{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-harris-van-hollen-and-cardin-announce-president-trump-signs", "Norton, Harris, Van Hollen, and Cardin Announce President Trump Signs Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission Act into Law", "2017-11-02", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Congressman Andy Harris (R-MD), and Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) announced that President Trump today signed their Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission Act (H.R. 2989) into law.\u00a0 The bill establishes a commission to plan, develop and carry out programs and activities to honor and celebrate the life of Frederick Douglass, the country\u2019s greatest slavery abolitionist, during the bicentennial anniversary of his birth, in 2018.\u00a0 In addition, the commission must make recommendations to Congress by August 1, 2018, on programs and activities that the federal government should carry out to honor Douglass.\u00a0 The Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission will be only the 16th commemorative commission created by Congress since 1989, and only six of those commemorated specific individuals, none of them African American.\u00a0 The other individuals were: Abraham Lincoln, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy.\n\u201cFrederick Douglass was one of the most transformative figures in our nation\u2019s history,\u201d said Congresswoman Norton.\u00a0 \u201cIt is only fitting that the federal government and the nation celebrate and honor his life on the 200th anniversary of his birth.\u00a0 Commemorative commissions for individuals are understandably rare, but there is perhaps none more deserving than Douglass.\u00a0 We in the District of Columbia are particularly proud he called D.C. home for most of his adult life.\u00a0 His home here in Southeast is an official national historic site and one of our city\u2019s treasures, visited by thousands of tourists and residents annually.\u00a0 I am grateful that the House and Senate passed the bill with unanimous bipartisan support and that the President signed it in time for the commission to do its important work.\u201d\n\u201cI commend my colleagues in Congress for their bipartisan and bicameral efforts to pass this legislation, and I am grateful to President Trump for his attention to this important matter. As we approach the bicentennial of Frederick Douglass\u2019 birth, it is critical that Douglass\u2019 contributions to our nation are recognized and celebrated. Frederick Douglass was the father of the abolitionist movement and left a lasting imprint on American culture,\u201d said Congressman Harris.\u00a0 \u201cNow that the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission Act is law and the commission can be formed to develop its recommendations.\u00a0 I am eager to hear the commission\u2019s recommendations, and participate in the activities honoring this American hero and Eastern Shore native.\u201d\n\u201cNow more than ever, it\u2019s important that we remember the work and passion of Frederick Douglass,\u201d said Senator Van Hollen.\u00a0 \u201cHe fought tirelessly to improve our great nation and create a more perfect union.\u00a0 His impact on Maryland can be seen across our state and still has lasting impacts on our communities.\u00a0 This commission will explore how we can learn from his legacy and continue to apply these lessons today.\u00a0 As Douglass once stated, \u2018The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous.\u2019\u00a0 We should never stop fighting to move our country forward.\u201d\n\u201cFrederick Douglass, who was born in 1818 in the State of Maryland, escaped from slavery and became a leading writer, orator, publisher, and one of the United States\u2019 most influential advocates for abolitionism and the equality of all people,\u201d said Senator Cardin.\u00a0 \u201cHonoring Douglass on his bicentennial allows the nation to look back at the incredible life and work of this great man.\u00a0 It also gives us a unique lens to view our world and nation today and the continuing fight for civil rights and equality.\u201d\nMembers of the commission must be appointed within 60 days (January 1, 2018).\u00a0 The commission will have 16 members.\u00a0 The members will be appointed as follows:\n Two members appointed by the President.\n\tFour members appointed by the President on the recommendation of each of the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the Governors of Maryland, Massachusetts and New York.\n\tThree members, at least one of whom must be a Member of the House, appointed by the Speaker of the House.\n\tThree members, at least one of whom must be a Senator, appointed by the Senate Majority Leader.\n\tTwo members, at least one of whom must be a Member of the House, appointed by the House Minority Leader.\n\tTwo members, at least one of whom must be a Senator, appointed by the Senate Minority Leader.\n ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-harris-van-hollen-and-cardin-announce-president-trump-signs"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7174978964030743, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}