[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 34 (Friday, February 27, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1202-S1203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Ms. Mikulski):
S. 610. A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct
a special resource study of P.S. 103 in West Baltimore, Maryland and
for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I am proud to introduce the Justice
Thurgood Marshall's Elementary School Study Act. The elementary school
that Justice Marshall attended, known as PS 103, located in my hometown
of Baltimore, is a place of national significance because it marks the
site where one of our nation's greatest legal minds began his
education.
[[Page S1203]]
Thurgood Marshall is well known as one of the most significant
historical figures of the American civil rights movement. By the time
he was 32 he was appointed the chief legal counsel for the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP. He served at
the NAACP a total of twenty-five years and was a key strategist to end
racial segregation throughout the United States.
Perhaps the greatest illustration of this effort was his victory
before the Supreme Court overturning the Plessy doctrine effectively
ending school segregation with the landmark decision in Brown v. Board
of Education of Topeka, KS, in 1954. Not only did this case open up
educational opportunity and sparked the civil rights movement in this
nation, it also marked the beginning of Thurgood Marshall's career,
still a young attorney from Baltimore, as one of the greatest legal
minds in all the land. This case was just one of the 29 cases he won
before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Fittingly, Marshall was the first African American confirmed to the
Supreme Court. He was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967
and served 24 years, until 1991. On the high court, Marshall continued
his fight for the Constitutional protection of individual human rights.
But Thurgood Marshall was not always a legal giant. He was once a
young boy growing up in West Baltimore. He received the first 6 years
of his public education at PS 103. An apocryphal story goes that a
young Thurgood Marshall studied the U.S. Constitution in the basement
of the building while serving detention. Regardless of whether or not
this is true, the building powerfully tells the story of racial
segregation in America, PS 103 was a ``blacks only'' school when
Justice Marshall was a student, and marks the academic beginning of one
of the country's most brilliant legal thinkers and a pioneer of the
civil rights movement.
The building is located at 1315 Division Street in the Upton
Neighborhood of Old West Baltimore. The building is part of the Old
West Baltimore National Register Historic District, and is listed as a
contributing historic resource for the neighborhood. The Old West
Baltimore historic district is one of the largest predominately African
American historic districts in the country, and its significance is
centered on the African American experience in the area.
In Baltimore, we are fortunate to have the National Park Service
operate two historical sites, Fort McHenry and the Hampton Mansion.
Adding PS 103 is a unique opportunity for the National Park Service to
work in Baltimore's inner-city and to reach out and engage people about
African American history.
Needless to say, Thurgood Marshall's legacy is one that should be
preserved. He was one of our country's greatest legal minds and a
prominent historical figure of one chapter of our country's great
history--the civil rights movement. This bill authorizes the Secretary
of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of PS 103 to
evaluate the suitability and feasibility of establishing the building
as a unit of the National Park Service. Preserving the building that
was Justice Marshall's elementary school will give Americans insight
into Justice Marshall's childhood.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 610
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Thurgood Marshall's
Elementary School Study Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(2) Study area.--The term ``study area'' means--
(A) P.S. 103, the public school located in West Baltimore,
Maryland, which Thurgood Marshall attended as a youth; and
(B) any other resources in the neighborhood surrounding
P.S. 103 that relate to the early life of Thurgood Marshall.
SEC. 3. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.
(a) Study.--The Secretary shall conduct a special resource
study of the study area.
(b) Contents.--In conducting the study under subsection
(a), the Secretary shall--
(1) evaluate the national significance of the study area;
(2) determine the suitability and feasibility of
designating the study area as a unit of the National Park
System;
(3) consider other alternatives for preservation,
protection, and interpretation of the study area by the
Federal Government, State or local government entities, or
private and nonprofit organizations;
(4) consult with interested Federal agencies, State or
local governmental entities, private and nonprofit
organizations, or any other interested individuals; and
(5) identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition,
development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance
associated with the alternatives.
(c) Applicable Law.--The study required under subsection
(a) shall be conducted in accordance with section 100507 of
title 54, United States Code.
(d) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which
funds are first made available to carry out the study under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee
on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a
report that describes--
(1) the results of the study; and
(2) any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.
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By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Mr. Schumer):
S. 616. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide
recruitment and retention incentives for volunteer emergency service
workers; to the Committee on Finance.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Volunteer
Emergency Services Recruitment and Retention Act of 2015. This bill
fixes a long-standing problem with the tax code that harms the ability
of volunteer fire departments to recruit and retain both firefighters
and emergency service personnel.
For years, local and State governments have provided their volunteer
firefighters and EMS personnel with different forms of benefits
including Length of Service Award Plans, commonly known as LOSAPs.
These are pension-like benefits for volunteer emergency responders.
Unfortunately, the way the tax code handles LOSAPs hinders the
ability of departments to administer plans and makes it more difficult
for volunteer emergency personnel to receive benefits.
My bill would simplify the taxation of LOSAPs in two steps. First, it
would allow an election to treat LOSAPs as deferred compensation plans,
and second, it would exempt them from the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974. These two changes will improve access to LOSAP
benefits for volunteer emergency responders, without increasing Federal
spending.
Today, an estimated 180,000 volunteer firefighters across 27 states
participate in some form of LOSAP. Many states that do not offer these
benefits would be more likely to do so if the Federal tax code were
simplified. This, in turn, would help volunteer fire departments to
recruit more easily and retain personnel. These men and women, our
local first responders, are the foundation of our emergency response
capabilities.
These volunteers put their lives on the line to help protect our
communities, and their spirit of selflessness and service should be
rewarded. I am pleased to introduce this legislation with Senator
Schumer, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this
bill through the Senate and into law.
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