[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.
                                 ______
                                 
      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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