special Olympics
allows area residents with intellectual disabilities to participate in
competitive sport activities in order to test their abilities against
their peers, develop confidence, and improve their health.
The D.C. Special Olympics will work closely with the Capitol Police
and the Architect of the Capitol to make sure that the event is in full
compliance with the rules and regulations governing the use of the
Capitol Grounds. The event will be free and open to the public.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this resolution authorizes the use of the Capitol
Grounds for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement
Torch Run to be held on June 4. The torch will be carried throughout
the Capitol Grounds as part of the journey to the D.C. Special Olympics
summer games.
The Special Olympics is an international organization dedicated to
enriching the lives of children and adults with special disabilities
through athletics and competition.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run began in 1981 when the chief of police
of Wichita, Kansas, saw an urgent need to raise funds and increase
awareness of the Special Olympics. The Torch Run was then quickly
adopted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Today,
the Torch Run is the largest grassroots effort that raises awareness
for the Special Olympics program. The event in D.C. is one of many law
enforcement torch runs throughout the country and across 35 nations
leading up to the summer Special Olympics.
I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this resolution, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he
may consume to my colleague from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy).
Mr. KENNEDY. I want to thank my colleague from Florida (Ms. Corrine
Brown) and also Mr. Shuster from Pennsylvania for coauthoring this
important resolution and speaking in favor of it.
The Special Olympics has been an important part of destigmatizing
developmental disabilities and those suffering from intellectual
challenges. No one would have imagined years ago that folks who
otherwise would have been living in the shadow of our society, those
with cognitive and intellectual disabilities, would now be so
integrated into our society, in large measure due to the opportunity
that Special Olympics gave them to participate fully in our society
through sports.
Special Olympics represents so much more than competition on the
field, but it does represent something so important to our society, and
that's opening up opportunities for folks who need to be treated with
human dignity because they're like you and me; they just have other
challenges intellectually.
All of us have different challenges. These are folks who have been so
stigmatized and shamed because of their intellectual challenges that
they have been shut out of society, but not for the Special Olympics.
They have been embraced; they have been loved by all those huggers at
the end of the competition, and they have been part of so many of our
most moving moments in our country's efforts to have sports be a
competitive endeavor.
I want to thank my cousin, Timothy Shriver, who is the international
president of Special Olympics, for the dynamic leadership that he
offers this organization and for all the sacrifice he makes to carry on
his mother's legacy as the first president of the Special Olympics. And
now he is doing it with his own style of leadership that is equally
charismatic and energetic.
I want to thank the police for embracing Special Olympics. Both of
them are our heroes: the law enforcement community and our Special
Olympians. What a great match. The Torch Run should be a terrific
event.
I thank my colleagues for allowing me to speak.
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Will the gentleman yield for a
question?
Mr. KENNEDY. I yield to the gentlewoman.
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. I just want to thank the gentleman from
Rhode Island, Mr. Patrick Kennedy, for your leadership throughout the
years in support of the Special Olympics. And how many years have you
supported it?
Mr. KENNEDY. Before I can even remember, my Aunt Eunice made sure
that I attended the nearest Special Olympics event that was happening.
Wherever I traveled, even around the world, she made sure that I asked
the local Presidents or Prime Ministers, if we met with government
officials, if they had a program for people with developmental
disabilities, intellectual challenges. Often they would say, Oh, we
don't have those problems. And it shows that now China recently was the
host of the International Special Olympics, and yet just years ago the
abortion rate in China of babies that had intellectual disabilities was
enormous. Now they're embracing people with intellectual disabilities.
What a turnaround in attitude and respect for human life and dignity of
the human person. That's what has been possible through Special
Olympics.
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Well, I want to once again thank you
for your leadership, not just for America, but for the world in this
area.
Mr. KENNEDY. Well, thank you for your leadership.
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of
my time.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I just want to thank and congratulate my
colleague, Mr. Kennedy from Rhode Island, for his leadership in Special
Olympics throughout the years and his service in Congress. I know he
will continue that work after he leaves Congress. I also want to thank
the Shriver/Kennedy family for the great support and the effort they've
put forth over the years in supporting such a worthwhile program as
Special Olympics. So, thank you, Mr. Kennedy.
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, as an original cosponsor, I rise in
support of H. Con. Res. 263, which would authorize the use of the
Capitol Grounds for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law
Enforcement Torch Run. I commend my colleague from the District of
Columbia for introducing this resolution for this worthy cause.
This annual event is in its 25th year of bringing together nearly 50
Federal and local law enforcement agencies to show support for Special
Olympics DC. Each year, law enforcement officers across the country and
around the world participate in local Torch Run events to raise money
and awareness for the Special Olympics. In 2008, the Torch Runs raised
over $34 million for Special Olympic programs.
Funds raised from the Torch Run help support year-round training and
programs for Special Olympics DC. It makes an impact in the lives of
our community's most vulnerable citizens and enables thousands of
children and

[[Page H3170]]

adults with disabilities to participate in Special Olympics programs.
Mr. Speaker, the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run is a
fitting way to continue the legacy of Eunice Kennedy Shriver so that
everyone has the opportunity to compete and reach their full potential.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res.
263, introduced by the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms.
Norton), which authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for the
District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.
This is a premier event in the region that highlights the athletic
accomplishments of disabled children and young adults. Thanks to the
tenacity of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the Kennedy family, thousands of
Special Olympians see their self-confidence, self-esteem, and health
nurtured by participating in the Special Olympics.
Each year, nearly 50 Federal and local law enforcement agencies in
the Washington, DC area, participate in the torch run to show their
support for the DC Special Olympics. This torch relay event on the
Capitol Grounds is a traditional part of the opening ceremonies for the
Special Olympics. This year's torch run will be a 2.3-mile trek from
the U.S. Capitol building to Ft. McNair.
Since its inception, more than 15,000 District of Columbia citizens
with disabilities have participated in the Special Olympics and more
than $1 million has been raised. Funds raised from the Law Enforcement
Torch Run for the Special Olympics help support year-round training and
programs for the DC Special Olympics, which include basketball,
bowling, tennis, and motor activities training.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Con. Res. 263.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance
of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 263.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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