Authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.

I want to thank my colleague from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown) and also Mr. Shuster from Pennsylvania for coauthoring this important resolution and speaking in favor of it.

The Special Olympics has been an important part of destigmatizing developmental disabilities and those suffering from intellectual challenges. No one would have imagined years ago that folks who otherwise would have been living in the shadow of our society, those with cognitive and intellectual disabilities, would now be so integrated into our society, in large measure due to the opportunity that Special Olympics gave them to participate fully in our society through sports.

Special Olympics represents so much more than competition on the field, but it does represent something so important to our society, and that's opening up opportunities for folks who need to be treated with human dignity because they're like you and me; they just have other challenges intellectually.

All of us have different challenges. These are folks who have been so stigmatized and shamed because of their intellectual challenges that they have been shut out of society, but not for the Special Olympics. They have been embraced; they have been loved by all those huggers at the end of the competition, and they have been part of so many of our most moving moments in our country's efforts to have sports be a competitive endeavor.

I want to thank my cousin, Timothy Shriver, who is the international president of Special Olympics, for the dynamic leadership that he offers this organization and for all the sacrifice he makes to carry on his mother's legacy as the first president of the Special Olympics. And now he is doing it with his own style of leadership that is equally charismatic and energetic.

I want to thank the police for embracing Special Olympics. Both of them are our heroes: the law enforcement community and our Special Olympians. What a great match. The Torch Run should be a terrific event.

I thank my colleagues for allowing me to speak.

I yield to the gentlewoman.

Before I can even remember, my Aunt Eunice made sure that I attended the nearest Special Olympics event that was happening. Wherever I traveled, even around the world, she made sure that I asked the local Presidents or Prime Ministers, if we met with government officials, if they had a program for people with developmental disabilities, intellectual challenges. Often they would say, Oh, we don't have those problems. And it shows that now China recently was the host of the International Special Olympics, and yet just years ago the abortion rate in China of babies that had intellectual disabilities was enormous. Now they're embracing people with intellectual disabilities. What a turnaround in attitude and respect for human life and dignity of the human person. That's what has been possible through Special Olympics.

Well, thank you for your leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 263) authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include additional material on House Concurrent Resolution 263.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to support House Concurrent Resolution 263, which authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for the 25th Annual District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run. The Capitol Police, along with the D.C. Special Olympics, will participate in the Torch Run to be held on June 4, 2010. Law enforcement officers, who are part of the extended volunteer network that supports the Special Olympics, carry the Olympic torch across the Capitol Grounds throughout the District of Columbia.

The D.C. Special Olympics expect over 1,500 law enforcement officers to participate in the Torch Run, which will be a 2.3 mile course from the Capitol Grounds to Fort McNair. These events, along with others throughout the year, are designed to raise funds to support year-round activities for the D.C. Special Olympics. The D.C. Special Olympics allows area residents with intellectual disabilities to participate in competitive sport activities in order to test their abilities against their peers, develop confidence, and improve their health.

The D.C. Special Olympics will work closely with the Capitol Police and the Architect of the Capitol to make sure that the event is in full compliance with the rules and regulations governing the use of the Capitol Grounds. The event will be free and open to the public.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to my colleague from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy).

Will the gentleman yield for a question?

I just want to thank the gentleman from Rhode Island, Mr. Patrick Kennedy, for your leadership throughout the years in support of the Special Olympics. And how many years have you supported it?

Well, I want to once again thank you for your leadership, not just for America, but for the world in this area.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, this resolution authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run to be held on June 4. The torch will be carried throughout the Capitol Grounds as part of the journey to the D.C. Special Olympics summer games.

The Special Olympics is an international organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children and adults with special disabilities through athletics and competition.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run began in 1981 when the chief of police of Wichita, Kansas, saw an urgent need to raise funds and increase awareness of the Special Olympics. The Torch Run was then quickly adopted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Today, the Torch Run is the largest grassroots effort that raises awareness for the Special Olympics program. The event in D.C. is one of many law enforcement torch runs throughout the country and across 35 nations leading up to the summer Special Olympics.

I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to thank and congratulate my colleague, Mr. Kennedy from Rhode Island, for his leadership in Special Olympics throughout the years and his service in Congress. I know he will continue that work after he leaves Congress. I also want to thank the Shriver/Kennedy family for the great support and the effort they've put forth over the years in supporting such a worthwhile program as Special Olympics. So, thank you, Mr. Kennedy.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 263, introduced by the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), which authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.

This is a premier event in the region that highlights the athletic accomplishments of disabled children and young adults. Thanks to the tenacity of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the Kennedy family, thousands of Special Olympians see their self-confidence, self-esteem, and health nurtured by participating in the Special Olympics.

Each year, nearly 50 Federal and local law enforcement agencies in the Washington, DC area, participate in the torch run to show their support for the DC Special Olympics. This torch relay event on the Capitol Grounds is a traditional part of the opening ceremonies for the Special Olympics. This year's torch run will be a 2.3-mile trek from the U.S. Capitol building to Ft. McNair.

Since its inception, more than 15,000 District of Columbia citizens with disabilities have participated in the Special Olympics and more than $1 million has been raised. Funds raised from the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics help support year-round training and programs for the DC Special Olympics, which include basketball, bowling, tennis, and motor activities training.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Con. Res. 263.

Mr. Speaker, as an original cosponsor, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 263, which would authorize the use of the Capitol Grounds for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run. I commend my colleague from the District of Columbia for introducing this resolution for this worthy cause.

This annual event is in its 25th year of bringing together nearly 50 Federal and local law enforcement agencies to show support for Special Olympics DC. Each year, law enforcement officers across the country and around the world participate in local Torch Run events to raise money and awareness for the Special Olympics. In 2008, the Torch Runs raised over $34 million for Special Olympic programs.

Funds raised from the Torch Run help support year-round training and programs for Special Olympics DC. It makes an impact in the lives of our community's most vulnerable citizens and enables thousands of children and

adults with disabilities to participate in Special Olympics programs.

Mr. Speaker, the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run is a fitting way to continue the legacy of Eunice Kennedy Shriver so that everyone has the opportunity to compete and reach their full potential.