United States Marshals Service 225th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, in 2005 16 cities competed for the right to become the home of the U.S. Marshals Museum. The city in my district, Fort Smith, was one of the two finalists and was ultimately chosen for many reasons, one of which was its strong historical connection to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Fort Smith was, for many years, the seat of justice, not only for the western district of Arkansas but Indian territory as well. More marshals and deputies have been killed in the line of duty out of the western district of Arkansas than any other district in the country. Most were killed riding out under famed Judge Isaac C. Parker, immortalized by the novel, ``True Grit,'' and the movies by the same name.

A few months ago, Mr. Speaker, I introduced legislation to mint a coin to commemorate the 225th anniversary of the U.S. Marshals Service. Today I'm pleased to be standing here with the opportunity to urge my fellow Members, many of whom are cosponsors of this bill, to join me in honoring a truly deserving institution.

The proceeds from the sale of these coins will assist in the preservation and maintenance of artifacts and documents which will be displayed in the U.S. Marshals Museum. Additional proceeds will go to the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the National Law Enforcement Museum, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The museum, which will overlook the beautiful Arkansas River, will consist of 20,000 square feet of exhibit space to highlight pivotal moments in the history of the U.S. Marshals Service, such as the ``Going Snake Massacre'' of April 15, 1872, which left one deputy and seven posse men dead in the bloodiest day in Marshals history. This event will be the central exhibit of this museum.

A Hall of Honor for fallen marshals will also be part of the more than $50 million facility, paying tribute to those killed in the line of duty, from Robert Forsythe in 1794 to Deputy Marshals Derek Hotsinpiller and John Perry in 2011.

In addition to serving as a symbol and constant reminder of the character and tradition of one of America's greatest institutions, this commemorative coin will allow the U.S. Marshals Museum to honor past marshals like Bass Reeves, who, in 1875, was commissioned as one of the first African American deputy marshals west of the Mississippi River. Reeves was a skilled gunslinger, who, on one occasion, brought in 19 horse thieves to the Federal jail in Fort Smith, all by himself.

But as the Nation's oldest law enforcement agency, Bass Reeves is only one of many characters etched into the storied history of the U.S. Marshals Service, including the famous Three Guardsmen of the Oklahoma Territory, Wild Bill Hickok, the Earp brothers, Virgil, Morgan, and, briefly, Wyatt, along with Doc Holliday during the shootout at the OK Corral.

Today that same grit and courage defines the Marshals Service.

U.S. marshals were in Oxford, Mississippi, to protect James Meredith when he became the first African American to attend the University of Mississippi. U.S. marshals were in the State of Washington when convicted Soviet spy Christopher Boyce was captured when he escaped from prison. And U.S. marshals were in Oklahoma and New York to administer justice following the terrorist attacks that took the lives of innocent Americans.

Since 1789 the U.S. Marshals Service has served this country with dedication and distinction, upholding its creed of justice, integrity, and service. And today, U.S. marshals continue to play an integral role in the security of our country. They assist when tragedy strikes. They ensure the safety and well-being of Federal officials, and they track down and apprehend some of the most dangerous fugitives, murderers, sex offenders, and gang members, with little regard for their own safety.

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Marshals Service has meant so much to so many. Over the course of history, more than 250 marshals have given that ultimate sacrifice. They have selflessly given their own lives to protect our way of life. This coin will serve as a token of our appreciation and a symbol of their sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of people to thank, including the 300- plus cosponsors of this legislation who, with their cosponsorship, made considering of this bill possible.

I want to thank Chairman Bachus for his support in moving this bill forward through committee.

I want to thank my friend Mike Ross of the Fourth District of Arkansas for his personal involvement in seeking cosponsors for this legislation and his unfailing support for the construction of this museum.

I want to thank the gentleman from Arizona, Ed Pastor. Ed took this legislation to the Hispanic Caucus and got widespread support there.

Thanks also to the late Ray Baker, the mayor of Fort Smith, who was in the early beginnings of the development of this museum project, and current mayor, Sandy Sanders.

I want to thank the CEO of the Marshals Museum Organization, Jim Dunn and Jim Johnson, and very soon they will be conducting nationwide campaigns to see that the funding is possible to construct this museum.

Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to have sponsored this legislation.

I also want to thank my friend, John Boozman, my predecessor who began this process in a previous Congress and I know will work very hard in the Senate to champion this legislation through the other body.

I'm proud to have been the sponsor, but more than anything, I'm proud of what the U.S. Marshals Service means to our country. And I am anxiously looking forward to the construction of this museum so that we can showcase the museum, the institution of the Marshals Service, and the great city of Fort Smith and the Third District of Arkansas to all who will come and see.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 886, the United States Marshals Service 225th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act. I'm proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill and to work very closely with my colleague from Arkansas, Mr. Womack, to issue a commemorative coin honoring the 225th anniversary of the United States Marshals Service in helping to raise money for the U.S. Marshals museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The very first Congress with its very first bill created the U.S. Marshals Service when President George Washington signed the Judiciary Act of 1789. This was the same bill that created the entire Federal judicial system, and today the U.S. Marshals Service remains the Nation's oldest Federal law enforcement agency.

My home State of Arkansas has a proud chapter in the history of the U.S. Marshals Service. As a young State, Arkansas sat on the western edge of a growing Nation in the late 1800s, and it would be the U.S. Marshals and their deputies based out of Forth Smith, Arkansas, that had jurisdiction over

74,000 square miles, an area where countless numbers of dangerous criminals fled into Indian territory to escape prosecution.

Home to Judge Parker's courthouse, Fort Smith became the center of law and order in the Western United States throughout much of the late 19th century.

Charles Portis' 1968 novel ``True Grit'' first introduced Fort Smith, Arkansas, to many Americans and its role in the history of the U.S. Marshals Service. An Arkansan born and raised in El Dorado, Arkansas, in my congressional district, Charles Portis later saw his novel turned into the 1969 movie starring Arkansas native and recording artist, singer Glen Campbell, and John Wayne as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn; and more recently, the 2010 remake of the movie featuring Jeff Bridges in the same role.

The importance of Fort Smith, Arkansas, to the U.S. Marshals Service is in part why the city will also be home to the U.S. Marshals museum, to be funded partly by sales from the U.S. Marshals Service 225th Anniversary Commemorative Coin. When finished, the U.S. Marshals museum will be a world class national museum with over 20,000 square feet helping to share the history and legacy of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Most importantly, it will serve as a memorial for all of those within the U.S. Marshals Service who gave their lives in service to our country.

Today more than 4,000 U.S. Marshals, deputy marshals, and criminal investigators make up the modern U.S. Marshals Service, carrying out many of the duties first assigned to them more than two centuries ago.

Our U.S. Marshals and deputy marshals protect the Federal judicial system, apprehend Federal fugitives, seize property, house and transport Federal prisoners, and operate the witness security program. They continue to risk their lives to preserve and protect law and order, the very basic tenet of our American democracy and, yes, our way of life.

Mr. Speaker, this bill, which will not add a single dime to the deficit, will allow our Nation to recognize, honor, and thank the sacrifices that so many U.S. marshals and deputy marshals have made to this country over the past 225 years. It will also generate revenue from the U.S. Marshals Service 225th anniversary Commemorative Coin sales to help build a museum in their honor in Fort Smith, Arkansas, so that this generation and the generations that follow will know the truly American story of the U.S. Marshals Service.

So, Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to join my colleague from Arkansas (Mr. Womack) in offering up a bipartisan bill, and I'm asking you to join me in voting for H.R. 886, the United States Marshals Service 225th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act. Again I'd like to thank the gentleman from Arkansas, Mr. Womack, for his steadfast leadership and hard work to see this day become a reality.

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

I am proud to support H.R. 886, the United States Marshals Service 225th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act.

This bill honors our Nation's oldest Federal law enforcement agency and requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint three different coins to celebrate the Marshals' 225th anniversary.

The first President of the United States of America, George Washington, had the privilege of nominating the first 13 marshals, who were then confirmed by the Senate. Since those days of the early Republic, the Marshals have continued their brave service to the Nation. Among the duties the Marshals have undertaken include combating counterfeiting from 1789 to 1865, when the Secret Service was established; conducting the national census, from 1790 to 1879; and confiscating property used by the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Today, there is a U.S. Marshal in each of the 94 Federal districts, protecting the legal system. As a former prosecutor, I can attest to the importance that marshals play in our judiciary system. U.S. marshals, among their other duties, protect the Federal judiciary, allowing our country to maintain a system of fairness and integrity. They also protect witnesses and jurors, enabling citizens to engage in a high duty of serving their communities.

The U.S. Marshals have so many great accomplishments. But one that's of special consideration for me, as a young child, one of the greatest accomplishments that I can recall is doing their service during the civil rights era, when the rule of law was under threat in the South. When riots broke out over the enrollment of James Meredith, a young African American student at Ole Miss, it was the U.S. Marshals Service that protected him with a 24-hour detail for an entire year.

One cannot underestimate the role they played in helping desegregate the South and promoting our great Nation to the point where we are today to where even in fact the 44th President of the United States of America is an African American.

So I am pleased to pay tribute to the Marshals Service by supporting this act, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Ross).

Mr. Speaker, as we close, it is important for us to remember the history of our great country. And by celebrating the 225th anniversary of the United States Marshals Service, that's exactly what we're doing. By creating this museum for the preservation and the maintenance and the display of artifacts and documents--and it is important--the money, the first $5 million in surcharge proceeds, will do just that.

But the money that's additionally raised will be utilized for great purposes. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will be beneficiaries, and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation will be beneficiaries, and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund will be beneficiaries. And they would have to raise matching funds for a coin that is sold. These coins are for sale.

So we will be able to commemorate the United States Marshals and the service that they have rendered to this country, and in addition thereto be able to support three much-needed organizations for individuals who really need the support of those three organizations.

So I ask all of my colleagues to join us on H.R. 886, the United States Marshals Service 225th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act, and vote ``aye.''

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

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

The Offices of the U.S. Marshals and Deputy Marshal were created by the first Congress in the Judiciary Act of 1789, the same legislation that established the Federal judicial system. The marshals were given extensive authority to support the Federal courts within their judicial districts and to carry out all lawful orders issued by judges, by Congress, or by the President.

Their first duty was to support the Federal courts, and they served summons, subpoenas, writs, warrants, and other processes issued by the courts, made any arrests necessary, and handled the prisoners. They disbursed the money. The marshals paid the fees and expenses of the court clerks, the U.S. Attorneys, the jurors, the witnesses. They rented the courtrooms, the jail space, hired the bailiffs, the criers-- what we probably would now call a bailiff--the janitors, and on and on. They ensured the courts functioned smoothly. They took care of the details so that the judges and the lawyers could concentrate on the cases before them. They made sure that the water pitchers were filled, the prisoners were present, the jurors were available, and the witnesses were on time.

But that was really only part of what the marshals did.

When George Washington set up his first administration and Congress first convened, they both quickly discovered a gap in the constitutional design of our government. It had no provision for any administrative structure throughout the country. Both the Congress and the Executive were housed in the Nation's capital, and no agency was established or designed to represent the Federal Government anywhere else. The need for a national organization quickly became apparent.

Congress and the President solved that in part by creating specialized agencies, like customs and revenue collectors to levy taxes and tariffs, but there were still many other jobs in the Federal Government that needed to be done and no one to do them. The only officers available to do it were the marshals and their deputies.

So the marshals were pretty much the Federal Government throughout much of the country, and they pretty much did everything. They took the national census every 10 years until 1870; they distributed Presidential proclamations, collected a variety of statistical information on commerce and manufacturing; they supplied the names of government employees for the national register; and they performed other routine tasks that were really necessary for the central government, the Federal government, to function effectively.

Over the past 200 years, Congress and the President have called on the marshals to do all manner of things: to carry out unusual and extraordinary missions like registering enemy aliens in time of war, capturing fugitive slaves from that lamentable period of our history, sealing the American border against armed expeditions aimed at foreign countries, and swapping spies with the Soviet Union. They remained a law enforcement agency.

Within the last decade, the marshals retrieved North Carolina's, my State's, copy of the Bill of Rights in a sting operation. North Carolina's copy had been stolen by Sherman's men when Sherman's army came through Raleigh after they went through Atlanta and treated Raleigh with the same loving attention and care that they had shown Atlanta. We are proud now to have our copy back and thank the marshals for having done it.

Madam Speaker, I support this deserved honor for our Marshals service.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, we have no further speakers.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 886) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the 225th anniversary of the establishment of the Nation's first Federal law enforcement agency, the United States Marshals Service, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit an exchange of letters with the Ways and Means Committee regarding this bill.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Ways and Means,

Washington, DC, December 13, 2011.

Hon. Spencer Bachus,

Chairman, Committee on Financial Services, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Bachus, I am writing concerning H.R. 886, the

``United States Marshals Service 225th Commemorative Coin

Act,'' which is scheduled for Floor action today.

As you know, the Committee on Ways and Means maintains jurisdiction over matters that concern raising revenue. H.R. 886 contains a provision that establishes a surcharge for the sale of commemorative coins that are minted under the bill, and this falls within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means.

However, as part of our ongoing understanding regarding commemorative coin bills and in order to expedite this bill for Floor consideration, the Committee will forgo action. This is being done with the understanding that it does not in any way prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment of conferees or its jurisdictional prerogatives on this or similar legislation in the future.

I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 886, and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during Floor consideration.

Sincerely,

Dave Camp,

Chairman.

I have no further speakers; so I reserve the balance of my time.

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