[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 1, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H2781-H2782]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  AUTHORIZING USE OF CAPITOL GROUNDS FOR GREATER WASHINGTON SOAP BOX 
                                 DERBY

  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 88) authorizing the use of the 
Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 88

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

     SECTION 1. USE OF CAPITOL GROUNDS FOR SOAP BOX DERBY RACES.

       (a) In General.--The Greater Washington Soap Box Derby 
     Association (in this resolution referred to as the 
     ``sponsor'') shall be permitted to sponsor a public event, 
     soap box derby races (in this resolution referred to as the 
     ``event''), on the Capitol Grounds.
       (b) Date of Event.--The event shall be held on June 14, 
     2014, or on such other date as the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Rules and Administration 
     of the Senate jointly designate.

     SEC. 2. TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

       (a) In General.--Under conditions to be prescribed by the 
     Architect of the Capitol and the Capitol Police Board, the 
     event shall be--
       (1) free of admission charge and open to the public; and
       (2) arranged not to interfere with the needs of Congress.
       (b) Expenses and Liabilities.--The sponsor shall assume 
     full responsibility for all expenses and liabilities incident 
     to all activities associated with the event.

     SEC. 3. EVENT PREPARATIONS.

       Subject to the approval of the Architect of the Capitol, 
     the sponsor is authorized to erect upon the Capitol Grounds 
     such stage, sound amplification devices, and other related 
     structures and equipment as may be required for the event.

     SEC. 4. ADDITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS.

       The Architect of the Capitol and the Capitol Police Board 
     are authorized to make such additional arrangements as may be 
     required to carry out the event.

     SEC. 5. 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

[[Page H2782]]

     well as other restrictions applicable to the Capitol Grounds, 
     with respect to the event.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Carson) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 88.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H. Con. Res. 88 authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for the 
annual Greater Washington Soap Box Derby in June.
  I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for 
introducing this resolution. He has been a longtime supporter of this 
event and of the children involved each year.
  This event occurs annually on the Capitol Grounds. The Soap Box Derby 
encourages children to show off their dedication, work, and creativity 
as they compete for trophies. The winners of each division are 
qualified to compete in the National All-American Soap Box Derby held 
in Ohio.
  I support the passage of this resolution, and I reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I would like to commend my very close and dear friend, Congressman 
Hoyer, for his dedication to the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby and 
for introducing this resolution on behalf of the Washington regional 
delegation.
  I support today's resolution, which authorizes the Greater Washington 
Soap Box Derby to use the Capitol Grounds. This event provides a 
terrific opportunity for children to learn the values of craftsmanship 
and competition as they build and race their vehicles.
  The very first soap box derby race in Washington, D.C., was run in 
1938, and for the last 20 years, the official race site has been on 
Capitol Hill. With race cars approaching speeds of 25 miles per hour on 
Constitution Avenue, this event provides a real thrill for kids and 
adults alike from across the region. Winners of this event go on to 
compete in the national competition in Akron, Ohio, where they compete 
against kids from all over the world.
  On race day, every Greater Washington Soap Box Derby participant 
starts the race with the chance to become a world champion. I support 
this terrific opportunity for the children of Washington, D.C., and I 
urge my colleagues to support the passage of this great resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
  Mr. HOYER. I want to thank Mr. Carson and Mr. Barletta for bringing 
this bill to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, for the 23rd straight year, I am proud to sponsor this 
resolution that allows the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby 
Association to hold its 73rd annual race on the grounds of the United 
States Capitol on June 14, which, by the way, Mr. Speaker, happens to 
be my birthday. As Mr. Carson pointed out, and as Mr. Barletta has 
said, this is a longstanding tradition that brings young people from 
around the area to the Capitol for a fun and educational achievement.
  In 1938, Mr. Speaker, Norman Rocca beat 223 other racers to win the 
inaugural Greater Washington Soap Box Derby, which was held on New 
Hampshire Avenue. Over the years, thousands of the region's young 
people have participated in this great race. Dozens of boys and girls, 
ranging in age from 8 to 17, are divided into three divisions: stock, 
super stock, and masters. The local winner of each division will 
qualify to compete with racers from around the world in the All-
American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio.
  America's soap box derbies have been called the ``greatest amateur 
racing event in the world.'' Every year, they bring young people 
together with their parents and teach sportsmanship, hard work, and 
pride of accomplishment, not to mention engineering and the awareness 
of how you make something that makes a difference. The spirit of 
competition that fuels these racers is the same spirit that has long 
energized our Nation's businesses and innovators, which all of these 
young people are and, hopefully, will continue to be. The young 
participants in these derbies are often sponsored by community groups, 
police departments, fire departments, and others who recognize in them 
great promise for the future.
  I continue to be incredibly proud of those from Maryland's Fifth 
District who participate. We have celebrated a number of soap box derby 
champions from the Fifth District, including the winners from 2007, 
2008, 2009, 2012, and 2013. You can see that the soap box derby is very 
important and popular in my district. The winners in 2007 and 2008 went 
on to prevail in the national championship. All of last year's winners 
were from Maryland's Fifth District: Aspen Tomasello, who won the stock 
division; Brittany Sorli, who won the super stock division; and Jay 
Warnick, who won the masters division and who went on to become the 
third St. Mary's County resident--the county in which I live, the most 
southern county in our State--to win the All-American Soap Box Derby in 
6 years. We are very proud of them all.
  I want to thank those Members who have cosponsored this resolution: 
Representatives Gerry Connolly, John Delaney, Donna Edwards, Jim Moran, 
Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chris Van Hollen, and my dear friend Frank Wolf.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and to come and see 
the soap box derby in action.
  Mr. BARLETTA. The gentleman from Maryland may be interested to know 
that, in our markup of this resolution, two of our committee members 
mentioned that they were proud soap box derby champions--Mr. Nolan of 
Minnesota and Mr. Williams of Texas. They also joked that, today, they 
now stand on a soap box here in Congress.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, may I ask my colleague, the 
honorable chairman, Mr. Barletta, if he has any other speakers.
  Mr. BARLETTA. I have no other speakers.
  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, in closing, this has been a proud 
tradition across the Nation, including in Pennsylvania. In fact, in 
1975, 11-year-old Karren Stead of Lower Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 
became the first girl to win the All-American Soap Box Derby.
  Again, I would like to thank the minority whip for giving us an 
opportunity each year to highlight this event and its importance.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 88.
  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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