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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding, and I thank the chairman for bringing this resolution to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, as I was sitting here listening to Congressman Johnson, I got so inspired that I just want to go out and jump in a soapbox or jump on a soapbox to give my talk.

I have been at this for a very long period of time. The soapbox derby has been going on for 76 years; 36 of those years, I had the great privilege of serving in this body. I rise each year to sponsor the resolution allowing the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby Association to hold its annual race on the Capitol Grounds. It is appropriate, I think, that it is here at the Capitol. The inspiration of the Capitol, the inspiration of the dome, the inspiration and excitement of which Congressman Johnson just spoke, I think, captures the sense of what ``soapbox derby'' means.

This year marks, as I said, the 76th year of the derby, Mr. Speaker, at which young people from around the region, from age 8 all the way to age 17, compete in three divisions. Those divisions are stock, super stock, and masters. So you are talking about these sophisticated soapboxes. They are not your father's soapbox, that is for sure.

It is not only a fun and exciting event, it is also educational and brings children together, young people together, young adults together with their parents, grandparents, siblings, and neighbors to plan and build their soapbox racers.

You know, one of the things we need in America is more engineers. I am a lawyer. I don't know that we need more lawyers. And we need doctors, of course, but people tell me, if we are going to make things in America, we need more engineers, people who work with their hands, people who create, people who design, and that is what this soapbox derby is about.

Doing so, participating in this contest helps connect these young people with hands-on engineering and manufacturing lessons which promote greater interest in the STEM fields which we all talk about: science, technology, engineering, and math. This has been the case, Mr. Speaker, since the first soapbox derby in 1938, and this long tradition now continues in the 21st century.

The winner in each division will then qualify to race against the regional champions from across the Nation later this year, at Derby Downs, at the All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio.

This year, the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby will be held on June 17, Mr. Speaker. The derby has been called ``the greatest amateur racing event in the world.'' I don't know whether it is the greatest, but it is certainly one of the great contests in the world and teaches participating youth about fortitude, about leadership, about engineering, sportsmanship, and pride of achievement.

In addition to bringing families together, the Soap Box Derby brings communities closer together, Mr. Speaker. Many of the races are sponsored and cheered by their local civic groups, police, fire departments, and service organizations.

I have been proud, as I said, Mr. Speaker, to sponsor this resolution for 26 years, and I believe strongly in the importance of this tradition and am convinced of the very positive impact the Derby has on young people from my district who participate, around this region, and around the country.

Maryland's Fifth District, my district, has been home to a number of Greater Washington Soap Box Derby winners, including the winners from 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, and 2014.

The Washington region is millions of people. My young people and their advisers, otherwise may be called parents, are doing pretty well in this, and we are proud of that. Our racers even won the national championship in 2007 and 2008.

I hope my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, will join me in supporting this resolution and thanking the organizers of the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby. I hope they will also join me in congratulating, in advance, all of the young people from the region who will be participating on June 17.

I also want to thank my cosponsors: Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer, John Delaney, Jamie Raskin, Anthony Brown, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Barbara Comstock. This is a bipartisan resolution. I am sure everybody will support it, and I am sure that the excitement of which Congressman Johnson spoke will be experienced by those young people as they race towards victory. Whether they win the number one spot, they will be winners for having participated in this creative contest that makes them better people.

Madam President, I wish to submit to the Senate the budget scorekeeping report for January 2018. The report compares current-law levels of spending and revenues with the amounts the Senate agreed to in the budget resolution for fiscal year 2018, H. Con. Res. 71. This information is necessary for the Senate Budget Committee to determine whether budget points of order lie against pending legislation. The Republican staff of the Senate Budget Committee and the Congressional Budget Office CBO prepared this report pursuant to section 308(b) of the Congressional Budget Act, CBA.

The enforceable levels included in this report reflect all of the numerical adjustments made to the resolution since its passage. These adjustments include an update to enforceable levels for legislation enacted after the June 2017 CBO baseline was released but before enactment of the resolution, October 30, 2017; a revision to aggregates and allocations to accommodate legislation fulfilling the budget resolution's reconciliation instructions, December 19, 2017; and a revision to aggregates and the Appropriations Committee's allocation for emergency spending found in Fiscal Year 2018's third continuing resolution, H.R. 1370, December 21, 2017.

The information contained in this report captures legislative activity from the passage of the budget resolution through January 11, 2018.

Republican Budget Committee staff prepared tables 1 through 4 of this report.

Table 1 gives the amount by which each Senate authorizing committee exceeds or is below its allocation for budget authority and outlays under the most recently adopted budget resolution. This information is used for enforcing committee allocations pursuant to section 302 of the CBA. For this reporting period, 13 of the 16 authorizing committees are in compliance with their allocations. First, the Veterans' Affairs and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committees violated their allocations in December 2017, the former with a $2.1 billion extension of the Veterans Choice Program and the latter through a package of health extenders. Both of these extensions were included as separate divisions on the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018, P.L. 115-96. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee violated its allocation earlier this month with the passage of the Western Oregon Tribal Fairness Act, P.L. 115-103, which is estimated to increase spending by $5 million over the next 10 years. The Armed Services Committee, on the other hand, reduced spending over the budget window. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, P.L. 115-91, produced $16 million in outlay savings over the enforceable window.

Table 2 gives the amount by which the Senate Committee on Appropriations is below or exceeds the statutory spending limits. This information is used to determine points of order related to the spending caps found in section 312 and section 314 of the CBA. While no full-year appropriations bills have been enacted for Fiscal Year 2018, subcommittees are charged with permanent and advanced appropriations that first become available in that year.

The budget resolution contains two points of order limiting the use of changes in mandatory programs in appropriations bills, CHIMPS. Tables 3 and 4 show compliance with Fiscal Year 2018 limits for overall CHIMPS and the Crime Victims Fund CHIMP, respectively. This information is used for determining points of order under section 4102 and section 4103 of H. Con. Res. 71, respectively. Notably, there have not been any full-year bills enacted thus far for Fiscal Year 2018 that include

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

I would like to, first of all, thank my good friend from Maryland, Representative Steny Hoyer, for introducing this resolution on behalf of the entire Washington regional delegation. The Greater Washington Soap Box Derby is an annual competitive event that encourages boys and girls, ages 9 through 16, to construct and race their own soapbox vehicles.

This Capitol Hill event has become a great tradition in Washington, D.C., in our metropolitan area over the last 20 years. It provides a terrific opportunity for children to appreciate the workmanship necessary to build the vehicles and enjoy the thrill of competition.

The Greater Washington Soap Box Derby organizers will work with the Architect of the Capitol and the Capitol Police to ensure the appropriate rules and regulations are in place and that the event remains free to the public.

I support this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to vote for this legislation.

You know, the Washington Soap Box Derby was an event that was being held during the times that I was here in Washington, D.C., growing up. I was born and raised here in Washington, D.C. I left at the age of 17 to come to Georgia. When I got to Georgia, I fell in love with Georgia; and I have been there for the last 47 years or so, and it has been a good run for me.

But I tell you, remembering those occasions when the soapbox derby came to Washington, D.C., in my youth and going to watch the races, and, you know, it was really a joyful occasion, mass crowds gathered, people are rooting for their neighbors and their relatives and their friends, and pretty soon everybody is rooting for everybody. And to see the cars, the craftsmanship that went into building those cars, it is really a joy.

I haven't been to a soapbox derby since those times, so I imagine the craftsmanship that is going into these vehicles now is probably astounding what these young people and their supporters do in preparation for this soapbox derby. But still, although the vehicles have probably gotten more sophisticated and the preparation has gotten more detailed, the aspiration of the soapbox derby remains the same, and that is for young people to challenge themselves to do something, get out of their comfort zone, construct something, build something, then watch it actually move, and then even win the competition. So it is a great thrill, I am sure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 36) 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 in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H. Con. Res. 36.

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

H. Con. Res. 36 authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for the annual Greater Washington Soap Box Derby in June.

Since the first official All-American Soap Box Derby in 1934, the mission of the soapbox derby has been to build knowledge and character and to teach fair and honest competition. This tradition also allows children to demonstrate their dedication and creativity.

Winners from this local competition will join those from other races, including from my home State of Georgia, in competing at the world championship in Akron, Ohio.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 36, which was received from the House.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.