To amend the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act to extend the termination date for the Commission, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1308) to amend the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act to extend the termination date for the Commission, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1308 was introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly) and is a straightforward bill to amend the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act by extending the Commission's termination date, as well as the Commission's final report deadline.

In June 2009, President Obama signed Public Law 111-25 to establish the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission. The purpose of the Commission was, and is, to plan, develop, and carry out activities that are both fitting and proper to honor the memory of our late great President.

President Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, and 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of his birth. Furthermore, the Commission was also tasked with being a crucial resource to Federal, State, and local government agencies as well as private groups as they go about planning and conducting events to honor President Reagan.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1308 is a very simple bill that extends the life of the Reagan Commission, and, unlike many prior Presidential commissions, costs the American taxpayer absolutely nothing. Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear. The Reagan Commission does not receive a single penny of taxpayer dollars. The original bill and subsequent law prohibited the use of taxpayer money from going to the Commission, and this bill does not alter that provision in any way, shape, or form.

The Commission has and continues to operate solely on private donations--something I'm sure Mr. Reagan, as a careful steward of taxpayer money, would himself have been glad to hear.

The purpose of H.R. 1308 is to allow the hardworking staff and members of the Commission the opportunity to continue to provide their expertise and assistance as entities and groups all over the world continue to honor President Reagan.

The Commission has already played a major role in celebrations at the Reagan Library on the President's birthday and has worked to establish a yearlong exhibit at the National Archives. Even the floor statements given by Members in this Chamber back in February were organized by the Reagan Commission.

While the Commission has contributed much to events and ceremonies over the past few months, many more celebrations and events are planned throughout the rest of the year. In fact, multiple events to honor President Reagan's role in the fall of the Soviet Union are scheduled this summer in Europe. Here in the United States, a Joint Meeting of Congress may take place this fall, and numerous other events will take place at the State and local levels all over our country.

Mr. Speaker, the Commission is currently scheduled to terminate on May 30 of this year, and this bill simply moves that date to December 31. In addition, H.R. 1308 moves the Commission's final report deadline from the 30th of this month to November 30. Changing these dates would ensure that the Commission can help entities and groups all over the world deliver high-quality and fitting events to celebrate the life of a truly great leader and man.

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

I thank my colleague from Illinois. I appreciate that.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my colleague from the great State of California, the sponsor of this bill and a member of this Reagan Commission, Mr. Gallegly.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to leave this body with a simple, eloquent quote from President Reagan. He once said: ``The problem is not that people are taxed too little. The problem is that government spends too much.'' This week, as we consider the 2011 spending bill and move towards funding the government for 2012, I want to urge all Members to keep that in mind on both sides of the aisle, because it is entirely fitting and proper that we honor his memory and his wishes as we go forward, and truly take this on, and do it in a bipartisan manner, and do it in a way that reflects the American people.

This is not about Republicans or Democrats. This is about America and America's financial health as we go forward. I am urging all Members to please back this and support this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 1308 which extends the due date of the final report of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission from April 30, 2011, to November 30, 2011; and the final termination date of the Commission from May 30, 2011, to December 31, 2011.

The Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission was formed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan's birth and to celebrate the life of our Nation's 40th President. Earlier this year, I was appointed one of the new members of the 2011 Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. In that capacity, I am aware of the great events scheduled to commemorate the life of President Reagan past the original dates Congress set forth in the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act. Passing H.R. 1308 today will extend the timeline and allow for the appropriate completion of these events.

I worked with President Reagan prior to serving in Congress when I worked in the United States Border Patrol. During his administration, I served as Sector Chief for the McAllen Sector in south Texas, where I worked under one of the great leaders of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, Alan Nelson, who was appointed by President Reagan.

While most Americans remember Ronald Reagan for his unwavering optimism, his sense of humor, and his unique ability to connect to a broad spectrum of Americans, what I appreciated most about President Reagan was his pragmatic approach to immigration and border security.

President Reagan was at his best when he shared his idealism of an America that stood as a shining city on a hill, a beacon of hope, and a place where people of all backgrounds are welcomed. He reminded us of all that was great about America--a place where people have for generations come here in search of a better life, often fleeing from oppression, persecution, and deprivation.

When America was faced with a growing wave of undocumented immigrants 25 years ago, he proposed common sense solutions to fixing the problem. He never demonized illegal immigrants; he never belittled them, never used them as a scapegoat, and never blamed them for the Nation's troubles. He never inflamed public opinion, and saw the good in people. His former speechwriter, Peter Robinson, once said:

``He could picture--in his own mind's eye, he could picture those little ships that the pilgrims sailed in. He could picture the difficult, oppressive conditions under which the Chinese were brought to California. He admired people for what they had gone through to achieve better lives for themselves and their families in this country.''

He even felt compassion and empathy for those who had come here illegally. At the signing ceremony for the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, President Reagan said:

``The legalization provisions in this act will go far to improve the lives of a class of individuals who now must hide in the shadows, without access to many of the benefits of a free and open society. Very soon many of these men and women will be able to step into the sunlight and, ultimately, if they choose, they may become Americans.''

While I did not agree with all of the President's policies, I admired and respected the character of his discourse on immigration, and I believe we should all learn from his example.

As we mark this historic occasion and celebrate the life of President Ronald Reagan, I hope all of us are inspired by President Reagan's ideals and the vision he had of an America that embraced immigrants and the compassion he showed even to those who came here illegally.

In his farewell address to the American people, President Reagan closed his speech by making reference to the 'shining city on the hill' as he so often did during his political career. He said:

``I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, bat I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.''

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1308, legislation to extend the termination date for the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission.

The work of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission is not quite finished. That's why this legislation is needed to extend the commission through December 30 of this year, allowing the Commission to deliver additional events for the public.

Extending the Commission through the end of 2011 will allow it to accomplish several key goals--some including the support of official international events occurring the week of June 27 in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom, possibly convening a joint session of Congress this fall, coordinating a potential White House event, organizing a Capitol Visitor Center exhibit, serving as a resource for Federal Government centennial activities, and supporting State Reagan centennial commissions.

Extending this Commission will require, as my colleagues have said, no Federal funding. All funds needed are privately raised.

In conclusion, many other centennial commissions have operated for longer periods with significant Federal funding. Extending the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission will provide more opportunities to commemorate recognition of President Reagan. I want to thank Chairman Issa and Ranking Member Cummings, along with their staffs, for their assistance in helping bring this bill to the floor today.

I also want to express my appreciation to Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Cantor, and Minority Leader Pelosi for all their help in bringing the bill forward today. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1308, a bill to amend the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act. The bill would extend the termination date of the Commission by 7 months.

The Ronald Reagan Commission Act, which became law in the last Congress, created a Federal commission to honor and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ronald Reagan. The Commission is composed of Senators, Members of Congress, and other government officials, including the Archivist of the United States.

Importantly, in these challenging fiscal times, no Federal funds may be expended by the Commission to carry out its duties. Mr. Speaker, the Commission has been functioning for only 9 months, and there are important international and domestic events planned for this summer and fall commemorating President Reagan in which the Commission's participation would be beneficial.

As such, I have no objection to the bill before us, which extends the termination date of the Commission from May 31, 2011, to the end of the year, and I would urge Members to vote for this measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, I reiterate my support for this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately I was unable to cast my votes on Tuesday, April 12, 2011, due to a scheduled meeting in my District to discuss immigration policies with constituents in Champaign County, Illinois. Had I been present to vote on H.R. 1308, S. 307, and Approving the Journal, I would have voted as follows:

On rollcall No. 254 on H.R. 1308, to amend the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act to extend the termination date for the Commission, I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 255 on S. 307, to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 217 West King Street, Martinsburg, West Virginia, as the ``W. Craig Broadwater Federal Building and United States Courthouse'', I would have voted ``aye.''

On rollcall No. 256 on Approving the Journal, I would have voted ``aye.''