To direct the Joint Committee on the Library to obtain a statue of Constantino Brumidi for display in the Capitol Visitor Center.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 254) to award posthumously a Congressional gold medal to Constantino Brumidi.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 254 which would posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to Constantino Brumidi and would authorize the striking of duplicate medals for sale to the public.

Mr. Speaker, for those of us who work here in the Capitol, we are very fortunate to be surrounded by Constantino Brumidi's genius every day. Brumidi's awesome, inspiring murals and frescos are remarkable as they are ubiquitous. Constantino Brumidi's works can be found in three Senate Appropriations Committee rooms, the House Appropriations Committee room, the Senate Democratic Policy Committee room, the Brumidi corridors, the Senate reception area, the Office of the Vice President and, of course, the Rotunda. Like his masterful works throughout the Capitol, Constantino Brumidi's story is uniquely American.

Brumidi was born in Rome in 1805 to an Italian mother and a Greek father. His artistic ability was cultivated at an early age. In his early years, he was commissioned to paint frescos and murals in various Roman palaces. And then in 1849, as did so many of our ancestors, Brumidi, who was already an established artist in Italy and who spent 3 years working for Pope Gregory XVI in the Vatican, migrated to the United States and began a new life in New York City. There he proudly became a naturalized American citizen in 1852.

It was on a return trip from Mexico that Constantino Brumidi first saw the U.S. Capitol. It was a fortuitous twist of fate: at a time when Congress and President Franklin Pierce were preparing to expand the Capitol, a word-class Italian American artist, who just happened to be passing through Washington, inspired by both the freedoms and liberties represented by the seat of Congress and the vast open spaces in the Capitol that seemed to invite frescos and murals, offered his services to Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs. Wisely, Meigs commissioned Brumidi to become the artist of the Capitol.

Brumidi's first work was in the Agricultural Committee room. This masterpiece received such favorable attention that he was given a raise and tasked with painting other larger works culminating with the works in the Capitol Rotunda.

There is no work in the Capitol more impressive or more renowned than ``The Apotheosis of Washington.'' Brumidi completed the fresco in 11 months at the end of the Civil War, soon after the new dome was completed. This absolutely stunning work soars 180 feet above the Rotunda floor. To compensate for the distance from the floor to the ceiling, Brumidi, who spent years mastering depth and scale, painted 15-foot tall figures so that the work could be appreciated from the Rotunda floor.

Another Brumidi masterpiece, ``The Frieze of American History,'' appears just underneath the dome and spans the entire 360 degrees of the Capitol Rotunda. The frieze, which initially looks to be carved or sculpted, as all who view it believe it to be three dimensional, was, in actuality, meticulously painted with the use of scaffolding. While Brumidi first sketched a design of the frieze in 1859, Congress did not authorize work to begin on this piece until 18 years later, in 1877.

The work masterfully displays America's history, beginning with the landing of Christopher Columbus and continuing to the discovery of gold in California. While many visitors to the Capitol have seen Brumidi's genius in the frieze over the years, they may not realize that he nearly lost his life while painting it. While working on a figure of William Penn, 76-year-old Brumidi fell from the scaffolding, but saved himself by clinging to the rung of a ladder for 15 long minutes before he was rescued. While he subsequently ascended the scaffolding once more to continue his work, he died a few months later in 1880. It took two additional artists and 73 years to finish the masterpiece that Constantino Brumidi first began.

Mr. Speaker, Constantino Brumidi's service to the Capitol, and our country, span the administration of six, six Presidents: Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes. On and on, Brumidi worked. All of us here in the Capitol that have the privilege of working in this living museum, as well as the millions of visitors that tour our building each year, who admire and relish Brumidi's works, but precious few know the story of the artist of the Capitol.

In addition to awarding Constantino Brumidi with the Congressional Gold Medal, S. 254 directs the Architect of the Capitol to display the gold medal as an exhibition in the new visitor's center dedicated to Brumidi's life and work. I believe such an exhibit is long past due and would be to the benefit of future generations of Americans who come to see the Capitol and admire the brilliant works of Constantino Brumidi, reminding us yet again that we are a Nation built by immigrants.

Mr. Speaker, Constantino Brumidi was a great son of Italy and a great American. His achievements are a

great source of pride for Italian Americans, and S. 254 would bestow Brumidi, and the Italian American community, with the recognition the artist's great contributions so rightly deserve.

Special thanks are due to Representative Bill Pascrell from New Jersey, the main sponsor of this bill that we have before us in the House today.

And I'd like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of somebody who visits us here in the gallery today, Mr. Speaker, Joseph Grano, who's the president of the Constantino Brumidi Society, for his long and tireless efforts on this behalf.

Mr. Speaker, this is a great day for those who love fine art, creativity, American history, and who appreciate the contributions of Italian American immigrants and all immigrants for the culture and history of our country.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the sponsor of the bill, Bill Pascrell of New Jersey.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to stand in strong support of S. 254, or H.R. 1609 in the House, to award this posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to Constantino Brumidi which would be displayed in the Capitol Visitor's Center. This American immigrant was the creator of some of the most beautiful works of art in the United States Capitol Building.

As the sponsor of the House version of this bill and as cochair of the Congressional Italian American delegation, this is an issue very close to me, Mr. Speaker.

Now, these things don't happen in a vacuum. I want to express my sincere gratitude to Senator Enzi and Senator Clinton, to Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, to Congressman John Mica, to Congressman Zack Space and Gus Bilirakis, and my very close friend Gary Ackerman, John Sarbanes, Michael Burgess, and Rick Renzi for their tireless work in garnering support for this worthy initiative.

If it were not for the diligent advocacy efforts of the Constantino Brumidi Society, the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, and the National Italian American Foundation, we would not be standing here today. It's as simple as that.

Born in Rome of Italian and Greek heritage in 1805, Constantino Brumidi trained in drawing, painting and sculpture at Rome's prestigious Accademia di San Luca.

In 1840, this rigorous artistic training was put on display when Brumidi and several other artists were commissioned to restore the richly decorated frescos in the Vatican Palace.

He immigrated to the United States in 1852, with nothing in his pocket, and when he died, he had nothing in his pocket. His only objective was to come here and become an American citizen, and he did that in 5 years. He gave it all, as you walk through this beautiful edifice of freedom that everyone knows all over the world.

In 25 years, from 1854 to 1879, he decorated the Capitol with murals and frescos. His frescos in this Capitol were probably the first true frescos to be painted in the United States of America.

Brumidi believed that the classical architecture of the Capitol Building required real fresco, like the palaces of Augustus and Nero, and the baths of Titus and Livia at Rome, and the admired relics of the painting at Herculaneium and Pompei.

His art drew heavily on his training and experience in Rome, incorporating the history and symbols of the United States into his classical repertoire. His most significant influences included ancient Greek and Roman wall paintings and Raphael's classical decoration in the Vatican.

Although he's often called the Michelangelo of the Capitol, this immigrant who came here and gave everything to this country, Brumidi perhaps should be called the Raphael of the Capitol, since it was Raphael who was his greatest inspiration.

Brumidi's creations in the Capitol Building include his masterpiece, the allegorical fresco, ``The Apotheosis of Washington,'' in the 4,664- square foot canopy over the eye of the dome, 180 feet above the floor of the Rotunda. He also painted the extensive frescos in the Brumidi corridors throughout this Capitol.

His last years were spent painting the historic scenes in the Rotunda frieze, even carrying out his own historic research for his work.

Outside of his work in this Capitol, he also was well-connected in the Catholic church. His commissions included altar pieces and murals in important cathedrals in Mexico City, New York City, Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.

The consummate American, Brumidi is reported to have remarked: ``My one ambition and my daily prayer is that I may live long enough to make beautiful the Capitol of the one country on Earth which there is liberty.''

Sadly, at the time of his death in 1880, as I said, he was penniless. Following his death, his work was roundly criticized by the artistic establishment of his day. However, the 1970s, not that far long ago, brought a renewed appreciation for Victorian architecture and decoration and the growth of the historic preservation, and work was done to restore Brumidi's art to its former glory. Today's scholars are able to fully comprehend the full extent of his talent.

Even though he is long gone, it is imperative that we fully recognize the transcendental beauty, the intricate grace he brought to the building that we stand in and that we work in every day.

There is widespread bipartisan support for this initiative. You heard how many cosponsors in the Senate, as my

good friend from West Virginia pointed out how many, 307, right here in the House of Representatives. What great testimony.

I urge my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, to support this legislation and to remember the background of this individual, his Italian and his Greek heritage, and think of all the immigrants when we think of Brumidi and his contributions.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1313) celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first American woman in space, Dr. Sally K. Ride, and honoring her contributions to the space program and to science education.

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. Res. 1313, the resolution now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I introduced H. Res. 1313 which celebrates the 25th anniversary of the first American woman in

space, Dr. Sally K. Ride. I was pleased that the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis), the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Feeney), and the gentleman from Colorado (Chairman Udall), joined me as original cosponsors and I want to thank them for their support. This is a very special woman who has done something significant for the United States of America and a project which has touched this world.

On June 18, 1983, Dr. Sally Ride made history with her groundbreaking space shuttle flight. However, that has been by no means her only accomplishment. Dr. Ride has had a distinguished career of service to America as a veteran NASA astronaut and as an unwavering advocate for the next generation of women in space, mathematics and engineering.

She first flew as a member of the STS-7 crew, which achieved several firsts for the United States space program, including the first release and capture of a satellite using the orbiter's robotic arm and the first demonstration of a shuttle flying in formation with a free-flying satellite. And she then flew again in 1984.

She has served the space program in other ways as well. In 1987, she wrote the thoughtful report on future directions of the U.S. space program, entitled ``Leadership and America's Future in Space.'' And when tragedy struck the human space flight program, she served with distinction on both the Challenger and Columbia accident investigation boards.

In addition, Dr. Ride has worked tirelessly to encourage young women to pursue careers in science, engineering and mathematics through her science festivals and camps. She also has sought to engage young people through other creative approaches such as the EarthKAM program she established to allow middle school students to participate directly in the excitement of space exploration. That is one of the programs that we have seen dwindle and we hope to have a rekindling of support because it is a magnificent one to encourage students to stay involved and become involved in math and science and engineering courses.

As many of you know, I am passionate about the need to get our kids interested in math and science, and I think the Nation owes Dr. Ride a debt of gratitude for her efforts in that regard.

So to sum up, Dr. Sally Ride has done much to serve our Nation since she rode the shuttle into space 25 years ago. I urge my colleagues to join me in saluting her on this 25th anniversary of her first flight.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) and grant her as much time as she may consume.

Mr. Speaker, it has been an honor to work with those who

have believed so very much in helping change young people's lives across this country of ours. Mr. Feeney, Mrs. Davis and Mr. Udall all saw the impact that Dr. Sally Ride had on so many young minds across this Nation to encourage them to study science and math and engineering-related classes. I think this is a wonderful way of saying thank you to another pioneer who has made a difference in so many people's lives.

I thank the gentleman for working with us on the resolution. I ask support for the resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1313, Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the first American Woman in Space, Dr. Sally K. Ride. This legislation gives us the opportunity to extend our appreciation and gratitude for Dr. Ride's excellence in service to the Nation as an astronaut, educator, and advocate for the next generation of women scientists and engineers. I would like to thank my distinguished colleague from Texas, Congressman Lampson, for introducing this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, Sally K. Ride of Los Angeles, California, a physicist by training and an accomplished athlete, was selected as a National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, astronaut candidate in 1978, as part of the eighth class of NASA astronauts and one of only six women in the class. On June 18, 1983, Dr. Ride was lofted into space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger as part of the STS-7 crew, making her the first American woman in space. As a representative from ``Space City Houston'', I am personally inspired by Dr. Ride's accolades and triumph over the status quo.

The STS-7 crew launched two communications satellites from the shuttle and accomplished many first steps for the United States space program, including the first release and capture of a satellite using the shuttle's robotic arm, the first demonstration of a shuttle's flight in formation with a free-flying satellite, and the first United States-German cooperative material science experiments aboard the shuttle, as well as the conduct of other science experiments.

On October 5, 1984, Dr. Ride courageously made her second spaceflight as a mission specialist on STS 41-G, a mission that demonstrated the ability to refuel satellites in orbit and launched NASA's Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, which spent over 20 years providing valuable scientific data on the Earth's absorption and re-radiation of solar energy. However, training for Dr. Ride's third spaceflight assignment ceased after the tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger and her crew in 1986. Following this, Dr. Ride was called to serve on the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident.

Refusing to let the tragic loss of her crewmen deter her from her passion, Dr. Ride continued to serve the Nation's space program with distinction, authoring the 1987 report, Leadership and America's Future in Space, and serving on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. As an educator, author of children's books, and advocate for the next generation of women in science, mathematics, and technology, Dr. Ride's work has contributed to the wellbeing of our youth.

Dr. Ride has worked tirelessly and passionately to encourage young women to follow the sciences, mathematics, and technology by promoting science festivals, camps, and other opportunities through which young women can acquire hands-on learning about science.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. Sally K. Ride. This legislation gives us the opportunity to extend our appreciation and gratitude for Dr. Ride's excellence in service to the Nation as an astronaut, educator, and advocate for the next generation of women scientists and engineers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 25th anniversary of Dr. Sally K. Ride's historic journey as the first American woman in space.

Dr. Ride also happens to be one of my constituents, and I have had the pleasure of meeting her. Twenty-five years ago, Dr. Ride and the STS-7 crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger were propelled into space. It had been over two decades since Neil Armstrong took one giant leap for mankind. But on June 18, 1983, Sally K. Ride took a large stride for women everywhere by becoming the first American woman in space.

A gifted athlete, Dr. Ride had opted out of a promising tennis career to pursue college degrees in physics and English at Stanford University.

In 1977, Dr. Ride's interest was piqued by a NASA announcement seeking young scientists to serve as mission specialists on shuttle flights. Hers would be the first NASA class ever to accept women.

Out of thousands of applications, NASA selected Dr. Ride to be one of six women out of 35 new astronauts, and the class became known as the ``35 New Guys.''

To be sure, Mr. Speaker, on her historic space mission, Dr. Ride wasn't simply along for the ride. She was the mission's flight engineer, tested a robotic arm which deployed and retrieved satellites, and assisted the commander and pilot during flight.

Six years later, Dr. Ride flew into space again. Her experience and success earned her the respect of our Nation and her colleagues.

In 1986, she was asked to served on the Presidential Commission investigating the tragic Challenger explosion. Dr. Ride left her position at NASA in 1987, but has never stopped inspiring and encouraging the next generation to explore the world of science and space. Her impact on young women has been particularly profound.

She is a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego and director of the University of California's California Space Institute. And she has also founded her own company, Sally Ride Science, which encourages students and their parents and teachers to learn about and enjoy the field of science. And I know from personal experience that at the science and math fairs, she is the hit. She is the highlight, and all of the young people really line up to talk with her.

Capturing the essence of Dr. Ride's life work, her company's motto is ``All Science, All the Time.''

It is this undying dedication to her field and to informing and inspiring young people that has been so characteristic of Dr. Ride since her barrier-breaking space mission a quarter of a century ago. With women like her leading the way, it is no wonder that the number of females to obtain degrees in science and engineering has increased dramatically in the last 30 years.

Ensuring that women are equitably represented in science and technology fields will mean a new level of global competitiveness for our country. This is something we need as we continue to fall behind as a Nation in math and the sciences.

While Dr. Ride's mission landed safely 25 years ago, the task of achieving gender parity in her field is far from over.

As Dr. Ride's Congresswoman and as the grandmother to a young and curious granddaughter, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.