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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair and the ranking member for bringing this bill to the floor.

I am honored to bring this resolution to the floor every year. It authorizes an event, as you have been told, that I am proud to support every year. This will be the first time it has been held since 2019 because of the pandemic.

That event is the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby, one of my favorite events of the year. The Soap Box Derby brings families together from across the greater Washington metropolitan area, encouraging kids and their adult family members or community members to compete in a fun and educational race.

This is my 29th year sponsoring the Soap Box Derby resolution. I don't know whether that is a record on the Soap Box Derby, but in any event, this is the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby's 79th year.

The race will be held on June 18, and you will see soap box racers from ages 8 to 17 compete in three divisions: stock, super stock, and masters. The winner from each division, Mr. Speaker, will have a chance to compete at the national All-American Soap Box Derby, which is held each year in Akron, Ohio.

Much of the fun, however, takes place even before the race begins. Participants spend weeks, perhaps months, building and testing their racers at home, a wonderful bonding experience for kids, parents, grandparents, and other family members and those engaged in mentorship in their communities.

Soap box derbies have been called the greatest amateur racing event in the world. They have become a staple of the American experience and an important piece of Americana. They teach sportsmanship, engineering, manufacturing, and leadership.

Oftentimes, racers are sponsored by local civic groups, service organizations, and police or fire departments, with members coming out to cheer on their hometown participants.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to sponsor this resolution today that will authorize the use of the Grounds of the U.S. Capitol for this year's Soap Box Derby.

I thank my cosponsors, members of the region's congressional delegation: Representatives Don Beyer, David Trone, Gerry Connolly, Anthony Brown, Jennifer Wexton, and Jamie Raskin.

I am also proud that several Greater Washington Soap Box Derby champions have come from Maryland's Fifth District, my district, in recent years, including the winners from 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2018. So my guys do pretty well in this race, and some of them are gals, by the way.

Our racers even won a national championship in 2007 and 2008. I am excited to see how the Fifth District racers do this year, and I am looking forward to seeing their colorful and creative soap box designs.

I thank the organizers of the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby, as well as Chairman DeFazio and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for their support. I hope every Member, as they have in the past, will join in supporting this resolution. I invite them to join me in cheering on the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby on June 18.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 88) 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 material on H. Con. Res. 88.

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

Mr. Speaker, today, we are again considering legislation, H. Con. Res. 88, to authorize the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby. I thank Majority Leader Hoyer for introducing this resolution on behalf of the 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 soap box vehicles.

On Capitol Hill, the event has become a great tradition in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area over the last quarter of a century. 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 appropriate rules and regulations are in place and the event remains free to the public and safe for all those involved.

Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation and urge my colleagues to join me. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the majority leader and sponsor of this legislation.

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

Again, I thank the majority leader for bringing this legislation. I misspoke earlier. I thought it had only been a quarter of a century. It has been 29 years.

That is extraordinary, and this is a wonderful event for youth. It does bring a little something to Capitol Hill other than the day-to-day business, which can sometimes be suffocating.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation unanimously, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 88, ``authorizing the use of Capitol grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby.''

This bill calls for support to hold the traditional Soap Box Derby association's free, public event on the Capitol grounds.

The Soap Box Derby international nonprofit organization, whose mission is to ``build knowledge and character, and to create meaningful experiences through collaboration and fair and honest competition,'' prides itself for allowing the race to take place on the most powerful hill in the world, Capitol Hill.

For 88 years, this event has been an opportunity in which the community comes out to support our youth. Annually, our youth get the opportunity to participate in the international nonprofit's biggest event.

Participants who compete range from ages 9-16 years old and come from the Greater Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. They could potentially have the honor of representing D.C. in the National Soap Box Derby competition.

This completely sponsored soap box derby event will be free of charge for the public and has a flexible date that will ensure it does not interfere with the needs of Congress.

In Texas, anytime we can celebrate our youth and their accomplishments, while also bringing the community together, it is an opportunity fellowship and relationships through friendly competition.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Con. Res. 88, to host the traditional, Greater Washington Soap Box Derby on our nation's Capitol grounds, an event that will bring the community together for a wonderful celebration.

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

Mr. Speaker, this resolution, as has been pointed out, authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for the annual Greater Washington Soap Box Derby on June 18, 2022.

This is a time-honored tradition. With the exception of World War II, it has run every year since 1934 and provides children in the greater Washington area an opportunity to build knowledge and character through fair and honest competition.

This is one of the many regional competitions across the country to qualify children to compete in the All-American Soap Box Derby. This is a program I participated in some 40-odd years ago. It is a good program, and I fully endorse it.

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

Mr. Speaker, this resolution authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for a longstanding tradition for the children of the greater Washington, D.C., area.

Once in a while, we do some fun stuff here on the floor, and this is one of those things. I urge support of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of H. Con. Res. 88, which was received from the House.

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