Authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise as a proud sponsor of House Concurrent Resolution 37, legislation which will allow the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby Association to hold the 68th Annual Greater Washington Soap Box Derby on the grounds of the United States Capitol on Saturday, June 20.

Since 1938, when 223 racers descended on Washington, DC, soap box derby racing has had a long and rich tradition in our Nation's Capital.

Although the race location has moved from the original site on New Hampshire Avenue to Capitol Hill, with stops on Massachusetts Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, and Eastern Avenue along the way, the ingredients of the race remain the same: home-made engine-less, gravity-powered cars, the spirit of competition, and the pure exhilaration of racing.

The soap box derby consists of dozens of drivers, boys and girls ranging in age from 8 to 17, who have designed and built the cars they race.

These racers are divided into three divisions: stock, super stock, and masters. The local winner of each division will automatically qualify to compete with racers from around the country in the 72nd All- American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio on July 25.

Community groups, police departments, fire departments, and others sponsor children each year, children who may not otherwise be able to participate.

Over the years thousands of the region's young people have participated in this great race. I am proud to report that the last two winners of the Soap Box Derby competition have been neighbors of mine and constituents of the Fifth District of Maryland.

In 2007 Miss Kacie Rader, a neighbor of mine from Mechanicsville, Maryland, and a rising senior in high school at the time, won in the masters division of the 66th Greater Washington Soap Box Derby. Kacie then went on to become the first Marylander to win the national soap box derby title, after competing against 550 other soap box champions.

Kacie's great success was followed last year by another winner, Miss Courtney Rayle. Sixteen years old and also a neighbor from Mechanicsville, Maryland, Courtney won the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby in June 2008. She became the seventh person in her family to do so.

Mr. Speaker, this event has been called ``the greatest amateur racing event in the world'' and it is an excellent opportunity for the contestants from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia to learn basic building skills while gaining a real sense of accomplishment.

The soap box derby is not just a race. It is an enriching way to engage our youth, and teach them the importance of ingenuity, commitment, and hard work.

I strongly encourage my colleagues to join with me and the other original cosponsors, Representatives Chris Van Hollen, Frank Wolf, James Moran, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Donna Edwards, and Gerry Connolly, in supporting this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 37) authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby.

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 extraneous material on House Concurrent Resolution 37.

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

Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 37 authorizes the use of the Capitol grounds for the annual Soapbox Derby. As Members are aware, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure authorizes use of the Capitol grounds each year for this worthwhile event.

The 2009 Greater Washington Soapbox Derby will take place on Constitution Avenue between Delaware Avenue and Second Street Northwest on June 22, 2009. The Greater Washington Soapbox Derby has been held on the U.S. Capitol grounds since 1991. It has attracted more than 60 youth participants in each of those years.

The D.C. metropolitan race winners from each of the stock, super stock, and master's division soapbox derby races throughout the world will compete in Akron, Ohio for scholarships and other prizes in the All-American Soapbox Derby.

The All-American Soapbox Derby Youth Program is administered by International Soapbox Derby, Incorporated, an Akron-based nonprofit corporation. Activities planned for this event will be coordinated with the Office of the Architect of the Capitol and, like all events on Capitol Hill grounds, will be free and open to the public.

I extend my thanks to Majority Leader Hoyer, who is and has been such a steadfast supporter of this event, and I urge passage of the resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to say that the soapbox derby on Capitol Hill is a way that young people are fully engaged, they are creative, in building their participant vehicles. And it is an excellent opportunity for parents to have a direct involvement in their children's activities right here on the Capitol grounds.

The Derby's mission is to provide children with an activity that promotes technical and social skills that will serve them throughout their lives. And the Derby organizers of course work with the Architect of the Capitol to make sure that the appropriate rules and regulations are in place during the event. I am confident that, once again, the event this year will be a huge success.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida. The timing around this place being such as it is, I appreciate a chance to speak to the Jim Leach Resolution, the resolution that names the United States Courthouse at 131 East 4th Street in Davenport, Iowa, as the James A. Leach United States Courthouse.

Jim Leach served in this Congress for over a quarter of a century and he had friends on both sides of the aisle. If you know Jim Leach, you know that he is an intellectual. He is an individual that his cerebrum, his cerebellum, and medulla oblongata were all connected and all functioning. And I say that because he has a significant ability to retain in his memory and manipulate the information.

He also is a champion wrestler. So his athletic and intellectual capabilities that he demonstrated here, mostly his intellectual capabilities on the floor of this House. Although I have felt that temptation on the athletic from time to time, not Jim Leach. Jim Leach was a consummate statesman, someone who could work with Democrats and the Republicans, and is an individual who was the epitome of the balance between the two as he served here in Congress and today contributes to our overall broader society.

So I am very pleased to rise in support of the resolution naming the Federal Courthouse in Davenport, Iowa, the James A. Leach Courthouse. And I am happy to call him a friend, a former colleague, and someone who has brought honor upon this institution every day of his service here in the United States House of Representatives. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 37, to authorize the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby.

I especially want to acknowledge the dedication of our distinguished Majority Leader

(Mr. Hoyer), who annually introduces this resolution to authorize use of the Capitol Grounds for such a worthwhile event.

This year's Greater Washington Soap Box Derby is scheduled to take place on Constitution Avenue between Delaware Avenue and Third Street, N.W., in Washington, DC, on June 20, 2009. This will be the 68th running of the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby.

This annual event encourages all boys and girls, ages nine through 16, to construct and operate their own soap box vehicles. The event is supported by hundreds of volunteers and parents.

It is an excellent opportunity for parents to have direct involvement in their children's activities. The derby's mission is to provide children with an activity that promotes technical and social skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

The derby organizers will work with the Architect of the Capitol and the Capitol Police to ensure the appropriate rules and regulations are in place during the event. I am confident that this year's event will once again be a huge success.

I urge my colleagues to join me in agreeing to H. Con. Res. 37.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King).

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Maryland for her description of this bill. This is something that this House has done for many, many years. And for many years the distinguished majority leader, Mr. Hoyer, has sponsored a resolution to authorize the use of the Capitol grounds for this event, and Congress has clearly supported it. It provides children a fun way to allow children to show off their dedication, their work, and creativity as they compete for trophies and the opportunity to race in other competitions.

Girls and boys between 8 and 17 will race down the Capitol Hill in their home-made cars. We are all looking forward to that. The winner of each division will then be qualified to compete in the National Soapbox Derby. I support this resolution and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

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