Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend my Service Academy Selection Board, an exemplary group of selfless, dedicated Washingtonians who have served our country and have been so generous to continue their service by helping me select nominees to the United States Service Academies. Although academy nominations and appointments are attributed to me, they are not, by any means, my singular effort. Most of the work, involving careful vetting and painstaking evaluation of each applicant, as well as encouragement and recruitment, is done largely by my Service Academy Selection Board.

The work of the Service Academy Selection Board is so critical to our nation that I ask the entire House to join me in recognizing and thanking the members of the District of Columbia's Service Academy Selection Board, who recommend to me the nominees from whom the academy selects appointees: Cdr. Kerwin E. Miller, USN (Ret), Chair, U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1975, attorney in private practice; George R. Keys, Jr., immediate past Chair, U.S. Air Force Academy, Class of 1970, Rhodes Scholar, partner with Jordan & Keys LLP; Wesley Brown, Chair Emeritus, U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1949, Academy's first African- American graduate, for whom the Academy's new field house is named; Steven Blust, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Class of 1971, President of the Institute of International Containers, former Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission; Capt. Karen Courington, USAFR, Air Force Academy Admissions Liaison Officer, C-17 pilot, employee of Deutsche Bank designing their ``Veterans on Wall Street'' initiative; David Gragan, U.S. Air Force Academy, Class of 1977, Senior Procurement Executive of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Department of the

Treasury; Anthony K. Hollinger, U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1987, established a Veterans Affairs program for the University of the District of Columbia; OV Johnson, U.S. Air Force, retired 1974, served in the Air Force's Office of Special Investigations; Daniel J. Keenaghan, U.S. Military Academy, Class of 2000, international trade specialist who specializes in logistics and export promotion; Charles B. King, III, U.S. Military Academy, Class of 1994, Risk Analysis Branch Chief with the Transportation Security Administration; Riaz Latifullah, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Class of 1978, employee of AARP, Inc; Tony Montes, U.S. Army veteran, longtime D.C. resident and community activist; James Nelson Rimensnyder, U.S. Military Academy, Class of 2005, whom I nominated in 1999 and 2000, deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2006-2007 as an armor platoon leader and again in 2008-2009 as a Task Force Intelligence officer; Barbara J. Smith, Chair of the Department of Teaching, Learning and Professional Development at Bowie State University and; Joel C. Spangenberg, U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 2000, Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

These D.C. residents each have lead outstanding lives of professional accomplishment and service. Together, they make an awe-inspiring group. Their service to the District of Columbia and to our nation has been outstanding in every way.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting the District of Columbia Service Academy Selection Board for their diligent work and dedication to our youth, for their continuing service, and for their commitment to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize my 2011 appointees to the United States Service Academies, an outstanding group of young Washingtonians who have a combination of academic and athletic prowess, dedication, and leadership, as they leave their families to embark on their new lives in service to the nation: William Westbrook Moore, Atticus Lee Sawatzki, William Guy Merkle, and James David Rice.

William Westbrook Moore is my appointee to the United States Military Academy. He graduated from the Potomac School, where he was a varsity athlete and founder of the school's chess club. Atticus Lee Sawatzki departs for the United States Merchant Marine Academy. He is an alumnus of St. Anselm's Abby School, was a lifeguard for the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation and is an active parishioner at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, K Street. William Guy Merkle, whom I have twice had the pleasure of nominating to the United States Air Force Academy, is an alumnus of St. Anselm's Abby School. Bill is a thespian, crack shot, and an Elder in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He returns to the Air Force Academy after completing his two year mission for his church in Japan. James David Rice leaves for the United States Naval Academy Prep School. He graduated from The Bullis School, where he was both a varsity athlete and an honors student.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking these young men in advance for their service, in wishing them success, and in offering them the hearty congratulations of the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Sam Gilliam, a world-renowned artist, an innovative leader in artistic expression, and a resident of the District of Columbia. Sam Gilliam's work has been acclaimed throughout our nation. We now ask the Congress of the United States to officially recognize Sam Gilliam as well.

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Sam has spent most of his distinguished career as a resident of the nation's capitol. Through the guidance and encouragement of his elementary school teachers, Sam discovered his interest in painting and artistic expression while growing up in Louisville, Kentucky. After graduating from Central High School in Louisville, Sam earned a bachelor of arts degree in fine arts and a master's degree in painting at the University of Louisville. He taught in Louisville public schools and served in the United States Army.

Sam Gilliam's work is distinctive in its creative artistry, using bright, piercing colors (which solidified his place at the Washington Color School), distorting geometric shapes, and displaying unframed painted canvases, enabling the work of art and background to blend as one.

As a member of the Smithsonian Art Collectors Program, Sam has produced several pieces to benefit arts education programs at the Smithsonian Institution, including In Celebration, 1987 and Museum Moment, 2009. In 2005, the District's prestigious Corcoran Gallery of Art honored Sam with a retrospective exhibition that highlighted his artistic achievements. Sam's first solo exhibition was featured in the District's Jefferson Place Gallery, and the current exhibition of his work at two premiere galleries in the city, the Philips Collection and the Katzen Center at American University, indicate continuing appreciation of his unique pieces. Sam has been awarded numerous honorary degrees, and his work has been featured throughout the world, including the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Tate Gallery, London; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH; and the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France. Sam's new piece for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (Metro) Art-in-Transit Program, From a Model to a Rainbow, is being displayed at the Metro underpass at 4th and Cedar Street, NW near Takoma Station. I will be among the guests to recognize Sam on Saturday, June 11, 2011, at Takoma Station.

The District of Columbia and its residents are particularly grateful for Sam Gilliam's work in developing the next generation of artists by mentoring and teaching art classes to DC Public Schools students. His studio is located in the historic Shaw neighborhood, an area of the city known for its diverse forms of music, dance, and culture.

For a lifetime of achievements and for continuing contributions to the arts, as recognized throughout the nation and the world, I ask the House to join me in celebrating the uniquely distinctive place of Sam Gilliam in the arts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me on June 11, 2011, in recognizing Kidney Action Day in the District of Columbia to raise awareness of chronic kidney disease and of the importance of early detection and treatment.

Over 31 million Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease, but many people are unaware that they may be at risk. In the District, there are nearly 6,000 people on dialysis and 1,600 people on the kidney transplant waiting list. Not only does the District have the highest rate of kidney disease in the nation, kidney disease is the 13th leading cause of death here. In areas of the city that are heavily populated with minorities, the rate of kidney disease is double the national average.

Since chronic kidney disease can go undetected for years, people are urged to get screened for it, either through blood or urine tests. Early stage kidney disease can be treated with medications, healthy eating and exercise. I cannot stress enough the importance of early detection and treatment of kidney disease, which, if undetected, can lead to diabetes and hypertension, which, in turn, increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and heart-related deaths. As chronic kidney disease progresses, patients may require dialysis, which

helps clean the bloodstream of toxic waste, or a kidney transplant.

On June 11, 2011, I will attend the American Kidney Fund's ``Steps that Count'' walk at Nationals Park here to raise awareness of kidney disease and to call on the residents of the District to get screened for it. I ask the House to join me on June 11, 2011, to recognize Kidney Action Day in the District of Columbia and to urge Americans to get screened for kidney disease.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment would restore $500,673,000 to the Department of Homeland Security that has been cut entirely from this appropriation. This is the most important construction, private or public, ongoing in our country today, because it involves a secure facility that the Congress has voted to consolidate in order to protect the United States of America in the homeland.

This entire appropriation cuts billions of dollars in order to reduce spending. I wager that there is no cut quite like this one, because this cut guarantees that the taxpayers will be charged more precisely because of this cut. Already, the reduction in funding to the 2011 appropriation for consolidation of the Department of Homeland Security has cost taxpayers $69 million. Increased costs for this construction of Federal property come from, in this case, lease holdovers, short- term lease extensions, and horrific inefficiencies now imposed because the integration of construction of this mammoth facility will be delayed and interrupted. Any further reduction in funding will substantially increase even more the total costs of this huge project, the largest since the Pentagon. Until now, it was on budget and on time.

Remember why Congress voted to consolidate these 22 agencies in the first place. Congress has never formed one agency of 22 different agencies. They are spread all over this region. That is why the Bush and the Obama administrations and the Congress have pursued a consistent program to consolidate critical elements of the Department of Homeland Security.

These DHS tenants now reside in the most expensive lease space in the United States, because that's what it is in this region, barring none except perhaps New York City. DHS spends hundreds of millions of dollars on leases throughout the entire region. The rapid consolidation of the Department of Homeland Security now underway will save billions, that's B, billions, in real estate costs, in addition to directing lease revenue to the GSA Federal Buildings Fund, which instead of using appropriated taxpayer dollars, uses agency rental payments to fund the construction and maintenance of Federal real estate giving taxpayers added savings.

Currently, DHS is scheduled for full occupation by 2017. Every day of delay costs the taxpayers thousands of dollars. This is no way to do budget cutting. You don't cut what then costs you more in the short term and in the long term.

Significant progress has already been made. Forty-five percent of the construction is complete, including the Coast Guard National Operations Center and the Coast Guard headquarters. You just don't interrupt a massive, complex building like this unless you want to spend more money than was anticipated.

The timing of this amendment is critical to ensure that the project does not increase costs further. The continued dispersal of vital elements of this critically important agency, necessary for our security, undermines the DHS mission by impeding its operations here and throughout the country. We need quickly to fund this project.

Mr. Chair, I rise to offer an amendment to restore funding for the consolidation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) headquarters construction at St. Elizabeths in the District of Columbia. This amendment would restore $500,673,000 to the DHS management and operations appropriations account for the project. The amendment would fully fund the President's fiscal year 2012 DHS request for the project, as well as fund the outstanding balance of the President's fiscal year 2011 DHS request.

The reduction in funding in fiscal year 2011 is expected to increase the total project cost by $69 million because of the loss of integrated construction sequencing and efficiencies between the U.S. Coast Guard building and the adjacent DHS Operations Center construction, in addition to the costs caused by lease holdovers and the short-term lease extensions for the delay for Mission Support consolidation. Any further reduction in funding will substantially increase the total cost of this huge project, which, until the cuts began, was on budget and on time.

The benefits of the consolidation of the DHS headquarters at St. Elizabeths are twofold.

First, Congress voted to consolidate the location of 22 DHS agencies because of the urgent need to improve the management of the agencies in the DHS, which are currently scattered in 40 different locations in the Washington metropolitan region. Consequently, the Bush and Obama Administrations and the Congress have pursued a program to consolidate critical elements of DHS on the federally-owned St. Elizabeths Campus. The DHS components identified for consolidation at the headquarters include the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and liaisons for agencies not being relocated there.

Second, the General Services Administration (GSA) will relocate DHS tenants currently in expensive leased space to federally-owned space. DHS annually spends hundreds of millions of dollars for leases throughout the Washington region. The rapid consolidation of DHS, which is now underway, will allow the federal government to save billions of dollars in real estate costs, in addition to directing lease revenue to the GSA Federal Buildings Fund, which, instead of using taxpayer dollars, uses agency rental payments to fund the construction and maintenance of the federal real estate portfolio, an additional saving to taxpayers. The consolidation on St. Elizabeths is expected to include 4.5 million gross square feet of office space, with 3.5 million square feet on the West Campus and 750,000 square feet on the East Campus. Currently, the St. Elizabeths site is scheduled for full occupation in 2017.

The DHS headquarters consolidation is expected to cost a total of $3.6 billion, with $2.2 billion coming from GSA and $1.4 billion from DHS. To date, the project has received $1.24 billion and there has been significant progress, including the groundbreaking for the first building on the site, a 1.2 million square foot project that includes a central utility plant and two seven-story parking garages, that will house the USCG headquarters. There has also been significant investment in the infrastructure of the campus, including construction of a perimeter fence and adaptive reuse of historic buildings. As of March 31, 2011, the USCG headquarters is 45% complete.

Full funding of the FY 2012 request would ensure complete funding for, and allow occupation and use of, the USCG headquarters. My amendment is critical to ensure that the cost of the project does not increase because of delays. The continued dispersal of vital components of DHS, a critically important department, undermines its mission by seriously impeding its operations here and throughout the country. As ranking member of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over GSA and this project, I have held nearly half a dozen hearings and roundtables on the co-location and consolidation of DHS at St. Elizabeths. I am anxious to move forward with this project and look forward to the completion of the consolidation so that DHS can turn its full attention to its core mission.

Unless somebody wants to speak on my amendment, I am prepared to withdraw it.

I appreciate the opportunity to speak, and I withdraw my amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the 36th annual Capital Pride, a celebration of the national capital area's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) communities and their families and friends.

In 1975, Deacon MacCubbin, owner of the Lambda Rising Bookstore in Dupont Circle, launched the first Capital Pride. It began as a block party on 20th Street, between R and S Streets, NW. By 1980, the festival had outgrown being a block party and moved to Francis Junior High School in 1981, with the Pride Parade becoming an annual part of the festivities. As Capital Pride continued to grow, it moved to Freedom Plaza in 1990 and then onto Pennsylvania Avenue in 1997. Today, Capital Pride consists of more than 10 days of events, including Trans Pride and Latino Pride, organized by the Capital Pride Planning Committee and dozens of local community partners.

Capital Pride's 2011 theme, ``Celebration and Opportunity, Paving the Way,'' acknowledges the many successes of the GLBT community and the work that still needs to be done to ensure equality.

This year, Capital Pride culminates with what has been declared D.C.'s best parade, the Capital Pride Parade, on June 11, and ``The Main Event,'' a street fair on Pennsylvania Avenue in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, on June 12. Capital Pride's producer, the Capital Pride Alliance, Inc., predicts an attendance of 250,000, making Capital Pride one of the largest GLBT festivals in the United States.

I have marched in Pride parades since coming to Congress to emphasize universal human rights and the importance of enacting federal legislation to secure those rights for the GLBT community. Congress has much work to do. We must pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Respect for Marriage Act, the Safe Schools Improvement Act, and the Uniting American Families Act.

I ask the House to join me in recognizing the 36th annual Capital Pride and to welcome its attendees.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the 21st annual DC Black Pride celebration, to be held in Washington, DC on May 26-30, 2011.

The DC Black Pride celebration is a multi-day festival featuring music, dance, films, a poetry slam, a church service, community town hall meetings, and a health and wellness expo, among other things. The DC Black Pride celebration is widely considered to be one of the world's preeminent Black Pride celebrations, drawing more than 30,000 people to the Nation's capital from across the United States as well as from Canada, the Caribbean, South Africa, Great Britain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The DC Black Pride celebration has deep roots in the DC community, dating back to 1975. It grew out of the Club House's annual Memorial Day weekend celebration, called the Children's Hour. After the Club House closed in 1990, local individuals and groups kept the tradition alive by organizing the first DC Black Pride celebration on May 25, 1991, at Banneker Field. The celebration has grown from a few hundred people to the thousands expected for the 2011 celebration.

The DC Black Pride celebration fostered the beginning of the International Federation of Black Prides and the ``Black Pride Movement,'' which now consists of 40 Black Pride celebrations on three continents.

Fittingly, the DC Black Pride celebration's organizing body, Black Lesbian and Gay Pride Day, Inc., a local affiliate of the International Federation of Black Prides, chose ``21 Years and Legal!'' as the theme for this year's celebration. The theme reflects the 21 years DC Black Pride has fulfilled its mission to increase awareness of and pride in the diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender African- American community, as well as support for organizations that focus on health disparities, education, youth and families.

DC Black Pride is led by a volunteer Board of Directors, which coordinates this annual event and smaller events throughout the year. We are pleased to also recognize DC Black Pride 2011 board members: George Birdson, Jimma Elliott-Stevens, Earl Fowlkes, Jr., and Danielle King.

I ask the House to join me in recognizing the 21st annual DC Black Pride celebration, and to welcome its attendees.

Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Tax Parity for Non-Resident Professional Athletes Act of 2011, at the request of the D.C. Council, which unanimously passed a Sense of the Council resolution, introduced by D.C. Council members Jack Evans and Harry Thomas, Jr., calling on me to introduce the bill in Congress. The bill would amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to allow the District to impose a tax on income earned in the District by nonresident professional athletes, just as a number of states currently do. For example, California received $102 million in tax revenue from income earned by non-resident athletes in 2006-2007. Tennessee raised $1.1 million in tax revenue from visiting athletes, which was used for municipal parks and recreation projects. The bill does not tax the income of citizens of neighboring states. It is those states, not visiting athletes, that Congress intended to protect with the Home Rule Act provision that prohibits D.C. from taxing non-resident income.

The District continues to be responsible for providing state-like services to D.C. residents,

in addition to providing services to non-residents and the federal government, despite congressionally imposed restrictions on the District's revenue-raising capacity. The prohibition on taxing non- resident income should not be stretched to cover visiting athletes, a group not intended to be covered by the prohibition in the Home Rule Act. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Edwin K.``Ned'' Zechman, Jr. for over 30 years of service, with 16 years as President and CEO, at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, often referred to as Children's Hospital.

Under Mr. Zechman's leadership, Children's Hospital, which serves children from the District of Columbia, this region, and across the country, has become a national and international leader in pediatric care, advocacy, research and education. Children's Hospital is technologically advanced, community oriented, and fiscally responsible.

Mr. Zechman's retirement marks a milestone in the hospital's history of great service and quality healthcare. Last year alone, Children's Hospital had more than 370,000 outpatient visits in 45 specialties. The hospital performed nearly 15,000 surgeries on children of all ages, from babies a few hours old to high school students. Children's Hospital leads the way in developing and providing innovative treatments for childhood illnesses and injuries, with a cardiac intensive care unit, a neuro-intensive care unit, and a Level I pediatric trauma center, as well as with its Research Institute, Heart Institute, and Brain Tumor Institute.

Last fall, Children's Hospital opened a new emergency department at United Medical Center (UMC) in Southeast Washington, DC, staffed by doctors, nurses and clinical team members from Children's Hospital, providing children and families east of the Anacostia River with a full range of emergency care services. Children's Hospital used to see 8,000 to 10,000 emergency visits per year from patients near UMC, but now, these patients can receive the same level of care closer to home, instead of commuting to Northwest, where Children's Hospital is located.

In addition to the commitment and service of all staff and personnel at Children's Hospital, Mr. Zechman's wonderful leadership has taken Children's National Medical Center to the next level of quality healthcare, making it a national and international model for children's hospitals.

I ask the House to join me in congratulating Edwin K. ``Ned'' Zechman, Jr. on his retirement from Children's National Medical Center and thanking him for his years of commitment and service to the children and families of the District of Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, today, in honor of National Preservation Month, I rise to reintroduce the National Mall Revitalization and Designation Act. The National Mall is Washington's most neglected and underutilized federal property, despite being so well-known and treasured. The Mall lacks everything that this majestic natural wonder deserves, from an official identity to basic amenities. My bill authorizes the National Capital Planning Commission, NCPC, to expand the boundaries of the Mall where commemorative works may be located, requires NCPC to study the commemorative works process, and requires the Secretary of the Interior to submit a plan to Congress to enhance visitor enjoyment, amenities and cultural experiences in, and the vitality of, the Mall within 180 days.

I worked closely with NCPC and other agencies in drafting the bill. The bill would give NCPC the responsibility and necessary flexibility to designate the Mall area for commemorative works for the first time and to expand the Mall area for that purpose when appropriate. The bill requires NCPC to accommodate future commemorative works and cultural institutions. Tourists and workers downtown should be able to walk to the Mall and hear terrific music and other entertainment, from string quartets to poetry readings, perhaps during lunch at attractive tables where good--not fast--food is available. Residents of the city and region should be able to find space for fun and games beyond the cramped space between Third Street and the Lincoln Memorial.

Bordered by world-class cultural institutions, the Mall itself has been reduced to a lawn with a few--too few--ordinary benches and a couple of fast food stands. The Mall needs a total makeover for the 21st century that would be worthy of Pierre L'Enfant's vision for the city he planned and the McMillan plan, which is largely responsible for what is referred to today as the Mall--the space between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. In writing the bill, I recognized that the federal funds needed to make the Mall the 21st century destination it should be will not be forthcoming in this fiscal climate. Nevertheless, we must move now to begin to rescue this space, which has been damaged by heavy use and is often used by pedestrians as no more than a throughway, despite its magnificent potential. With the necessary imagination, making the Mall an inviting place with cultural and other amenities is achievable now.

The NCPC is well on its way to meeting the bill's requirement for an expansive, 21st century definition of the Mall. Frustrated by continually fighting off proposals for new monuments, museums, and memorials on the already crowded Mall space, I asked the NCPC to devise a mall presentation plan. In 2003, Congress amended the Commemorative Works Act to create a reserve area--a no-build zone where new memorials may not be built. This action was helpful in quelling some but by no means all of the demand from groups for placement of commemorative works on what they view as the Mall.

Recognizing the need for more commemorative works sites, NCPC and the Commission on Fine Arts, CFA, released a National Capital Framework Plan in 2009, which identifies sites near the Mall that are suitable for new commemorative works, including East Potomac Park, the Kennedy Center Plaza, and the new South Capitol gateway. Five new prestigious memorials are scheduled for such sites, including the Eisenhower Memorial and the U.S. Air Force Memorial. I appreciate that NCPC and the CFA work closely with the District of Columbia in designating off- Mall sites for new monuments. The District welcomes the expanded Mall into our local neighborhoods to increase the number of tourists that visit them, enhancing the work of the District of Columbia government and the local organizations such as Cultural Tourism that offer tours of historic District neighborhoods. The off-Mall sites for monuments also complement development of entire new neighborhoods near the Mall, particularly the District's redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront and work on The Yards, which, under my bill, now includes a waterfront park and eventually will include a mixed-use public-private development.

The Mall Revitalization and Designation Act is the first step in an effort to focus Congress on finally giving the Mall its due after decades of neglect and indifference. The bill starts at the beginning-- expanding what we mean by the Mall, and taking the first steps to breathe life into a space that is meant for people to enjoy.

Mr. Speaker, the Pre-Apprentice and Apprenticeship Training Act of 2011 requires states to use the one half of one percent of funds now available under 23 USC 140(b) for federal highway construction training, which is necessary to combat a serious skills shortage as the current cohort of journeymen and other skilled workers is retiring, and also counters the effects of past discrimination in the construction industry. The current surface transportation law, TEA- 21 (23 USC 140), permits states to use one-half of one percent of highway funds to administer highway construction training, but the states are not required to do so. In fact, most states do not commit transportation and infrastructure funds to training, and training that does occur is spotty. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has already set an important precedent for my bill by specifically including training funds, at my request, in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), with $3 million specifically targeted for training in the General Services Administration section of the bill. Also included in ARRA was $20 million for federal highway training programs.

The bill is also necessary to finally afford minorities and women the opportunity to gain a first foothold in the high-wage construction industry, as part of the cohort replacing retiring construction workers. Although deliberate exclusion has largely receded, a significant training deficit in the skilled construction trades remains.

As the large cohort of baby-boom construction workers begin to retire, the bill will help meet the nation's need to train a new generation, from every race and background. At the same time, the bill also will ensure compliance with the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bar discrimination in the use of government dollars.

Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce three bills to modernize the Smithsonian Institution and to enhance its governance and fundraising ability, in keeping with the recommendations of a number of experts, including the Smithsonian Independent Review Committee, chaired by former U.S. Comptroller General Charles Bowsher. This bill, the Smithsonian Modernization Act, makes changes to the Smithsonian's governance structure by expanding and changing the composition of its Board of Regents, from 17 members, which includes six Members of Congress, the Vice President of the United States, and the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, to 21 members, comprised solely of private citizens. This change will strengthen both the Smithsonian's governance and fundraising capacity, and it is the first significant change in this old and revered institution since it was established in 1846. The second bill, the Smithsonian Free Admission Act of 2010, seeks to preserve the long-standing free admission policy for permanent exhibits at an institution that is largely funded by the federal government, as envisioned by James Smithson, its founder. Finally, the Open and Transparent Smithsonian Act of 2011 will apply the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act to the Smithsonian in the same manner they apply to federal agencies.

The Smithsonian Institution is a unique and irreplaceable cultural, historical, educational and artistic complex without any public or private counterpart in the world. Since its founding, the Smithsonian has developed an extraordinary array of world-class museums, galleries, educational showplaces and unique research centers, including 19 museums and galleries, nine research facilities, the National Zoo, and the forthcoming National Museum of African American History and Culture, which has been approved by Congress and is now seeking funding from the private sector for construction. The Smithsonian has grown with donations from American culture and life, and financial contributions, but most of its funding continues to come from federal appropriations. Despite receiving 70 percent of its funding from the federal government, the Smithsonian has long had serious infrastructure and other needs.

Congress must help the Smithsonian strengthen its ability to build resources beyond what taxpayers are able to provide. The most important step Congress could take today is to rescue the Smithsonian from its 19th century governance structure, which keeps it from accessing needed and available private resources and limits close and critical oversight. The Smithsonian Modernization Act bill provides a governance structure befitting the Smithsonian's unique complexity. In no small part, the difficulty the Smithsonian has faced results from limitations inherent in its antiquated governance structure. The existing structure may have fit the Smithsonian over 170 years ago, but today the structure has proven to be a relic that does a disservice to the Smithsonian. The present governance structure places immense responsibility on dedicated but overextended Members of the House and Senate, the Vice President of the United States and the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. These federal officials comprise almost half of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, and must perform their fiduciary duties as board members while giving first priority to their sworn responsibilities as important federal officials.

In 2007, an independent review committee found that the Board had violated principles of good management during the tenure of the former Secretary of the Smithsonian, Lawrence Small, allowing him to create an ``insular culture.'' The Committee's report indicated that the Board had failed to provide desperately needed oversight and had overcompensated Mr. Small. The report also found that Sheila P. Burke, the Smithsonian's then-deputy secretary and chief operating officer, had frequent absences from her duties because of outside activities, including service on corporate boards, for which she earned more than $1.2 million over six years. Further, the Smithsonian's then-Business Ventures chief, Gary Beer, was dismissed for financial indiscretions. This unprecedented crisis, caused by unprecedented controversies and irresponsible risks, put into sharp focus the need for new revenue streams and for a modern governance structure. The first full-blown scandal in the Smithsonian's history, replete with embarrassing media coverage, damaged its reputation and perhaps the confidence of potential contributors. The poor judgment and overreaching of Smithsonian personnel during that period requires new and concentrated oversight by citizens for whom the Smithsonian would command priority attention.

The Board of Regents, of course, has taken some important action on its own. After irregularities were uncovered by the media, the Board responded to the controversies by creating a governance committee, chaired by Patty Stonesifer, a Regent and former chief executive officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with a mandate to comprehensively review the policies and practices of the Smithsonian and how the Board conducts its oversight of the institution. The Board also established an Independent Review Committee (IRC), chaired by former U.S. Comptroller General Charles A. Bowsher, to review the issues arising from an Inspector General's report and the Board's response, and related Smithsonian practices.

The IRC was forthright in its investigation and recommendations. The IRC stated explicitly that the root cause of the problems at the Smithsonian was an antiquated governance structure, which led to failures in governance and management. According to the IRC, the Board must assume a fiduciary duty that carries a ``major commitment of time and effort, a reputational risk, and potentially, financial liability.'' The IRC further argued that the Smithsonian, with a budget of over $1 billion a year, must have a Board who ``act as true fiduciaries and who have both the time and the experience to assume the responsibilities of setting strategy and providing oversight.'' The IRC cited a lack of clarity of the roles of the U.S. Vice President and Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court on the Board, and said that ``it is not feasible to expect the Chief Justice to devote the hours necessary to serve as a fiduciary agent.'' The same observation could be made of the Members of the House and Senate who serve on the Board. The IRC recommended that the Board increase the level of expertise and the number of members to ensure that the Regents have sufficient time and attention to dedicate to the Smithsonian.

The Smithsonian's own governance committee identified several Board weaknesses, concluding that the Board did not receive or demand the reports necessary for competent decision-making, that the staff whom the Board depended upon for oversight inquiries did not have direct access to information, and that the inability of staff to communicate red flags ``crippled'' internal compliance and oversight.

Only Congress, with the concurrence of the president, can amend the Smithsonian Charter. The last change to the Board's structure occurred over 30 years ago, but only to increase the number of private citizens on the Board from six to nine.

The number of Regents, however, is not the root problem. Although the bill expands the Board from 17 to 21 members, it, most importantly, brings the Board into alignment with modern public and private boards by requiring all Regents to be private citizens. The search for private funds by Smithsonian management was a major cause of the recent controversy. Faced with crippling budget problems, the Regents must be free to give new and unprecedented attention and energy to finding and helping to raise substantially more funds from private sources. The new structure envisioned by the bill will improve oversight and the capacity for fundraising from private sources. Unlike federal officials, private citizens are entirely free to assist in private fundraising. Most importantly, private citizens will have sufficient expertise to serve on the Board, and will be able to devote the personal time and attention necessary to fulfill the fiduciary responsibility that comes with serving such a venerable and complex institution.

The bill preserves and strengthens the traditional role of the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate in selecting Board members, while eliminating the self-perpetuating role of the Board in selecting private citizens for the Board. The Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate will each send 12 recommendations to the President of the United States, who will select the 21 members of the Board of Regents.

Considering the seriousness of the findings of the Board's own governance committee and of the IRC, the changes prescribed by the bill are nothing short of necessary. The reform of the fiduciary and governance issues that have brought public criticism to this iconic American institution must begin with the indispensable step of making the Smithsonian's governance consistent with that of similar institutions today. Only congressional attention can reassure the public that the controversies that recently besieged the Smithsonian will not recur. In the face of an unprecedented public controversy, Congress would be remiss if it left the Smithsonian to its own oversight and devices alone for improvement.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Smithsonian Free Admission Act, to reinforce 170 years of consistent Smithsonian policy of admitting the public to all permanent exhibits without charge. This policy has served the nation well. Families come to Washington to learn about their country through its public monuments and sites. While the private amenities here can be costly for the average family, Americans have looked forward to the free museums and other official offerings for generations. The Smithsonian's free admission policy reflects the intent of its founder, John Smithson, whose gift to the Federal Government carried the condition that the Smithsonian be established to increase the knowledge of the public, free of charge. The bill establishing the Smithsonian, introduced by Senator William C. Preston on February 17, 1841, stated explicitly that the Smithsonian would ``preserve and exhibit with no fee'' all works of art and science. This intent and tradition was interrupted without notice to Congress by the Smithsonian's Board of Regents with its casual comment that the Smithsonian would charge an admission fee for a permanent exhibit for the first time in its history, and on February 14, 2008, the Smithsonian opened the National Museum of Natural History's Butterfly Pavilion, a permanent exhibit, and instituted a fee for admission. Congress, of course, not the Board of Regents, should decide so basic a policy, especially when it departs from long-standing public policy. The admission fee for the Butterfly Pavilion sets a harmful precedent for future permanent exhibits, making it difficult to deny other Smithsonian entities from charging a fee and possibly encouraging other Smithsonian entities to structure their exhibits to fit the Butterfly Pavilion model.

The Butterfly Pavilion opened on February 14, 2008. Although the Smithsonian had previously charged fees for films and shows, the National Air and Space Museum's Planetarium, and the National Zoo's Christmas Lights special, the $6 admission fee for the Butterfly Pavilion marked the first time an admission fee was charged for a permanent exhibit. My bill requires a report to Congress in advance of any proposed admission fees for permanent exhibits and requires the Secretary of the Smithsonian to submit a plan for funding the Butterfly Pavilion without an admission fee.

The Smithsonian Modernization Act, which I am also introducing today, addresses the Smithsonian's fundraising capacity by restructuring and expanding the Smithsonian's Board, from a board almost half of whose members are public officials to a board consisting solely of private citizens, who will have greater experience and fundraising capacity than public officials.

The Smithsonian Modernization Act and similar measures, not admission fees, provide the most realistic vehicles to raise funds for the Smithsonian without cost to the government or to the public. Admission fees can bring in only token amounts. According to CRS, the Smithsonian has long prided itself on ``free access.'' Admission fees are not the answer for taxpayers, who have already paid through the Federal Government's 70 percent contribution to this public institution's annual budget. Federal taxpayers do not expect to pay again through an admission fee to a federally-financed institution.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing nurses in the District of Columbia and the metropolitan region during the celebration of National Nurses Week, May 6-12, 2011.

Nurses make up the largest percentage of the healthcare workforce. Washington, DC has the largest concentration of registered nurses. In addition to registered nurses, there are clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, and other nurses, who serve patients in our hospitals, community health clinics, doctor's offices, nursing homes, private homes, public and private schools, local and federal government agencies, and private businesses.

Nurses are often patients' primary point of contact, giving nurses the opportunity to get to know patients and their families. Nurses gain patients' trust and are essential to providing high-quality healthcare. Each year, we rightfully celebrate nurses during National Nurses Week for their contributions to patients in particular and to the healthcare system in general.

As a cosponsor of H. Res. 83, a resolution recognizing National Nurses Week on May 6 through May 12, 2011, I applaud the nursing professionals who serve the residents of the District of Columbia and the metropolitan region for their continued commitment to patient care. I ask the House to join me in applauding nurses in the District of Columbia, the metropolitan region, and the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Open and Transparent Smithsonian Act to further ensure that the Smithsonian Institution is accountable to the public for the taxpayer funds it receives. This bill provides that, for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act, the Smithsonian shall be considered a Federal agency.

The bill complements my Smithsonian Modernization Act and my Smithsonian Free Admission Act. I introduce these bills today, to make the Smithsonian accountable for the 70 percent of its funding that comes from annual Federal appropriations. Although the Smithsonian was created by Congress as a Federal trust, it receives the great majority of its funding from the Federal Government, much like Federal agencies, and had always been treated as a Federal agency. However, in the 1990s, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that the Smithsonian is not a Federal agency for purposes of FOIA and the Privacy Act. Indeed, the Smithsonian's website clearly states that it is ``not an Executive Branch agency, and FOIA does not apply to the Smithsonian.''

This lack of transparency is of great concern, particularly in light of the Smithsonian's recent history of secrecy and corruption. In 2007, an independent review committee found that the Smithsonian Board of Regents had violated many principles of good management during the tenure of Lawrence Small as Secretary of the Smithsonian. The report indicated that the Board had failed to provide desperately needed oversight, had overcompensated the Secretary, and had allowed the creation of an ``insular culture.'' The report further found that the Smithsonian's deputy secretary and chief operating officer, Sheila Burke, had frequent absences from her duties because of outside activities, including service on corporate boards, for which she earned more than $1.2 million over 6 years. Importantly, the report indicated that Smithsonian leaders took great measures to keep secret these missteps and mismanagement.

While the Smithsonian now has new leaders who are moving away from the mistakes of the past, its transparency should not depend on who is in charge. An entity supported primarily by the Federal Government must be accountable to the American people. The American people have a right to know that their interests are being served.

I urge my colleagues to support this measure.