[House Report 110-676]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



110th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     110-676

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  AUTHORIZING THE USE OF THE CAPITOL GROUNDS FOR A CELEBRATION OF THE 
     100TH ANNIVERSARY OF ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, INCORPORATED

                                _______
                                

June 3, 2008.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

Mr. Oberstar, from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                    [To accompany H. Con. Res. 335]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 
was referred the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 335) 
authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for a celebration of 
the 100th anniversary of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, 
Incorporated, having considered the same, report favorably 
thereon without amendment and recommend that the concurrent 
resolution be agreed to.

                       PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATION

    House Concurrent Resolution 335 authorizes the use of the 
Capitol Grounds for a celebration of the 100th anniversary of 
the founding of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    Alpha Kappa Alpha (``AKA'') Sorority, Incorporated was 
founded on January 15, 1908, on Howard University's Washington, 
DC campus as the first sorority by and for African American 
women. It was founded by nine Howard University students, who 
then initiated several other women into the sorority who later 
became known as the Twenty Pearls of Alpha Kappa Alpha. The 
sorority incorporated on January 29, 1913, in Washington, DC. 
The motto of the sorority is ``By Culture and By Merit''.
    Alpha Kappa Alpha women have a long commitment to public 
service and encouraging excellence through scholarship. The 
sorority has evolved over its 100-year history from a college-
based organization in support of young women in their 
intellectual and cultural development to an organization that 
dedicates itself to a variety of humanitarian programs. These 
programs include the Mississippi Health Project, which is an 
outgrowth of the desire to improve educational conditions among 
children in rural Mississippi and was designed to bring 
desperately needed medical care to rural Mississippi; the 
Educational Advancement Foundation, which provides 
scholarships, fellowships, and community grants; and the IVY 
AKAdemy, which promotes early learning and mastery of basic 
reading skills, enhances the school experience of children and 
young people through hundreds of local programs around the 
country and in South Africa. For members of AKA, community 
service and sisterhood are life-long commitments. Many members 
of Alpha Kappa Alpha stay active in the organization for more 
than 50 years.
    Alpha Kappa Alpha has had many prominent members in several 
different sectors of American culture. Members of Alpha Kappa 
Alpha hold leadership roles in politics, sports, entertainment, 
business, academia, and many other fields. These leaders 
include civil rights activist Coretta Scott King, professional 
tennis player Zina Garrison, Nobel Prize-winning author Toni 
Morrison, Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad, and Brown 
University President Ruth Simmons, President of Liberia Ellen 
Johnson-Sirleaf, and several current Members of Congress.
    Today, Alpha Kappa Alpha is an international organization 
that includes more than 200,000 members and has 975 chapters 
around the world. From July 11-18, 2008, more than 20,000 
members of Alpha Kappa Alpha are expected to convene in 
Washington, DC, where the sorority was founded, for their 
Centennial convention to honor their foremothers and renew 
their unwavering commitment to community service and their 
loyal dedication to sisterhood.

                         SUMMARY OF LEGISLATION

Section 1. Use of Capitol Grounds for 100th anniversary celebration of 
        Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated

    Section 1 authorizes the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, 
Incorporated to hold a public event on the Capitol Grounds on 
July 17, 2008, or on a date agreed to by Speaker of the House 
and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate.

Section 2. Terms and conditions

    Section 2 dictates that the event will be free of charge, 
open to the public, and arranged not to interfere with the 
needs of Congress.

Section 3. Event preparations

    Section 3 authorizes Alpha Kappa Alpha, Incorporated to 
erect upon the Capitol Grounds, subject to the approval of the 
Architect of the Capitol, stage, sound amplification devices, 
and other related structures and equipment to carry out the 
event.

Section 4. Enforcement of restrictions

    Section 4 requires the Capitol Police Board to enforce all 
applicable restrictions on the use of the Capitol Grounds, 
including those relating to sales, advertisements, displays, 
and solicitations.

            LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

    On February 26, 2008, Representative Diane E. Watson 
introduced H. Con. Res. 335.
    On May 15, 2008 the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure met in open session to consider H. Con. Res. 
335. The Committee agreed to H. Con. Res. 335 and ordered it 
reported favorably to the House by voice vote with a quorum 
present.

                              RECORD VOTES

    Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires each committee report to include the 
total number of votes cast for and against on each record vote 
on a motion to report and on any amendment offered to the 
measure or matter, and the names of those members voting for 
and against. There were no recorded votes taken in connection 
with ordering H. Con. Res. 335 reported. A motion to order H. 
Con. Res. 335 reported favorably to the House was agreed to by 
voice vote with a quorum present.

                      COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(1) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are 
reflected in this report.

                          COST OF LEGISLATION

    Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and 
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974 has been timely submitted prior to the filing of the 
report and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is 
included in this report.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

    1. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(2) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, and 
clause 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the 
Committee references the report of the Congressional Budget 
Office included in the report.
    2. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
performance goals and objective of this legislation is to 
authorize the use of the Capitol Grounds for a celebration of 
the 100th anniversary of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, 
Incorporated.
    3. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(3) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the 
Committee has received the enclosed cost estimate for H. Con. 
Res. 335 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                      Washington, DC, May 16, 2008.
Hon. James L. Oberstar,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H. Con. Res. 335, 
authorizing the use of the Capitol grounds for a celebration of 
the 100th anniversary of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, 
Incorporated.
    If you wish further details on these estimates, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew 
Pickford.
            Sincerely,
                                         Robert A. Sunshine
                                   (For Peter R. Orzsag, Director).

H. Con. Res. 335--Authorizing the use of the Capitol grounds for a 
        celebration of the 100th anniversary of Alpha Kappa Alpha 
        Sorority, Incorporated

    H. Con. Res. 335 would authorize the Alpha Kappa Alpha 
Sorority, Incorporated, to use the Capitol grounds on July 17, 
2008, or on such other date as the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives and the Senate Committee on Rules and 
Administration may jointly designate. Because the group would 
assume responsibility for all expenses and liabilities 
associated with the event, CBO estimates that adopting H. Con. 
Res. 335 would result in no significant cost to the federal 
government.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew 
Pickford. The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

                     COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XXI

    Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House 
of Representatives, H. Con. Res. 335, does not contain any 
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 
benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of rule XXI 
of the Rules of the House of Representatives.

                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, committee reports on a bill or joint 
resolution of a public character shall include a statement 
citing the specific powers granted to the Congress in the 
Constitution to enact the measure. The Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure finds that Congress has the 
authority to enact this measure pursuant to its powers granted 
under article I, section 8 of the Constitution.

                       FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

    The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal 
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act (Public Law 104-4).

                        PREEMPTION CLARIFICATION

    Section 423 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
requires the report of any Committee on a bill or joint 
resolution to include a statement on the extent to which the 
bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt state, local, 
or tribal law. The Committee states that H. Con. Res. 335 does 
not preempt any state, local, or tribal law.

                      ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

    No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) 
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act are created by this 
legislation.

                APPLICABILITY OF THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 
104-1).

         CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

    H. Con. Res. 335 makes no changes in existing law.

                                  
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