To provide a new effective date for the applicability of certain provisions of law to Public Law 105-331.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 188, which extends the effective date for the applicability of certain provisions of law to Public Law 105-331 to July 1, 2007. Public Law 105-331 revises the nonfederal matching requirements conditioning payment to a designated recipient organization of certain proceeds from any surcharges on the sale of Thomas Alva Edison Commemorative Coins.

H.R.188 will establish July 1, 2007, as the end of the 2-year period after which there must be deposited in the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts any amounts deriving from such surcharge proceeds which have not been paid to a designated recipient organization solely because of the organization's failure to submit an audited financial statement demonstrating that all matching requirements have been met.

This extension will allow many organizations to receive the funds provided to them under the bill, and thus carry out the original intent of this body to celebrate the legacy of Thomas A. Edison, one of this country's greatest inventors.

The 2004 Thomas Alva Edison Commemorative Coin Act, Public Law 105- 331, authorizes the production of up to 500,000 silver dollar coins. This coin commemorates the 125th anniversary of Thomas Edison's invention of the light bulb.

Thomas Edison made immeasurable contributions to this country. His inventions include the invention of a complete system of electric light and power and the launching of the modern electric utility industry. The Pearl Street station, which opened in lower Manhattan in September 1882, featured safe and reliable central power generation, efficient distribution, and a successful end use (i.e., the long-lasting incandescent light bulb and electric motors. In the 1890s, Edison began working on motion picture technology, and in the process created a third industry. Edison began commercial production of short movies in 1893, often filming in the famous ``Black Maria,'' the first motion picture studio. Like the electric light and phonograph before it, Edison developed a complete system that encompassed everything needed to both film and show motion pictures.

We must continue to acknowledge and honor Thomas Edison for his irreplaceable contributions, many of which we cannot imagine living without. Some of the organizations that will receive funds to help honor the many great contributions of Thomas A. Edison include:

Museum of Arts and History--Up to one-eighth to the Museum of Arts and History, in the city of Port Huron, Michigan, for the endowment and construction of a special museum on the life of Thomas A. Edison in Port Huron;

Edison Birthplace Association--Up to one-eighth to the Edison Birthplace Association, Inc. in Milan, Ohio, to assist in the efforts of the association to raise an endowment as a permanent source of support for the repair and maintenance of the Thomas A. Edison birthplace, a national historic landmark;

National Park Service--Up to one-eighth to the National Park Service, for use in protecting, restoring and cataloguing historic documents and objects at the ``Invention Factory'' of Thomas A. Edison, in West Orange, New Jersey;

Edison Plaza Museum--Up to one-eighth to the Edison Plaza Museum in Beaumont, Texas, for expanding educational programs on Thomas A. Edison and for the repair and maintenance of the museum;

Edison Winter Home and Museum--Up to one-eighth to the Edison Winter Home and

Museum in Fort Myers, Florida, for historic preservation, restoration, and maintenance of the historic home and chemical laboratory of Thomas A. Edison;

Edison Institute--Up to one-eighth to the Edison Institute, otherwise known as ``Greenfield Village'' in Dearborn, Michigan, for use in maintaining and expanding displays and educational programs associated with Thomas A. Edison; and

Edison Memorial Tower--Up to one-eighth to the Edison Memorial Tower in Edison, New Jersey, for the preservation, restoration, and expansion of the tower and museum.

It is important that we allow these organizations that were selected to receive proceeds from the sale of the commemorative coins to receive the funds that will financially support their efforts to honor the legacy of Thomas A. Edison.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 188 to provide a new effective date for the applicability of certain provisions of law to Public Law 105-331.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Georgia for those very kind words.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which already passed the House by voice vote last November and was well on its way to becoming law until it was held up in the other body.

I have reintroduced the bill with Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, who is, of course, the chairman of the Financial Services Committee, and my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Sires) who is also here to speak on the bill, and also Mr. Frelinghuysen. It is a very simple

bill, designed to provide the Edison Memorial Tower Corporation additional time to raise funds to match a Federal grant.

The Edison Memorial Tower is a 131-foot tower built in 1937 on the exact spot where Thomas Edison's original Menlo Park laboratory was located in New Jersey. It was built to commemorate Edison's work and is connected to a museum displaying many of the inventor's creations.

Unfortunately, the tower has suffered more than $3 million worth of water damage. The Edison Memorial Tower Corporation, which oversees the tower, was designated as a recipient of Federal funds under the Thomas Alva Edison Commemorative Coin Act, which we passed in 1998.

That funding became available at the beginning of last year but required a non-Federal match. After reading a document published by the Mint, the Tower Corporation originally thought that they could use State funds to pay for the match. Unfortunately, they were informed recently by the U.S. Mint that they could only use funds raised from private sources.

Once they realized this, the Tower Corporation approached me for help since they were faced with the need to raise more than $300,000 by the end of 2006 to reach the statutory deadline for applying for the Federal funding. That is why I introduced the legislation to extend that deadline by 6 months, to give them adequate time to raise private funds.

I would point out that the board of the Tower Corporation has assured me and the Committee on Financial Services that they will be able to raise the necessary funds in 6 months and that they would not request another extension.

We all know that Thomas Edison's contributions to our society are too numerous to count, but by creating the modern light bulb at this location he is one of America's most recognized thinkers and inventors. The Memorial Tower helps celebrate his achievements and salutes the spirit of innovation that he fostered. We need to pass this to ensure that the Memorial Tower can be repaired and serve not only as a memorial to a great man, but also as a symbol of America's potential for technological innovation and achievement.

Lastly, Madam Speaker, I just would like to thank sincerely my colleagues, first of all Chairman Frank, and, of course, Ranking Member Bachus, for their willingness to move this bill, and the leadership on both sides of the aisle for putting it on the suspension calendar so early in this new Congress.

I want to thank, again, first of all, Eric Gordon, my staff person sitting to my left, who worked so hard on this, and also the hard work of Jamie Lizarraga on the Democratic staff of the Financial Services Committee which has been critical to moving the legislation. Joe Pinder of the Republican committee staff has also been quite helpful, and I thank him as well.

I thank my two colleagues, both the gentleman from Georgia and my Republican colleague, for the statements they made today.

This bill will go a long way towards ensuring that we can preserve an important landmark saluting a great American, and I ask my colleagues for their support.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 188) to provide a new effective date for the applicability of certain provisions of law to Public Law 105-331.

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

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

Madam Speaker, I urge today that the House pass H.R. 188, which was introduced by the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey, Representative Pallone.

This bill has the simple purpose of addressing a glitch in the distribution of surcharges on the sale of commemorative coins that honor America's great inventor, Thomas Edison.

In 1988, legislation authorizing the production of the coin was enacted and the U.S. Mint minted and issued the coin in 2004. But as a result of some unclear language in the documents provided both the Mint and to recipient organizations, it was unclear that the matching funds required by law in the order for recipient organizations to receive the coin's proceeds must be raised entirely from private sources and that no other government funds could be used for this purpose.

This bill extends for a period of 6 months the amount of time in which the recipients of surcharges on the sales of the Thomas Edison commemorative coin are allowed to raise matching funds.

While the House passed the bill to remedy this problem by voice vote under suspension of rules last November, the Senate failed to act on this in a timely manner, so I would urge the House to consider the bill and immediately adopt the underlying text.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), someone who is truly a leader in this Congress and the sponsor of this bill.

Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 1 minute to one of our distinguished newer Members from New Jersey (Mr. Sires).

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

I want to also extend my deep courtesies to Mrs. Biggert. It is always a pleasure to be on the floor with her, and I appreciate her kindness and consideration and the work she has put into this bill and the Republicans on the other side.

Madam Speaker, Thomas Edison is truly an American hero, and this bill will go a long way to helping to fix just a minor problem and give just a little bit more time for the people to do a fitting commemorative to him.

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

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 188, introduced by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone). This bill will provide a new effective date for certain provisions in Public Law 105-331. It is a simple bill and it is simple to describe.

Passage will allow the Edison Tower Museum in Edison, New Jersey, an extension until the end of June to raise private funds. These funds will match the roughly $380,000 in surcharges due from the sale of coins as part of the Thomas Alva Edison Commemorative Coin Act of 2004.

As a result of some miscommunications and, frankly, a lack of clarity in materials, the United States Mint provided the Edison Memorial Tower Corporation regarding statutory requirements, this brief extension is necessary. It will allow the corporation time to raise private sector matching funds and thus claim the surcharges from the sale of the coins.

The situation is now cleared up and the Mint has corrected the documentation and all concerned agree that a brief extension of the statutory 2-year timeline is both reasonable and a practical and fair way to deal with the situation.

The matching fund requirements were part of sensible reforms to the commemorative coin program enacted in the 104th Congress at the behest of the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle). They are an important safeguard against misuse of the commemorative coin program. This modest extension creates no precedent for future surcharge recipients who fail to raise the required funds in a timely fashion, and is merely a brief pause to allow satisfaction of the statute.

This is a good bill, one that passed the House in November of 2006 by voice vote but was not acted upon by the other body. I urge its immediate passage.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for his kind words.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am happy to rise today in strong support of H.R. 188, legislation ``to provide a new effective date for certain provisions of law in Public Law 105-331,'' introduced by the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Pallone.

Enacted in 1998, Public Law 105-331 provided for the issuance in 2004 of the Thomas Alva Edison Commemorative Coin, commemorating the 125th anniversary of Edison's invention of the light bulb.

In the years between the passage of that legislation and now, leadership of the group that operates the Edison Memorial Tower in Edison, New Jersey made plans to comply with statutory requirements to raise funds to match one-eighth of the surcharges raised from the sales of the coins--about $380,000--and thus claim the surcharge funds. Unfortunately, through a series of miscom- munications, it was not made clear to the board that these must be non- governmental funds.

When the error was discovered, the group moved quickly, seeking an extension of the 2-year time limit to raise those funds. Madam Speaker, on November 16 of last year, the House passed legislation similar to that which we are considering today that would have permitted an extension until the end of June. Unfortunately, during the wrap-up of the 109th Congress, the other body did not consider the legislation. However, I am confident that when the House sends this version of the bill to the Senate, it will quickly pass.

It is for these reasons, and because the invention of the light bulb is as good a thing to commemorate as I can imagine, that I urge immediate passage of this legislation.