[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6032-6034]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  AUTHORIZING USE OF CAPITOL GROUNDS FOR GREATER WASHINGTON SOAP BOX 
                                 DERBY

  Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules

[[Page 6033]]

and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 106) 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. 106

       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 16, 
     2012, 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 well 
     as other restrictions applicable to the Capitol Grounds, with 
     respect to the event.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Washington (Ms. Herrera Beutler) and the gentlewoman from the District 
of Columbia (Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The recognizes the gentlewoman from Washington.


                             General Leave

  Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER. 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. 106.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Washington?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H. Con. Res. 106 would authorize the use of the Capitol Grounds for 
the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby on June 16, 2012.
  This event occurs annually on the Capitol Grounds. The Soap Box Derby 
allows children to show off their dedication, hard work, and creativity 
as they compete for trophies. And as someone who has participated in 
derbies myself, Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill. The winners of each 
division are then qualified to compete in the National Soap Box Derby.
  I am excited to urge my colleagues to support passage of this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I am delighted to support House Concurrent Resolution 106 which 
authorizes use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap 
Box Derby on June 16, 2012. I would also like to offer my appreciation 
to the majority and to acknowledge the efforts of Mr. Hoyer, who has 
been a consistent champion for his constituents in this event, and the 
entire delegation from this region, who supports this event every year.
  On the date of the event, children and young adults from the Greater 
Washington area race down Constitution Avenue to test their 
craftsmanship in hand-designed and -constructed soap box vehicles in 
the Annual Soap Box Derby. Children between the ages of 8 and 17 will 
be competing for the opportunity to race in the National All-American 
Soap Box Derby held every August in Akron, Ohio.
  Consistent with all events using the Capitol Grounds, this event is 
open to the public and free of charge. The organizers will work with 
the Capitol Police and the Architect of the Capitol to organize the 
details of the event.
  I strongly support H. Con. Res. 106 and urge passage of this 
resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER. I thought that was compelling, Mr. Speaker, and 
I am very excited that we are going to hear next from a gentleman who 
has been a big champion of the Soap Box Derby for many moons now.
  With that, I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the Representative of Washington, D.C., for 
yielding to me, the distinguished gentlelady, Ms. Norton, and I want to 
thank my friend, Congresswoman Herrera Beutler from Washington State 
who chairs the subcommittee, and thank her very much for facilitating 
this coming to the floor and thank her very much for her kind remarks 
as well.
  Mr. Speaker--and I am pleased to call you ``Mr. Speaker''--I rise in 
strong support of this resolution which I am proud to sponsor, and I 
have sponsored for many, many years. This resolution allows the Greater 
Washington Soap Box Derby Association to hold its 71st Annual Greater 
Washington Soap Box Derby on the Capitol Grounds on June 16.
  This is, and I think everybody who has been involved with the Soap 
Box Derby knows, a wonderful tradition that brings young people from 
around the area to the Capitol for a fun and educational event. It has 
taken place since 1938, when Norman Rocca won the inaugural race, 
besting 223 other contestants as his soap box racer crossed the finish 
line.
  That race has continued for over 70 years, and it has inspired 
thousands of the region's young people to learn the physics behind 
gravity racing and the engineering used to design soap box racers.
  As a Nation that wants to make things--and as the Speaker knows, I 
have a Make It in America agenda that I keep trying to sell that is 
bipartisan, and I think all of us agree that we want to make more 
things in America--if we are going to make more things in America and 
be able to export them, we will have to have people who make things. 
What a wonderful opportunity this is for young people to participate in 
making something that will then have them be successful, or, in this 
sense, in the race, make it, win the race.
  So I think this is a wonderful enterprise. It brings young people 
together with their parents and teachers, and it teaches sportsmanship 
and hard work and pride of accomplishment. America's soap box derbies 
have been called the ``greatest amateur racing event in the world,'' 
and we continue celebrating that tradition June 16 here in Washington.
  The spirit of competition that fuels these racers is the same spirit 
that has long energized our Nation's entrepreneurs and innovators. The 
young people who participate in these derbies are often sponsored by 
groups from their communities who recognize in them great promise for 
the future.
  I continue to be incredibly proud of those from Maryland's Fifth 
District who participate, but, indeed, from the District of Columbia, 
Virginia, the surrounding areas. We have celebrated a number of soap 
box derby champions from the Fifth District, including the winners from 
2007, 2008, and 2009. We have broken our string, but maybe we will get 
it back. But everybody is a winner. The winners in 2007 and 2008, Kacie 
Rader and Courtney Rayle, respectively, went on to win the national 
championship.
  I want to thank those Members who have cosponsored this resolution, 
my good friends from our area, not only Ms. Norton, who has been one of 
our

[[Page 6034]]

leaders, but also Representatives Gerry Connolly, Donna Edwards, Jim 
Moran, Chris Van Hollen, and Frank Wolf. And again, I thank my good and 
dear friend from Washington State for her leadership on this; and my 
colleague and fellow Washington area representative, we are a team on 
this, and I want to thank Ms. Norton for her extraordinary leadership 
for not only the District of Columbia but of our region, and on so many 
important issues to this country.
  Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the bipartisanship of this 
bill. To my good friend, the minority whip from Maryland, I can only 
say that the championship that your own district brought back is enough 
to make us think that our area teams might one day have a championship.

                              {time}  1630

  We know this much: these students have to construct these soap boxes 
themselves. I mean, this is your STEM leaders still to come, the 
engineers of the future.
  I have no further speakers, and I appreciate all of the support of 
our good friends on the other side.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support 
passage of this resolution. And with that, I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Herrera Beutler) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 
106.
  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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