[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3475 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3475

 To name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient 
clinic in Columbus, Georgia, as the ``Robert S. Poydasheff VA Clinic''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2021

   Mr. Bishop of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Johnson of 
 Georgia, Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia, Mr. David Scott of Georgia, Mr. 
Carter of Georgia, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. Allen, Mrs. McBath, Mr. 
  Loudermilk, Ms. Bourdeaux, Mr. Clyde, Mr. Hice of Georgia, and Mrs. 
Greene of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient 
clinic in Columbus, Georgia, as the ``Robert S. Poydasheff VA Clinic''.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Former Columbus, Georgia, Mayor Robert S. Poydasheff 
        died on September 24, 2020.
            (2) He earned a B.A. in Political Science from the Citadel 
        in 1954, a J.D. from Tulane University Law School in 1957, an 
        M.A. in International Relations from Boston University's 
        Graduate Program in Berlin, Germany, in 1967, and attended the 
        Hague Academy of International Law in the Netherlands in 
        preparation for a military and subsequent civilian career that 
        focused on serving others.
            (3) In 1955, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 
        the Infantry Branch of the United States Army, and he was 
        reassigned to the Judge Advocate General's Corps.
            (4) He was a 1976 graduate of the United States Army War 
        College and served a total of 24 years, retiring as a Colonel 
        in 1979.
            (5) He was decorated with the Legion of Merit with two Oak 
        Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star Medal, and Vietnam Ribbon with 
        Four Battle Stars, and during his military career and because 
        of his expert legal acumen he was assigned to work on the 
        biggest cases of the time in which he served, but during this 
        he never lost sight of what he considered his primary role, 
        which was to take care of soldiers.
            (6) Robert S. Poydasheff was appointed as legal counsel to 
        the Secretary of the Army and served the needs of all soldiers 
        by helping to shape Army policy.
            (7) In 2012, the Army War College Foundation named Colonel 
        Poydasheff an Outstanding Alumnus in recognition of his wide-
        ranging service to his community after his retirement from 
        active duty.
            (8) Colonel Poydasheff served on the Columbus, Georgia City 
        Council from 1994 to 2002, helping all citizens of the 
        community he had come to love while concurrently serving Fort 
        Benning and his beloved soldiers.
            (9) He was elected Mayor of Columbus, Georgia, in 2002, 
        served a four-year term and maintained a focus on community-
        based programs as well as strengthening the relationship 
        between the city and Fort Benning.
            (10) During that time he made great contributions to the 
        joint military and civilian communities of Columbus, Georgia, 
        and Fort Benning, appointing first a fellow soldier and later 
        the first African American to the City Manager position, while 
        knowing that doing so would be at his own political peril.
            (11) After his service as Mayor of Columbus, Georgia, 
        Robert S. Poydasheff found continued success as a practicing 
        lawyer helping countless citizens and soldiers living in the 
        city he once led as well as advocating for many soldiers in the 
        area.
            (12) His continued interest in the betterment of the city 
        as well as his contributions to the Veterans Action Committee 
        has a continued impact to this day.
            (13) He served as past president of the Chattahoochee 
        Council Boy Scouts of America, past president of the 
        Chattahoochee Valley Association of the United Sates Army, past 
        president of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, member of the 
        Board of Directors of the Springer Opera Arts Association, past 
        president of the Ann Elizabeth Shepherd Home, and member of the 
        Kiwanis Club and Columbus Bar Association.

SEC. 2. NAME OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMUNITY-BASED 
              OUTPATIENT CLINIC, COLUMBUS, GEORGIA.

     The Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient 
clinic in Columbus, Georgia, shall after the date of the enactment of 
this Act be known and designated as the ``Robert S. Poydasheff VA 
Clinic''. Any reference to such clinic in any law, regulation, map, 
document, record, or other paper of the United States shall be 
considered to be a reference to the Robert S. Poydasheff VA Clinic.
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