Permitting the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 350) permitting the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.

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 the subject of this bill.

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

One of the stated purposes of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is to provide for appropriate ways for the Nation to commemorate the days of remembrance as an annual, national, civic commemoration of the Holocaust and encourage and sponsor appropriate observances of such days of remembrance throughout the United States.

The first Days of Remembrance ceremony in the rotunda of the United States Capitol occurred in 1979, and the rotunda ceremony has since become the inspiration for similar Holocaust remembrance ceremonies that take place throughout the United States.

H. Con. Res. 350 will allow for this year's national ceremony to be conducted in the rotunda on April 27, 2006. Mr. Speaker, it is necessary to go through this procedure, joint authorization by both Chambers, to use the very sacred center of the Capitol for this ceremony. The enormity of the crimes of the Holocaust, and the need to ensure they are never forgotten, make the rotunda a fitting place for this ceremony.

The theme of this year's commemoration is ``Legacies of Justice'' in honor of the courage of, and the precedents set by, those who testified during the trials of Nazi war criminals. The theme also pays tribute to those who work tirelessly for the cause of justice, both then and now.

This year, we mark the 60th anniversary of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, Germany. The unprecedented Nuremberg trials established a judicial process to rule on the atrocities committed by the Germans during World War II and brought to the forefront the ideas of universal justice, human rights and responsibility for war crimes. Evil persists in the world, Mr. Speaker, but our prosecution of the perpetrators of the Holocaust taught us that evil can be defeated and justice can be done, but only if we have the courage to stand up to the perpetrators. That is a vital lesson, one we must never forget, and this ceremony will help us remember it.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor), who is the sponsor of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes to close.

Mr. Speaker, this is not a joyous event to celebrate. At the end of World War II, we realized that we had witnessed the greatest genocide in the history of this planet. I was a young lad at that time, but I thought: never again could this happen. Yet now that we know it can happen and how horrible it is, we must guard against it ever happening again.

I am sorry to say that it has happened, not on that scale, but we saw that happening in Iraq, we are seeing it happen right now in Darfur and other parts of the Sudan. The ability of humans to commit great horror against their fellow human beings has not died out.

That is why it is essential for us to engage in this ceremony and to participate and recognize that this is an ongoing battle to fight against those who would kill their fellow human beings indiscriminately at times, and at other times kill them simply because of their race or ethnic background.

I am very pleased to be here presenting this resolution, because this event is something that we should all participate in every year to remind us of what can happen if we let our guard down, and if we assume that we have conquered evil. Evil will always be with us, and we must continually fight it.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I also rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 350, authorizing the use of the Capitol rotunda for the days of remembrance ceremony on April 27 of this year. As in the past, Congress has always passed this concurrent resolution for the use of the Capitol rotunda as it is the sacred location of America's historic ceremonies.

I would like to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor) for introducing this legislation, as well as the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers), my chairman, and California's Mr. Lantos, my friend, for cosponsoring this bill with me.

This event will mark our country's annual commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust. As we have done nearly every year since 1979, Congress will use this historic rotunda location to reflect on the Holocaust, one of the most painful moments in our world's history.

In 1980, Congress created the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, which oversees the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and organizes the annual days of remembrance. These efforts were established by Congress to permanently honor the victims of the Holocaust. During the week of April 23, similar observances of such Holocaust remembrance days will take place around our Nation. The days of remembrance provides Americans of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds the opportunity to reflect on the Holocaust, remind our Nation of the victims who perished, and strengthen our commitment to human rights and democracy.

Each year, the days of remembrance observes a specific theme, which highlights different events of the Holocaust. This year's theme will be commemorated in the title of ``Legacies of Justice'' in honor of the courage of those who testified during the trials of Nazi war criminals.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of these Nuremberg trials, which brought to justice the unfathomable crimes committed during the Holocaust.

The International Military Tribunal held at Nuremberg, Germany, attempted to seek justice for the millions of murders, wrongful imprisonments, tortures, rapes, theft and destruction that took place during the Holocaust. The tribunal was created to bring judgment for the war crimes committed in the course of the most massive conflict the world has ever known. Six decades after IMT, the body of international law that addresses crimes against humanity has grown dramatically and relies significantly on the framework and legal standards established at Nuremberg.

In addition to honoring this watershed moment in international justice, this year's theme pays tribute to the numerous advocates who tirelessly worked for the cause of justice today. Every human being deserves to be treated with dignity, Mr. Speaker. We commend these individuals who continue to vigorously pursue justice for current victims of hatred and inhumanity. We must be reminded that such tragedies should never be permitted to occur again.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of this concurrent resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution that commemorates those victims of the Holocaust.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time, for his leadership in bringing this bill forward, as well as the gentlewoman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this important resolution, H. Con. Res. 350, permitting the use of the United States Capitol rotunda to observe Yom Hashoah, the Day of Remembrance, for victims of the Holocaust.

Mr. Speaker, it is our obligation to remember with great reverence and respect the victims of the Holocaust and to tell their story to all generations. It is our duty to never forget.

More than 70 years ago, a tyrant as evil as any known in the history of man rose to power preaching an agenda of hate and racial superiority. His shadow caused darkness to fall upon the Earth. He slew the innocent and pure, men, women, and children, with vapors of poison and burned them with fire. And when the light of freedom shined again, tens of millions lay dead, cities and nations lay in ruin, and a world stood awestruck at the horrors that had occurred.

Ironically, Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim. On this day we read the Book of Esther, which tells of, in this case, another attempted genocide perpetrated against the Jewish people. Like Hitler, Haman wanted to annihilate the Jewish people from existence. Yet unlike the Holocaust, the Jewish people were able to rally an army and defend themselves against that attempted genocide. And on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Adar, the Jewish people take this opportunity to remember that threat and to celebrate their survival.

Sadly, today, we still face totalitarian regimes led by maniacal dictators who threaten the peace and stability of the world. The rotunda of the U.S. Capitol represents the seat of free and open discourse, the foundation of our democracy, and is an anathema to those tyrannical leaders and their regimes.

We in the U.S., the birthplace of Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King, enjoy a great deal of freedom. We must not take those freedoms for granted. We must not forget that genocide and human rights abuses continue to occur around the world. We must not remain silent when such atrocities occur. And we must dedicate ourselves to continuing to educate people around the globe about the horrors of the Holocaust. We must be forever mindful of the danger of such intolerance and ensure that it never happens again.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 350 received from the House.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the concurrent resolution be printed in the Record.