Encouraging the International Olympic Committee to select New York City as the site of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 475) encouraging the International Olympic Committee to select New York City as the site of the 2012 Olympic Games.

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 House Concurrent Resolution 475, the concurrent resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 475. This resolution encourages the International Olympic Committee to select New York City as the site for the 2012 Olympic Games and supports New York City's desire to host those 2012 Games.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee narrowed the selection for the 2012 Games to five cities, New York City being one of them. And in July of next year, they will make their final decision. As a New Yorker, but also as an American, I really urge the Congress to adopt this resolution asserting and expressing the support of the Congress for New York City to be given these Games.

There are any number of reasons, Mr. Speaker, but, first of all, I am sure while my colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), and I do not agree on every issue in this House of Representatives, we agree that New York certainly is the best place in the world and where the Olympic Games should be held in any year, especially 2012.

In many ways, New York City personifies what the Olympics are all about. I was looking at the numbers, and there were 202 countries in the last Olympics. There are students or children representing 199 of those countries in New York City's public schools. That is 199 out of the 202 countries who will have representation in New York City. Virtually every country coming to the Olympics, in effect, will be a home team in New York City.

It is that diversity, that strength and also the facilities that make New York so perfect. The facilities are available; more are being constructed. The Mayor and the city officials, the State officials will do whatever has to be done to make sure that all of the events can be accommodated. New York City certainly showed, just last month, during the Republican convention the level of security its police force can provide, the safety and security and hospitality to people from all over the country, and certainly, they will show in 2012 that they can do it for people all over the world. We have the mass transit, and really, we have whatever has to be there for the Olympics.

Also, if we can say, this will be one final step, one further step away from September 11, 2001, showing that New York has come all the way back, not just in the eyes of the city, the State and the country but, indeed, in the world.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume in closing to just commend the author of this resolution, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), for the tremendous job he is doing on this and on so many other issues affecting New York, and also the Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, who has shown tremendous leadership on this.

Again, this is the essence of bipartisanship, a Republican mayor working with a Democratic congressman, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), and the entire New York delegation stands behind this, including the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella), who is a prime co-sponsor of the resolution.

So, Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to commend my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. King), on the other side. As he said, we may not agree on much, but we do agree on New York being the best place for this. I also would like to commend my friend and colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), for introducing this important resolution. His leadership on behalf of the interests of New York City is greatly appreciated.

Mr. Speaker, the 2004 Olympic games in Athens recently unfolded before the eyes of hundreds of millions of people around the world, some watching in person but many more on television every night. It is fair to say, Mr. Speaker, that the Athens Games were an unqualified success. Despite fears of terrorism or that key Olympic venues would not be ready, Athens was more than prepared to receive over 16,000 athletes and officials from around the world, and the Olympic spirit thrived as athletes lived out their dreams.

This resolution before the House seeks to bring that Olympic spirit we witnessed in Athens here to America for the first time since 1996, when they were held in Atlanta. This measure urges the International Olympic Committee to choose the entry of the United States, New York City, to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Mr. Speaker, the Olympics brings together people from all over the world, and when they arrive in the city so great they had to name it twice, New York, New York, they will find that virtually every nationality that competes in the Olympic Games is represented among the people of New York City. Of the 202 countries that participated in the Athens Olympics, immigrant children of 199 of them attend New York City schools. Even the smallest Nation attending Olympic Games in New York will find their own cheering section.

New York City already has a developed transportation infrastructure to ensure that athletes and spectators can easily get to all Olympic venues and practice facilities. The Olympic village will also be centrally located, and over 500 acres of parks will be created or improved. New York has detailed plans to first-class sports facilities throughout the city to host the Olympics in an effort that will help to revitalize New York's waterfront.

While the Olympics will have an economic impact of over $11 billion and will create over 135,000 jobs, they will have a longer-term impact upon the blueprint of the city and its ability to host international sporting events for decades to come.

Mr. Speaker, New York is blessed with some of the best financial, creative, marketing and corporate resources in the world. New York is committed to applying these talents to creating the best Games in the history of the Olympics. When the International Olympic Committee meets next July to choose the site of the 2012 Summer Games, I urge committee members to choose New York City, the Empire State.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), my friend and colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to thank the gentleman for his statement. The question of the stadium is something we will deal with, but we are all together in that we want the Olympics in New York.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the resolution introduced by my good friend from New York, Congressman Rangel.

This resolution encourages the International Olympic Committee to choose New York City as the host for the Olympic Games in 2012. Congressman Rangel has been relentless on promoting New York as a great choice for the Olympics and never shying away from any effort to drive this notion. As a member of the New York City delegation, I wholeheartedly support the Resolution.

The United States will not host the Olympic Games for another 8 years now, bringing that span to 10 years--in 2012, I trust the Olympic Committee will see fit to bestow this honor to our great city. Bringing the Games to the United States will not only exert a huge economic boost on local, regional, and of course national level, it will also create jobs not only the for the Games, but also on the road towards them

New York is uniquely qualified to invite the ``world''. The Olympic ideals of competition, fair play, and pursuit of dreams are perfectly embodied and thoroughly celebrated in the City. Olympic Games drive world wide cultural understanding and exchange and thus promoting peace.

The diverse ethnicity of the City would resonate with all guests--and vice versa. Not just since the United Nations, as the epitome of those ideals, took root in New York, the City has been a beacon of freedom and a meeting-spot for the world. The City was hit hard on 9/11, but it never retreated and withdrew in its shelter. It kept embracing the world. In 2012, we want to show this yet another time.

Furthermore, the current plans would allow for extraordinary Olympic Games. The so-called ``x-plan'' will bring athletes and guests right into the heart of New York, perfectly blending the atmosphere of the great New York skyline with the East River riverfront. The Olympic Games right next to the United Nations headquarters would be the biggest display of international understanding and exchange.

I urge all my colleagues to join Congressman Rangel in supporting this resolution

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 475, of which I am a cosponsor, which expresses the sense of Congress encouraging the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to choose New York City as the site of the 2012 Olympic Games. I would like to thank my friends and colleagues Representatives Rangel and Fossella for introducing this resolution.

New York City is the greatest city in the world. As the center of arts, business, culture, tourism, architecture, education, and sports, New York is an ideal candidate to host the world's greatest athletic competition. With its top-notch mass transportation systems, New York already has much of the infrastructure in place to transport athletes and fans to the athletic events. Because New York is a site for many of the world's top sports competitions, including the U.S. Open, and the home of several professional sports teams, our city has the necessary capabilities to handle large numbers of people along with the tremendous security requirements.

Aside from allowing New York to showcase its beauty and infinite attractions to a global audience, hosting an Olympic Games would be a tremendous boost to an economy that continues to recover from the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Our local restaurants and businesses would greatly benefit from the potential revenue that the Olympics would bring.

Greece just hosted one of the greatest Olympic Games ever to be held, and I commend them on their success. I am confident that New Yorkers would open their arms and welcome the world to our doorstep just as the people of Greece welcomed us to the birthplace of the Olympics.

I look forward to working with my friends in the New York congressional delegation and our local officials to bring the 2012 Olympic Games to New York City

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I rise in support of this concurrent resolution. New York is eminently suited to host the Olympic Games, and I certainly urge the International Olympic Committee to select New York as the site for the 2012 Games.

I want to say, however, that support for this resolution should not be construed as support for the construction of the Olympic stadium planned for the West Side of Manhattan. There is much opposition to that stadium. Many of us think it is in the wrong place. We support the Olympics, because we trust that common sense will reign and that eventually people will realize that the Olympic stadium should be in Queens or in Shea Stadium.

In any event, we support the Olympics, we support this concurrent resolution, but that support should not be construed as support for construction of a new stadium for the Olympics or for the Jets on the West Side of Manhattan.