[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1808 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 1808


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 24, 2007

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
   To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 
   Augusta, Georgia, as the ``Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans 
                       Affairs Medical Center''.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Charlie Norwood volunteered for service in the United 
        States Army Dental Corps in a time of war, providing dental and 
        medical services in the Republic of Vietnam in 1968, earning 
        the Combat Medical Badge and two awards of the Bronze Star.
            (2) Captain Norwood, under combat conditions, helped 
        develop the Dental Corps operating procedures, that are now 
        standard, of delivering dentists to forward-fire bases, and 
        providing dental treatment for military service dogs.
            (3) Captain Norwood provided dental, emergency medical, and 
        surgical care for United States personnel, Vietnamese 
        civilians, and prisoners-of-war.
            (4) Dr. Norwood provided military dental care at Fort 
        Gordon, Georgia, following his service in Vietnam, then 
        provided private-practice dental care for the next 25 years for 
        patients in the greater Augusta, Georgia, area, including care 
        for military personnel, retirees, and dependents under 
        Department of Defense programs and for low-income patients 
        under Georgia Medicaid.
            (5) Congressman Norwood, upon being sworn into the United 
        States House of Representatives in 1995, pursued the 
        advancement of health and dental care for active duty and 
        retired military personnel and dependents, and for veterans, 
        through his public advocacy for strengthened Federal support 
        for military and veterans' health care programs and facilities.
            (6) Congressman Norwood co-authored and helped pass into 
        law the Keep our Promises to America's Military Retirees Act, 
        which restored lifetime healthcare benefits to veterans who are 
        military retirees through the creation of the Department of 
        Defense TRICARE for Life Program.
            (7) Congressman Norwood supported and helped pass into law 
        the Retired Pay Restoration Act providing relief from the 
        concurrent receipt rule penalizing disabled veterans who were 
        also military retirees.
            (8) Throughout his congressional service from 1995 to 2007, 
        Congressman Norwood repeatedly defeated attempts to reduce 
        Federal support for the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
        Center in Augusta, Georgia, and succeeded in maintaining and 
        increasing Federal funding for the center.
            (9) Congressman Norwood maintained a life membership in the 
        American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Military 
        Order of the World Wars.
            (10) Congressman Norwood's role in protecting and improving 
        military and veteran's health care was recognized by the 
        Association of the United States Army through the presentation 
        of the Cocklin Award in 1998, and through his induction into 
        the Association's Audie Murphy Society in 1999.

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF CHARLIE NORWOOD DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
              MEDICAL CENTER.

    (a) Designation.--The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 
located at 1 Freedom Way in Augusta, Georgia, shall after the date of 
the enactment of this Act be known and designated as the ``Charlie 
Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center''.
    (b) References.--Any reference in any law, regulation, map, 
document, record, or other paper of the United States to the medical 
center referred to in subsection (a)


              

shall be considered to be a reference to the Charlie Norwood Department 
of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

            Passed the House of Representatives October 23, 2007.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.