[JPRT, 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


 
                            Charlie Norwood

                       LATE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM

                                GEORGIA

                                   a

                          

                           MEMORIAL ADDRESSES

                           AND OTHER TRIBUTES

                          hon. charlie norwood

                                   a

                                   z

                               1941-2007


                                           

                  [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
             

                                 Charlie Norwood


                               Memorial Addresses and

                                   Other Tributes

                        HELD IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                     AND SENATE

                                OF THE UNITED STATES

                          TOGETHER WITH A MEMORIAL SERVICE

                                     IN HONOR OF

                                   CHARLIE NORWOOD

                   Late a Representative from Georgia

                       One Hundred Tenth Congress

                             First Session

                                   a

                          


                                           


                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing









                                      CONTENTS
             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Proceedings in the House of Representatives:
                Tributes by Representatives:
                    Barrett, J. Gresham, of South Carolina.........
                                                                     22
                    Barrow, John, of Georgia.......................
                                                                     13
                    Barton, Joe, of Texas 
                     ...............................................
                     ........
                                                         19, 47, 54, 59
                    Bishop, Sanford D., Jr., of Georgia............
                                                                     16
                    Blackburn, Marsha, of Tennessee................
                                                                     41
                    Blunt, Roy, of Missouri........................
                                                                     25
                    Boehner, John A., of Ohio......................
                                                                     13
                    Bonner, Jo, of Alabama.........................
                                                                     40
                    Brown, Henry E., Jr., of South Carolina........
                                                                     39
                    Burgess, Michael C., of Texas..................
                                                                 40, 59
                    Buyer, Steve, of Indiana.......................
                                                                     31
                    Cantor, Eric, of Virginia......................
                                                                     35
                    Capps, Lois, of California.....................
                                                                     11
                    Carter, John R., of Texas......................
                                                                     29
                    Coble, Howard, of North Carolina...............
                                                                     25
                    Costello, Jerry F., of Illinois................
                                                                     34
                    Deal, Nathan, of Georgia 
                     ...............................................

                                                        4, 6, 7, 32, 51
                    Dingell, John D., of Michigan..................
                                                                     52
                    Franks, Trent, of Arizona......................
                                                                      5
                    Gingrey, Phil, of Georgia 
                     ...............................................
                     ..........
                                                               3, 8, 54
                    Gohmert, Louie, of Texas.......................
                                                                     26
                    Green, Gene, of Texas..........................
                                                                     20
                    Hastings, Doc, of Washington...................
                                                                     23
                    Hunter, Duncan, of California..................
                                                                      5
                    Inslee, Jay, of Washington 
                     .............................................
                                                         44, 45, 51, 57
                    Jackson-Lee, Sheila, of Texas..................
                                                                     35
                    Johnson, Henry C. ``Hank,'' Jr., of Georgia....
                                                                  4, 14
                    Jones, Walter B., of North Carolina............
                                                                     33
                    King, Steve, of Iowa...........................
                                                                     30
                    Kingston, Jack, of Georgia.....................
                                                                     57
                    Latham, Tom, of Iowa...........................
                                                                     32
                    Lewis, John, of Georgia........................
                                                                  7, 32
                    Linder, John, of Georgia.......................
                                                                 12, 56
                    Marshall, Jim, of Georgia......................
                                                                     22
                    Miller, Jeff, of Florida.......................
                                                                     37
                    Myrick, Sue Wilkins, of North Carolina.........
                                                                     27
                    Pelosi, Nancy, of California...................
                                                                     18
                    Price, Tom, of Georgia.........................
                                                                     10
                    Radanovich, George, of California..............
                                                                     35
                    Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana, of Florida...............
                                                                      4
                    Scott, David, of Georgia.......................
                                                                      9
                    Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr., of Wisconsin.....
                                                                     38
                    Sessions, Pete, of Texas.......................
                                                                     38
                    Shadegg, John B., of Arizona...................
                                                                     27
                    Stearns, Cliff, of Florida.....................
                                                                     33
                    Westmoreland, Lynn A., of Georgia 
                     ......................................
                                                              3, 15, 60
                    Whitfield, Ed, of Kentucky.....................
                                                                     29
                    Wicker, Roger F., of Mississippi...............
                                                                     28
                    Wilson, Joe, of South Carolina.................
                                                                     17
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Brownback, Sam, of Kansas......................
                                                                     70
                    Chambliss, Saxby, of Georgia...................
                                                                 64, 66
                    Coburn, Tom, of Oklahoma.......................
                                                                     68
                    Graham, Lindsey, of South Carolina.............
                                                                     69
                    Isakson, Johnny, of Georgia 
                     ...............................................
                     ..
                                                             63, 64, 65
             Memorial Service......................................
                                                                     74
                                      BIOGRAPHY


               Charles Whitlow Norwood, Jr., a seven-term Member of the 
             U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2007, served 
             most of east Georgia at some point during his 
             congressional career due to redistricting in 1996, 2002, 
             and 2006, representing counties extending from the North 
             Carolina border in the north Georgia mountains, to the 
             Macon and Dublin area in middle Georgia, and halfway to 
             Savannah in south Georgia. He won re-election every year 
             since 1998 by landslide margins, and was elected to the 
             110th Congress in November by a 68-percent margin.
               Representative Norwood achieved national recognition 
             after introducing the first comprehensive managed health 
             care reform legislation to Congress in 1995, which 
             subsequently passed the House of Representatives in both 
             1999 and 2001. Dr. Norwood's patients' bill of rights 
             legislation became a key issue in the 2000 Presidential 
             election, and will likely be revived in the 110th 
             Congress.
               Dr. Norwood was instrumental in health care reform for 
             military retirees and veterans as well as patients at 
             large. The former Army dentist was co-author of the Keep 
             Our Promises to Military Retirees Act in 1999, which 
             provided fully funded health care for life for the 
             Nation's military retirees. The majority of the bill was 
             enacted as part of the Defense Authorization Act of 2000.
               In addition to his long-time national advocacy for 
             patients, Dr. Norwood succeeded in passing reforms across 
             a broad range of public policy areas, spanning education, 
             private property rights, telecommunications, and 
             environmental regulations.
               He reformed the Nation's special education system by 
             authoring the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 
             Discipline Reform Amendment in 1999, which passed the 
             House of Representatives and became law in 2003 as part of 
             the Improving Education Results for Children with 
             Disabilities Act, protecting disabled students and their 
             teachers from violence in the classroom.
               Dr. Norwood is further recognized as the father of the 
             Nation's current class A broadcast television service, by 
             authoring and passing into law the Community Broadcasting 
             Protection Act in 1998.
               In Federal issues with direct local economic impact, Dr. 
             Norwood played the pivotal role in reforming U.S. Army 
             Corps of Engineers dealings with local government and 
             private citizens, through Federal approval for restoration 
             of the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam, and reform of the 
             Corps' Lake Management Plan regulation of private property 
             owner rights. In addition, Dr. Norwood founded the 
             Savannah River Water Quality Initiative in 1996, which 
             succeeded in restoring the trout stocking demonstration 
             project in the Savannah River rapids above Augusta in 
             1998.
               Representative Norwood provided the driving legislative 
             pressure in preserving Federal funding and missions of the 
             U.S. Army's Signal Corps Headquarters and Eisenhower Army 
             Regional Medical Center at Fort Gordon, and the U.S. 
             Department of Energy Savannah River Site Project, staving 
             off attempts to downsize or close both facilities during 
             Federal funding cutbacks throughout his congressional 
             career.
               In congressional oversight action, Dr. Norwood played a 
             key role in the 1996-1998 Teamster's investigation, the 
             1998-2002 investigations of theft and fraud at the U.S. 
             Department of Education, and the impeachment of former 
             President Bill Clinton in 1998.
               Dr. Norwood was a member of the Energy and Commerce 
             Committee throughout his congressional career. In the 
             110th Congress he served on the Subcommittees on Health 
             and Oversight and Investigations. He was vice chairman of 
             the Subcommittee on Health from 2001 to 2004, and a member 
             of the Energy and Power Subcommittee from 1995 to 2000.
               Dr. Norwood also served on the Education and the 
             Workforce Committee from 1995 to 2006, where he was 
             chairman of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections from 
             2001 to 2006, and vice chairman of the Oversight and 
             Investigations Subcommittee from 1997 to 2000.
               He was also a member of the Rural Health Care Caucus, 
             the Army Caucus, and the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, 
             and served on the Speaker's Task Force on Tritium 
             Production in the 104th Congress and the Speaker's Working 
             Group on Health Care Reform in the 105th Congress.
               Dr. Norwood was born in Valdosta, GA, July 27, 1941, the 
             son of the late Charles Whitlow Norwood, Sr. and Lola 
             Parham Norwood. He attended Lowndes County public schools 
             through the first year of high school at Valdosta High, 
             and graduated from Baylor Military High School in 
             Chattanooga, TN, in 1959. Dr. Norwood was a football 
             standout throughout high school, played under legendary 
             Valdosta High Coach Wright Bazemore, and was the defensive 
             nemesis of later-NFL Minnesota Vikings quarterback great 
             Fran Tarkenton during the 1958 battle between Valdosta and 
             Athens High, and again in a 1959 Baylor-Athens High match-
             up.
               Dr. Norwood received a bachelor's degree from Georgia 
             Southern University in Statesboro in 1964, and a doctorate 
             in dental surgery from Georgetown University Dental School 
             in Washington, DC, in 1967, where he was elected president 
             of the Dental School student body in his senior year. He 
             married the former Gloria Wilkinson of Valdosta in 1962 
             while attending Georgia Southern.
               After dental school he volunteered for the U.S. Army and 
             served as a captain in the Dental Corps from 1967 to 1969, 
             beginning with an assignment to the U.S. Army Dental Corps 
             at Sandia Army Base in Albuquerque, NM. In 1968 he was 
             transferred to the Medical Battalion of the 173d Airborne 
             Brigade in Vietnam, and served a combat tour at Quin Nyon, 
             Quang Khe, and LZ English at Bon Son.
               During his tour, he participated in experimental 
             military dental practices that became standard procedure 
             for the Armed Forces after the war. He was one of the 
             first participants in the Army outreach program that 
             delivered dentists to forward firebases in lieu of 
             transferring patients to rear treatment areas. Dr. Norwood 
             also provided some of the first field-based dental 
             treatment of military guard dogs, and assisted in non-
             dental trauma care in mobile army surgical hospitals (MASH 
             units). In recognition of his service under combat 
             conditions, he was awarded the Combat Medical Badge and 
             two Bronze Stars. After Vietnam, he was assigned to the 
             Dental Corps at Fort Gordon, GA, where he served until his 
             discharge in 1969. Dr. Norwood was awarded the Association 
             of the United States Army Cocklin Award in 1998, and was 
             inducted into the Association's Audie Murphy Society in 
             1999. He remained a lifelong member of the American 
             Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Military 
             Order of the World Wars.
               Dr. Norwood began private practice dentistry in Augusta 
             immediately after his discharge. During his dental career, 
             he served as president of both the Georgia Dental 
             Association and the Eastern District Dental Society, was a 
             delegate to the American Dental Association, and was 
             founder of the Augusta Dental Disaster Society. He was a 
             member of the American Dental Association, the Georgia 
             Academy of Dental Society, the Augusta Dental Society, was 
             an Honorable Fellow of the Georgia Dental Association, and 
             a Fellow of both the International College of Dentistry 
             and the American College of Dentistry Sciences.
               Dr. Norwood received the American Psychological 
             Association's Outstanding Leadership Award in 1996 and the 
             Association's Man of the Year Award in 1998; the American 
             Medical Association's Nathan Davis Award for 1999; and the 
             Guardian of Medicare Award of the United States Seniors 
             Association in 1996 for his leadership efforts in health 
             care reform.
               In addition to his dental practice, Dr. Norwood also 
             founded Northwoods Nursery in Evans, providing trees and 
             shrubs to wholesale outlets throughout the Central 
             Savannah River area, and Augusta Dental Laboratory, which 
             manufactured dental devices for patients.
               He became a stalwart supporter of small business and 
             property rights interests in Congress, receiving the 1995 
             Fighting Frosh Award of the United States Business and 
             Industrial Council; the Guardian of Senior's Rights Award 
             of the 60 Plus Association, the Friend of the Family Award 
             of the Christian Coalition, the Friend of the Taxpayer 
             Award of Americans for Tax Reform, the Guardian of Small 
             Business Award of the National Federation of Independent 
             Business, the Spirit of Enterprise Award of the U.S. 
             Chamber of Commerce, the Thomas Jefferson Award of the 
             U.S. Food Service Council, the Champion of Property Rights 
             Award of the League of Private Property Owners, the 
             Taxpayer's Hero Award of the Council for Citizens Against 
             Government Waste, and the Taxpayer's Friend Award of 
             National Taxpayers Union.
               Dr. Norwood and his wife Gloria were long-time members 
             of and taught Adult Sunday School at Trinity on the Hill 
             United Methodist Church in Augusta. He was a past board 
             member of the Augusta Opera Society, and a member of the 
             Augusta Symphony Guild.


                                           

                                 MEMORIAL ADDRESSES

                                         AND

                                   OTHER TRIBUTES

                                         FOR

                                   CHARLIE NORWOOD
                                 Proceedings in the
                              House of Representatives
             Wednesday, February 7, 2007 Page H1322-H1329 deg. 
                                               07fe07-124 deg.
               Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, before I begin my 
             remarks, I would like to call on my fellow Members to keep 
             the gentleman from Georgia, Congressman Charlie Norwood, 
             in your thoughts and prayers. As many of you know, Charlie 
             has suffered from cancer for some time and has fought 
             valiantly, just as he did when he recovered from a lung 
             transplant several years ago.
               Today Charlie announced that he is going to decline 
             further treatment and return home to Augusta, GA, where he 
             will receive hospice care in his home. Charlie Norwood has 
             served the people his entire life. He has served his 
             Nation as a soldier in Vietnam. He served Augusta, GA, but 
             also as a dedicated father to his children, and a husband 
             to his loving wife Gloria.
               Since 1995, he has ably and some would say tenaciously 
             represented the people of eastern, northern Georgia, but 
             his service and his wisdom have benefited us all. To me he 
             is not just a great Georgian and a great American, he is a 
             great friend. He served as a mentor to me and to many 
             others in this House. And I know that everyone here, Mr. 
             Speaker, has Charlie and Gloria in their thoughts and 
             prayers.
               He said today that he is turning it over to the Lord's 
             hands, and I know that he can be in no better place than 
             that. I look forward to working with Charlie again. I look 
             forward to him getting back. . . .

               Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
             California for yielding.
               And I want to take just a second to join my colleagues 
             from Georgia and particularly the two who are on the floor 
             tonight, Dr. Price and Representative Westmoreland, in 
             saying to our colleague Charlie Norwood that we are 
             praying for you, buddy. All of us from Georgia, and every 
             Member of this body on both sides of the aisle are praying 
             that the miracle of God's healing will deliver you back to 
             us soon, and we think about you constantly. . . .
             Thursday, February 8, 2007 Page H1404-H1405 deg. 
                                                08fe07-67 deg.
               Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, today we got word 
             that a fellow Representative from the State of Georgia, 
             Representative Charlie Norwood, has gone home to Augusta 
             after battling cancer here in Washington, DC, at various 
             facilities. He has handled his affliction bravely, and he 
             has been an example of a great fighting spirit. We wish 
             his family the best, and he is in our prayers as he 
             continues his battle. . . .
             Tuesday, February 13, 2007 Page H1492-H1562 deg. 
                                                13fe07-92 deg.
               Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have been informed by 
             House leaders that our colleague, Congressman Charlie 
             Norwood, has passed away. I would Page H1501 deg. 
             ask our colleagues to join me as we rise in a moment of 
             silent prayer for Charlie.
               Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues and 
             visitors.
               Congressman Norwood was a proud Vietnam veteran, and his 
             service to our Nation will be sorely missed. Mr. Deal will 
             soon come to the floor to make a statement on behalf of 
             his State's delegation. . . .
               MOMENT OF SILENCE OBSERVED IN MEMORY OF THE HONORABLE 
                                   CHARLIE NORWOOD
               Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
             that we recognize the Members of the Georgia delegation to 
             make the sad commentary on Congressman Norwood's passing.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Moran of Virginia). Is 
             there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from 
             Florida?
               There was no objection.
               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the 
             gentlewoman.
               On behalf of my colleagues from the State of Georgia, it 
             is with great sadness that I announce that our colleague 
             Charlie Norwood passed away at approximately 12:45 today.
               Charlie was a great Member of this body and a friend to 
             all.
               Mr. Speaker, I would ask that this body observe a moment 
             of silence in his memory.
               Amen.

               Mr. HUNTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
             may consume.
               Madam Speaker, I have got one speaker left here, Mr. 
             Franks of Arizona, but let me just say one thing before he 
             speaks. I appreciate the debate. I think we have had a 
             good discussion this evening.
               I wanted to say one thing about Charlie Norwood. He 
             passed away. He was a member of the 173d Airborne Brigade. 
             I was a member of that brigade. I had a very average tour, 
             a very easy tour in Vietnam. I did nothing special. But 
             Charlie Norwood was a real hero who won the Combat Medical 
             Badge and two Bronze Stars in Vietnam.
               I thought to commemorate Charlie, I have my copy of 
             General Douglas MacArthur's farewell speech that I quoted 
             earlier, and let me just quote a paragraph about duty, 
             honor, and country that Douglas MacArthur thought so 
             represented the fighting man in this country.Page 
             H1561 deg.
               He said these words about duty, honor and country:

               They teach to be proud and unbending in honest failure, 
             but humble and gentle in success; not to substitute words 
             for action; not to seek the path of comfort, but to face 
             the stress and spur of difficulty and challenge; to learn 
             to stand up in the storm, but to have compassion on those 
             who fall; to master yourself before you seek to master 
             others; to have a heart that is clean, a goal that is 
             high; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; to 
             reach into the future, yet never neglect the past; to be 
             serious, yet never take yourself too seriously; to be 
             modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true 
             greatness; the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of 
             true strength.

               I think that largely represented our great friend 
             Charlie Norwood.
               Madam Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the 
             gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks).

               Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Thank you, Mr. Hunter. I 
             certainly add my own feelings toward the words that you 
             just spoke on behalf of Charlie Norwood. None of us know 
             when we have to step from this floor for the last time. 
             This man, while he was here, maintained a sense of honor. 
             He was always committed to doing those things that would 
             bring better hope to future generations. He was honorable 
             among us, and we can certainly salute that kind of 
             brotherhood that he represented to all of us.
               I certainly pass along my own condolences and also 
             congratulations to his family, because in a sense Charlie 
             Norwood's dreams were fulfilled in that he dreamed to be a 
             statesman, and he certainly rose to that occasion in every 
             way.
               I suppose it is in a sense a little bit of a statement 
             to all of us that the brief moments that we have here 
             should be spent debating those things that would truly 
             make a difference, not only for this generation, but for 
             whatever generations remain to America. . . . 
             Page H1562 deg. 13fe07-93 deg.
                               MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE
               A message from the Senate by Ms. Curtis, one of its 
             clerks, announced that the Senate has agreed to the 
             following resolution.
                                     S. Res. 79
               Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow 
             and deep regret the announcement of the death of the 
             honorable Charles W. Norwood, Jr., late a Representative 
             from the State of Georgia.
               Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these 
             resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit 
             an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the deceased.
               Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns or recesses 
             today, it stand adjourned or recessed as a further mark of 
             respect to the memory of the deceased Representative.
                      Wednesday, February 14, 2007 Page H1614-
                                     H1623 deg. 14fe07-43 deg.
               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged 
             resolution (H. Res. 159) and ask for its immediate 
             consideration.
               The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
                                     H. Res. 159
               Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow 
             of the death of the Honorable Charlie Norwood, a 
             Representative from the State of Georgia.
               Resolved, That a committee of such Members of the House 
             as the Speaker may designate, together with such Members 
             of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to attend the 
             funeral.
               Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House be 
             authorized and directed to take such steps as may be 
             necessary for carrying out the provisions of these 
             resolutions and that the necessary expenses in connection 
             therewith be paid out of applicable accounts of the House.
               Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions 
             to the Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of 
             the deceased.
               Resolved, That when the House adjourns today, it adjourn 
             as a further mark of respect to the memory of the 
             deceased.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
             Deal) is recognized for 1 hour.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 minutes of 
             time to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) and thank 
             him for arranging for this resolution to be heard at this 
             time today.
               Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.
               Mr. Speaker, as we all know, we lost a true champion in 
             the House of Representatives yesterday--Charles Norwood 
             from Georgia. Charlie, as he was known by most of us here, 
             was truly a friend across party lines and across State 
             lines. He was a true patriot. He served by offering dental 
             services in the U.S. Army in the combat zone of Vietnam.
               He returned to a private dental practice in Georgia, and 
             then in the election cycle of 1994 was elected to this 
             House of Representatives. He came with a passion for many 
             things. Health care was at the very top of his list. 
             Education followed closely. And he worked on both of those 
             issues with all of his heart.
               He inspired many people in this House because he was 
             indeed passionate about everything that he did. If he was 
             your friend, you knew he was your friend. If you were on 
             the opposite side of an issue from him, he let you know 
             that as well, but he was still your friend.
               All of us watched as we observed what had been diagnosed 
             in 1998 as an incurable disease. And following that 
             diagnosis, he underwent lung transplant surgery. That was 
             a process that most of us probably would have had great 
             difficulty undergoing. But Charlie did it with courage. He 
             rebounded with the same kind of determination 
             Page H1615 deg. and willingness to go forward in 
             spite of the inconveniences that brought to him.
               We saw him with his oxygen tank, and we saw him on his 
             little scooter as he rode around the Capitol on his way 
             over here and back and forth to votes. Throughout it all, 
             he maintained his good humor, he maintained his zest for 
             life. Charlie Norwood is someone who will truly be missed.

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. 
             Deal and members of the delegation for bringing this 
             resolution before us as a tribute to our fallen colleague, 
             Mr. Norwood.
               More than anything else, Congressman Norwood was a 
             warrior. He fought for his beliefs with passion and 
             conviction, and he fought for the people of his district 
             and for the people of Georgia who loved him.
               He was awarded two Bronze Stars for his bravery on 
             behalf of our Nation during the Vietnam war, and he fought 
             courageously for patient rights right here on the floor of 
             the House of Representatives.
               In fact, his last official act was to reintroduce the 
             patients' bill of rights on Monday, a bill he coauthored 
             with John Dingell. Charlie Norwood, this good man, this 
             son of Georgia, fought a good fight. He was a warrior to 
             the end.
               The thoughts and prayers of all of the Members of 
             Congress, and especially the members of the Georgia 
             delegation, are with his wife Gloria and his two sons, 
             Charles and Carlton, their family and his many 
             grandchildren. I hope they will find comfort in knowing 
             that Congressman Charlie Norwood made a lasting 
             contribution not just to the State of Georgia, but to the 
             Nation and to all of us as Members of this body. We are 
             more than lucky, we are very blessed to have known him as 
             a friend and as a colleague. He will be deeply missed.
               Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would yield 3 
             minutes to our Georgia colleague (Mr. Gingrey).

               Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, Charlie Norwood was a very 
             successful dentist in my hometown of Augusta, GA. I didn't 
             know Charlie at that time because I had long since moved 
             away.
               But as a practicing physician in Marietta, GA, as an OB/
             GYN, several years ago I went to the annual meeting of the 
             Georgia OB/GYN Society to hear Dr. Charlie Norwood talk 
             about the patients' bill of rights. Physicians across 
             Georgia and across this country were concerned with 
             managed care and HMOs and liability and that sort of 
             thing.
               And, Mr. Speaker, when I heard Dr. Norwood speak to my 
             colleagues, physicians, about this issue, and then, in 
             turn, when we gave him a standing ovation, I want to tell 
             you, Mr. Speaker, and I never did tell Charlie this, but 
             that was an inspiration to me to some day have the 
             opportunity, and thank God that I did, to follow in that 
             walk that he walked.
               What a great Member of this body and what a fierce 
             competitor and a fair competitor, Mr. Speaker. As my 
             colleague on the other side of the aisle, the 
             distinguished John Lewis, knows well, Charlie would fight 
             for something he believed in but in a very respectful way. 
             And he thought about others before himself.
               An example, Mr. Speaker, is that just in this last 
             election cycle, when Charlie was suffering so much, as 
             Representative Deal has just mentioned, he didn't think 
             about himself. He won his reelection with 67 percent of 
             the vote. And it wasn't that he couldn't campaign because 
             of his illness. He was working all that time for another 
             colleague in a very competitive district. He was 
             essentially running that other campaign. That is the kind 
             of guy Charlie Norwood was, and the kind of fellow that we 
             will all remember here on both sides of the aisle in this 
             great House of Representatives.
               He was a friend, he was a colleague. He was a fighter. 
             He was a fighter for patients' rights. He was a fighter 
             for students, as his work on the Education and the 
             Workforce Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee 
             attest to. He is somebody that we can all emulate.
               And I just want to say to his wife Gloria, to his two 
             sons, Carlton and Charles, Jr., and to the four 
             grandchildren and to the Norwood family, we are praying 
             for you. We want to uplift you. We will be with you 
             tomorrow, but we know, as you do, that Charlie is in 
             heaven right now, and God has accepted him with open arms 
             saying, ``well done, my good and faithful servant.''

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to 
             the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

               Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, to my distinguished 
             colleagues from Georgia and other Members of Congress who 
             are here, this is indeed a sad occasion.
               Charlie Norwood led an extraordinary life. He was a 
             combat veteran. He was a dentist. He pulled himself up by 
             his own bootstraps, truly a son of the South, a son of 
             Georgia.
               He is a person who cared about all the people of 
             Georgia. Let me give you an example, if I may. I remember 
             when I was serving in the Georgia legislature as a State 
             senator, and we needed some help for the Morehouse School 
             of Medicine's National Primary Care Center. The person 
             that led the fight up here to secure the Federal dollars 
             for the Morehouse School of Medicine's Primary National 
             Care Center was Charlie Norwood. And we thank him for 
             that.
               Mr. Speaker, as I think of Charlie Norwood, and I think 
             of so many of the great debates and the battles that we 
             have had up here that we have shared, I am reminded of a 
             great conversation that took place between two great men, 
             Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee. It was at a time when 
             this Nation was going through its great Civil War and was 
             about how to fix that. The conversation went like this. 
             Robert E. Lee said, ``it is not incumbent upon us to 
             complete the task.'' And Abraham Lincoln said, ``nor are 
             we free to desist from doing all we possibly can.''
               That was the essence of Charlie Norwood. We might not 
             have to complete this task, to make America a better 
             place, but neither are we free to desist from doing all we 
             possibly can.
               Charlie, we appreciate you. You fought the good fight. 
             You stayed the course. And for you, God has put up an 
             extraordinary crown of righteousness. We thank you, and we 
             thank God for passing our way.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             3 minutes to my colleague from Georgia (Mr. Price).

               Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, America, the State of 
             Georgia and this House of Representatives have lost a 
             great public servant, an uncommon leader, and a proud 
             patriot.
               I am profoundly saddened by the passing of Congressman 
             Charlie Norwood, a gentleman who selflessly served the 
             people of Georgia and this House for more than 12 years.
               Charlie spent his entire life helping others as a 
             soldier, as a dentist, as a legislator. He served 
             valiantly in the defense of our Nation in the medical 
             battalion of the 173d Airborne Brigade in Vietnam. He 
             returned home to serve his community in Augusta as a 
             dentist. And for 12 years, he was a faithful servant to 
             the people of Georgia in his district as a Member of 
             Congress.
               In Congress he was a passionate supporter of our 
             military and of our veterans. He was a tireless advocate 
             for patients and patient-centered health reform. And he 
             never forgot for whom he worked in Washington, his 
             constituents.
               Congressman Norwood was a dear friend to me. His 
             friendship and his perspective and his guidance in this 
             House are things that I will always cherish. Anyone who 
             knew Charlie knew that he was as tough as they come and he 
             always stood up for what he believed in. Rarely, rarely in 
             any walk of life are we privileged to come to know someone 
             who stood for his principles as strongly as Charlie 
             Norwood. His legacy in the House of Representatives will 
             be one of integrity, vigor, and loyalty.
               Congressman Norwood's devotion to this body and to our 
             country will be sorely missed, but his legacy will never 
             be forgotten. And I shall never forget that wry smile and 
             that twinkle in his eye. What a hero.
               Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in expressing our 
             deepest sympathies to Charlie's wife Gloria, his family, 
             and his friends.
               And while we mourn the loss of this great patriot, we 
             celebrate his lifetime Page H1616 deg. of noble 
             and heroic service and we thank God for giving us the gift 
             of the life of Charlie Norwood.

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. 
             Capps).

               Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all of the fine 
             colleagues that we have who are from Georgia for giving 
             each and every one of us a chance to speak. I am not from 
             Georgia, and I know he was your favorite son, but I do 
             want to give this as my chance to honor this very 
             distinguished Member of Congress, Charlie Norwood.
               I rise today, Mr. Speaker, with a heavy heart but also 
             real admiration for the life of this dear colleague of 
             ours, Charlie Norwood. And my heart as well as all of our 
             hearts go out to his family members, to his community, and 
             to all of the people whose life he has touched.
               I had the privilege of serving on the Energy and 
             Commerce Committee with Charlie for several years and had 
             the opportunity to work with him on initiatives in the 
             Health Subcommittee. And though he and I come from vastly 
             different places on the ideological spectrum, we were 
             often able to see eye to eye on health policy as two 
             health professionals serving in Congress.
               I was proud to work with him in co-chairing the School 
             Health and Safety Caucus, where we used the opportunity to 
             spotlight ways in which we could improve the health of 
             children through school-based initiatives. I was also 
             honored to work with him on legislation to promote 
             children's dental health.
               I think we can all agree that Charlie will be remembered 
             as reliably conservative, but also as an independent 
             thinker. His leadership in establishing a patients' bill 
             of rights was exemplary of his willingness to go out on a 
             limb for something in which he truly believed. He 
             introduced that bill shortly before I came to Congress, 
             and the momentum for passage of the patients' bill of 
             rights was one of the main reasons that I was eager to 
             serve on this Health Subcommittee, which he belonged to.
               I admired his characteristic patient-centered approach 
             to health care policy. It wasn't popular with some of our 
             colleagues, and the President flat out warned that his 
             bill would be vetoed. But Charlie continued forward and 
             was looking forward to an opportunity to finally pass the 
             patients' bill of rights in its original form in this, the 
             110th Congress.
               So I want to take this opportunity to express again my 
             condolences to the Norwood family and to thank them all 
             for the tremendous years, 12 years, of service that they 
             allowed their Charlie to serve with us all in Congress. 
             And I thank my colleagues again.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             3 minutes to another Georgia colleague (Mr. Linder).

               Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding 
             his time.
               I met Charlie Norwood over 30 years ago. We were both 
             young dentists in Georgia. He was the president of the 
             Georgia Dental Association, and I was a young, newly 
             elected dentist in the Georgia legislature. And his 
             enthusiasm blew me away. Irrespective of what he was 
             talking about, he only had two gears: neutral and full 
             speed ahead. And his enthusiasm would capture you. And the 
             bulldoggedness, the way he would put his teeth on an issue 
             and fight for it without ever backing up was astonishing 
             to me. Charlie did not have a coy bone in his body. From 
             the day you met Charlie, you knew what he stood for on 
             whatever the issue was.
               Respectfully, he and I differed on the patients' bill of 
             rights. We spent many hours talking about it. He was 
             adamant that I was wrong and he was right. But at no point 
             did he ever raise his voice or show any disrespect for a 
             position that I had taken that was different from his.
               Charlie loved this institution. He loved the give and 
             take of it. He loved the formality of it. We talked one 
             day if he ever had any notion of running for the Senate, 
             and he said he would never survive there. He would never 
             survive not getting something done every day.
               He treated this institution that he loved with great 
             dignity. When he fought his fights, you knew he was going 
             to fight fair. And for 30-plus years when I have been able 
             to visit with him or know him on this issue or that, I 
             always walked away from each encounter saying what a nice 
             man, what a nice man.
               For Gloria and the family, you are in our prayers. A 
             psalmist has written that the Lord is close to the broken-
             hearted, and those who are crushed in spirit He saves.
               May God give you peace.

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barrow).

               Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
             yielding.
               I rise this afternoon to remember one of our fellow 
             delegation members, the Honorable Charlie Norwood. I know 
             that many Members of this body served with Charlie much 
             longer than I did, but unlike them, I think I may be the 
             only Member here with the distinction of once actually 
             having been represented by Charlie as one of his 
             constituents.
               Charlie Norwood was an accomplished and tireless 
             legislator who had stands on issues that ran the political 
             spectrum. And while I may not have agreed with him on 
             every issue, I always admired his spirit, and I say that 
             as a former constituent and as a colleague.
               As anyone who knew him will tell you, Charlie cared 
             deeply for the State of Georgia and for the people he 
             represented in Congress for over 12 years.
               In this Chamber and among this delegation, there is no 
             question that Charlie Norwood will be missed and his 
             absence will be long felt here in Washington and back home 
             in Georgia.
               My prayers remain with Congressman Norwood's wife 
             Gloria, and with their entire family.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker I am pleased to yield 1 
             minute to the minority leader (Mr. Boehner).

               Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from 
             Georgia for yielding.
               And I come to remember my good friend and our good 
             friend, Charlie Norwood.
               I met Charlie in October 1994 when he was a candidate 
             for Congress for the first time, and I had dinner with him 
             one night before we went off on a 16-city tour. I didn't 
             think it would ever end. But at dinner that night, I 
             looked at Charlie and I asked, ``Why are you running for 
             Congress''?
               He said, ``That OSHA, that OSHA, they did this to me.''
               And for every day that Charlie Norwood served in this 
             Congress, he was all over OSHA, to have rules and 
             regulations that met the straight-face test.
               I was the chairman of the Education and the Workforce 
             Committee, and Charlie was one of my subcommittee chairs 
             for the 5 years that I was the chairman. Clearly the most 
             difficult member I have ever had to try to manage. And 
             whether it was the patients' bill of rights, whether it 
             was OSHA, or a host of other issues, when Charlie got that 
             bone in his mouth, you could not get it out of his mouth. 
             He was the most dogged, persistent Member I have ever 
             worked with. As a matter of fact, I might even say he 
             might be the most dogged persistent person that I have 
             ever met with because when Charlie picked up a cause, he 
             was never going to leave it alone until he accomplished 
             his goal.
               And I am sure that Charlie is watching over us today, 
             wondering why the patients' bill of rights isn't law. Mr. 
             Linder just talked about it. Charlie fought about this on 
             more occasions than you can ever imagine, as did John and 
             a lot of other Members. But Charlie truly believed in that 
             piece of legislation. He put his heart and soul into it.
               We are going to miss Charlie around here. We are going 
             to miss that dogged persistence that he brought to this 
             floor every day and in the committee rooms every day.
               But to Gloria and his family, our prayers are with you.
               And, Charlie, may your soul rest in peace.

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson).

               Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to 
             honor Charlie Norwood, a great servant of the people of 
             Georgia.
               By now you have all heard about his life, so I won't 
             spend much time on his extensive biography. But I do want 
             to bring attention to what he would have Page 
             H1617 deg. wanted us to focus on above and beyond his 
             legislative accomplishments, and that is his family.
               I did not get an opportunity to get to know Charlie, but 
             I do know enough about him to understand what was most 
             important to him. He was a man of high character and 
             values, and so his family was very important. I would like 
             to mention and send my deepest condolences to Charlie's 
             beautiful wife, Gloria, and his two sons, Charles and 
             Carlton, who made it possible for him to serve so 
             honorably, particularly at times when clearly he must have 
             not been feeling well. But he still persisted with his 
             duties and responsibilities as a Congressman.
               It takes a lot to just walk these Halls from the office 
             to the Capitol and back again, and he walked as long as he 
             could, and then he started taking his wheelchair. So the 
             man had a spirit to prevail over whatever obstacles might 
             have befallen him. That is a spirit that each one of us 
             can learn from and live by and do the best that we can, 
             like he did.
               So in addition to just being a great human being, there 
             were a number of legislative accomplishments. I will not 
             go over those either, but I will say as a member of the 
             Armed Services Committee, that I want to bring attention 
             to his military service. He was awarded the Combat Medical 
             Badge and two Bronze Stars for his service in Vietnam. 
             While I did not always or often agree with him on the 
             issues, by all accounts he served his State and his 
             district well.
               Georgia and this Nation have lost a great man, and I am 
             honored to have this opportunity to recognize his 
             contributions today.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to 
             yield 3 minutes to our colleague, the gentleman from 
             Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland).

               Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from 
             Georgia for yielding me time.
               Mr. Speaker, Charlie Norwood was a friend of mine, he 
             was a friend of all Georgians, and he was a friend of 
             every freedom-loving person in this world, because he 
             fought hard for you.
               He was one of the original Republican revolutionaries 
             that was elected in 1994, and he never really lost that 
             spirit, that conservative fever. He agreed with Jefferson 
             that the government that governs least, governs best, and 
             he fought for 12 years in this House to make sure that 
             regulations on business and individual lives were at a 
             minimum. In fact, sometimes he called the government's 
             reach into our lives oppressive.
               Once Charlie was quoted in the Atlanta Journal and 
             Constitution, as saying, ``If I want to put bad wiring in 
             my house and burn my family down, that is my problem, not 
             the government's.''
               That was typical of Charlie. He was a witty warrior. 
             When he joined me in the Voting Rights Act, trying to 
             modernize section 5, the renewal of the Voting Rights Act, 
             I had come up with two amendments. One of them had to do 
             with putting the whole country under it, going through the 
             same scrutiny.
               I met with Charlie and Charlie said, ``Lynn, I want the 
             modernization amendment to be the Norwood amendment.'' I 
             said, ``That's fine, Charlie, but why?'' He said, 
             ``Because I can do a better job than you can.'' That is 
             the way he felt, and that is exactly the way he was.
               That is just one example of why I called Charlie my 
             ``foxhole buddy.'' When Charlie Norwood said he was with 
             you, he was with you until the bitter end. You had his 
             word that he would have your back, and his word was his 
             bond.
               His loyalty and love of country defined him throughout 
             his life. The Valdosta High School football star went on 
             to become a dentist who took his skills to the front lines 
             of Vietnam, where he served his fellow soldiers and his 
             Nation with valor. He served in Vietnam for 1 year and 
             obtained the rank of captain and won two Bronze Stars.
               For the next four decades, Charlie and his loving wife 
             Gloria made their home Augusta, where they raised two 
             children, Carlton and Charles, and he served his community 
             with a smile on his face when he talked about his 
             grandchildren.
               So the thoughts and prayers of all Georgians go out to 
             the Norwood family tonight, to let that family know that 
             we are appreciative of the time that they allowed Charlie 
             to come up here and to serve with us, to bring joy to our 
             hearts and thoughts to our minds of what we could do to 
             make this country a better place to live in.
               The one thing that I want to close with is this, Mr. 
             Speaker: In all the discussions I got into with Charlie 
             Norwood about legislation, he constantly said, ``Lynn, we 
             have got to do what's right.'' That was his motto, to do 
             what was right, and he did. It was an honor to call him 
             friend.

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop).

               Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the 
             gentleman for yielding.
               Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to stand this afternoon to 
             give some remarks about our colleague and dear friend, 
             Charlie Norwood.
               Shakespeare wrote that all the world is a stage and all 
             the men and women merely players. Each has his entrance 
             and his exit. One man in his time may play many parts.
               So it was with Charlie. Charlie was a son, a son to 
             Charlie Norwood, Sr., and Lola. He was a husband to 
             Gloria. He was a father to Charlie and Carlton and a 
             grandfather. And he was a cousin to two very, very 
             wonderful ladies down in Valdosta who said that they often 
             prayed for Cousin Charlie, because they just couldn't 
             understand how he became a Republican.
               Charlie was a student. Charlie got his bachelor's 
             degree. He studied dentistry. He was a soldier. He served 
             his country. He was in Vietnam. But Charlie was a public 
             servant. Charlie believed in leadership through service, 
             and he lived it.
               Charlie really was great, because measured by the 
             standards of Jesus, that he who is great among you shall 
             be your servant, and he who is greatest shall be servant 
             unto all, Charlie measured up.
               Charlie was a fighter. Charlie fought hard for any 
             principle in which he believed. He didn't give up, as you 
             heard, on the patients' bill of rights. He was a fierce 
             competitor. I often didn't agree with him, but I had to 
             admire his tenacity, because he was a fighter. And all the 
             way to the end, Charlie fought. He fought for life.
               We are all blessed, really blessed, to have known 
             Charlie. And Gloria was devoted to Charlie. She took leave 
             from her duties as a member of the Congressional Club to 
             attend to Charlie, to give Charlie her best efforts in his 
             last days.
               But Charlie served well. He really embodied God's 
             minute. I have only just a minute, only 60 seconds in it; 
             forced upon me, can't refuse it; didn't seek it, didn't 
             choose, did it; I must suffer if I lose it, give account 
             if I abuse it; just a tiny little minute, but eternity is 
             in it.
               Thank you, Charlie. You used your minute well.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. 
             Wilson).

               Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Thank you, Congressman 
             Deal, for coordinating this tribute to a patriot.
               Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute and remembrance of 
             my dear friend and our colleague Charlie Norwood. Upon my 
             election 5 years ago, two of the first people to offer 
             guidance to me were Charlie and Gloria Norwood. As a 
             Member of Congress from an adjoining district, I learned 
             firsthand of Charlie's dedication to the public and his 
             love of America. Gloria has been a model First Lady for 
             the district, enthusiastically assisting Charlie in his 
             life of public service.
               Charlie was a committed health care practitioner, a 
             loving family man and a passionate public servant. He 
             spent his entire life fighting for the people of his 
             beloved Georgia.
               True to his character, Charlie fought to the end, 
             despite debilitating health conditions. He was always in 
             good spirits, even though we knew he was exerting 
             extraordinary efforts to fully represent his constituents. 
             He reminded me so much of my predecessor, the late 
             Congressman Floyd Spence, a fellow courageous lung 
             transplant recipient.
               I had the pleasure of serving with Charlie on the 
             Education and the Workforce Committee. I am honored to, 
             this Page H1618 deg. year, be the Republican 
             ranking member on the Workforce Protection Subcommittee, 
             which Charlie ably chaired for three terms.
               In Congress, Charlie was an ardent advocate for health 
             care reform and patients' rights. He was a good friend and 
             strong supporter of the employees of the Savannah River 
             Nuclear Laboratory. I was proud to work closely with him 
             in our efforts to create a MOX facility for the 
             transformation of plutonium waste at the Savannah River 
             site.
               Charlie is survived by his wife Gloria; his two sons, 
             Charles and Carlton; and four grandchildren. Roxanne and I 
             join with his colleagues in mourning his passing and send 
             our prayers to his family, staff, and constituents. May 
             God bless the Norwood family at this time, and may they 
             know that he made a significant and positive difference 
             for America.

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to 
             yield 1 minute to the Speaker of the House of 
             Representatives, the young lady from California, Speaker 
             Nancy Pelosi.

               Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
             yielding and having this Special Order to honor the life 
             and service of our colleague Congressman Norwood.
               It is with great sadness that we received the news first 
             of his illness and then of his passing. We had hoped to 
             have an occasion such as this before he died so he could 
             hear the praise of his colleagues on the floor. I know 
             that many conveyed their good wishes to him personally.
               He left us in a very dignified way. He decided that he 
             would be, as he lived, surrounded by his family at home so 
             that he could die in peace.
               Congressman Norwood, as we all know, as our minority 
             leader mentioned, he had his own particular style, plain 
             spoken, very eloquent, and he was a passionate public 
             servant. He served our country and his own community in 
             Vietnam in service to our country and in the Congress of 
             the United States.
               Again, in this Congress he did his best to serve his 
             constituents, his conscience, and his country.
               Again, he faced the end of his life and his sickness 
             with great bravery and dignity.
               Our thoughts and prayers, I have conveyed to his wife 
             Gloria, but I say again on this floor that our thoughts 
             and prayers are with Gloria and his two sons, Charles and 
             Carlton, and his four grandchildren. I know that I can 
             speak for all Members of Congress when we convey our 
             sympathy to them. I hope that it is a comfort to them that 
             so many people mourn their loss and are praying for them 
             at this sad time.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton).

               Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to read part of 
             a letter dated February 8, 2007. It is from Congressman 
             Norwood to me. It is the last official correspondence that 
             I received from him. It says:

               Dear Joe.
               When you receive this letter, you will know of my return 
             to Georgia after my decision to forgo further medical 
             treatment in the Washington, DC, area for my ongoing 
             battle with non-small-cell cancer. Needless to say, I hope 
             things turn out for the best.
               I expect to be unavailable for my duties for the 
             foreseeable future. I do, however, expect my staff to 
             continue working on several issues, even if I can't be 
             there in person.
               I will have my staff working on the Living Organ Kidney 
             Donation Clarification Act (H.R. 710). This bipartisan, 
             bicameral bill addresses the issue of paired 
             transplantation, which is a way to solve the dilemma faced 
             by people who want to become living organ donors for a 
             family member or friend, but are unable to do so because 
             they are biologically incompatible. In the process of 
             kidney-paired donor transplants, a pair consisting of a 
             kidney transplant candidate and an incompatible living 
             donor is matched with another such incompatible pair to 
             enable two transplants that otherwise would not occur. 
             This bill is widely supported, has no known opposition, 
             doesn't cost a dime, will save Medicare money, and will 
             save thousands of lives. I urge you to work with Mr. 
             Inslee, Chairman Dingell, and my staff to move this 
             important bill forward.

               I have checked with Chairman Dingell. He has assured me 
             that he is prepared to move the bill if it is as he says 
             it is. Knowing Charlie, always telling the truth, it is. 
             So hopefully, very soon on the floor of this body, we will 
             have the Charlie Norwood Living Organ Kidney Donation 
             Clarification Act.
               There are so many stories, but I want to tell one 
             Norwood story. Charlie asked me and now my wife, then my 
             girlfriend, Terri, to go down to the Masters Golf 
             Tournament. I am not a golfer and so I discouraged him 
             from asking me. He said, ``You may not like it but Terri 
             will.''
               So we got to go down to the tournament, and on the first 
             day we went to the tournament, Charlie was telling me how 
             plugged in he was with all the folks at the Masters and 
             how many people he knew, and he was really a major figure 
             out there.
               So we pulled up to the driveway to go up to the main 
             clubhouse that you have seen on TV, and the guard at the 
             gate said, ``May I help you?'' He said, ``I am Congressman 
             Norwood, and I have got Congressman Barton of Texas, and 
             we want to go up to the clubhouse.'' The guard said, 
             ``Well, Congressman, you are not on the list.'' He said, 
             ``I am not on the list?'' And the guard said, ``No, 
             Congressman, you are not.'' So I started giving Charlie a 
             hard time from the backseat.
               I said, ``Charlie, I thought you were a big player 
             around here; you cannot even get up to the clubhouse.'' So 
             Norwood started giving me a hard time, and I started 
             hoorahing the guard, and he said, ``Wait a minute; he said 
             you are a Congressman from Texas?'' And I said, ``Yes, 
             sir.'' He said, ``Congressman Norwood, you park right up 
             there by the clubhouse.''
               So, for that one day, Charlie Norwood had a better 
             parking spot than Tiger Woods or Arnold Palmer or any of 
             the members of the Masters golf course.
               He is in heaven now and my guess is he has got the best 
             parking spot in heaven, too. God bless you, Charlie 
             Norwood, and God bless you, Gloria, and God bless all your 
             family members. Charlie will dearly, dearly be missed.

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green).

               Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my 
             colleague from Georgia.
               I rise in support of the resolution and to pay tribute 
             to my friend and fellow member of the Energy and Commerce 
             Committee, Dr. Charlie Norwood.
               Charlie came to Congress after my first term as part of 
             the class of 1994, and it seems a year did not go by that 
             we did not serve on a committee together.
               I honorably served with him at first on the Education 
             and the Workforce Committee and then later on the Energy 
             and Commerce Committee.
               Charlie and I shared a passion for health care issues, 
             and I particularly enjoyed our work together on the Health 
             Subcommittee.
               A dentist by training, Charlie was devoted to improving 
             the health care system, not only for providers like 
             himself but also for the patients who rely on our health 
             care system to keep them well.
               The phrase patients' bill of rights would not have been 
             coined if Charlie and our chairman, John Dingell, had not 
             teamed up to give patients an ability to fight back 
             against the HMOs that too often make health care decisions 
             based on the bottom line, rather than a physician's 
             recommendation.
               I note Charlie's last legislative act before leaving 
             Washington and returning to Georgia was to reintroduce the 
             patients' bill of rights in this Congress as H.R. 979.
               There is no doubt in my mind that this legislation will 
             be Charlie's legacy and will honor him and his work in 
             this esteemed Chamber by finally making his vision of 
             patients' rights a reality.
               Last July 4 recess, Charlie and I joined two other 
             members of the Health Subcommittee as we visited the 
             impressive trauma facilities utilized by our brave 
             military doctors to treat our wounded service personnel in 
             Baghdad, Iraq and Kabul, Afghanistan.
               I knew there was a good reason Charlie and I got along, 
             despite being different parties, but I also realized that 
             Page H1619 deg. trip that Charlie and I shared a 
             lot of interests, and one of them is firearms. I met few 
             people with more enthusiasm for firearms than Charlie 
             Norwood.
               In fact, I will mention how he cared about people, and 
             Chairman Deal understands that, he presented a book to 
             those of us who went. It has a picture of Charlie Norwood 
             with a .50-caliber machine gun in a helicopter we were 
             flying in, but Charlie was not really happy because he was 
             not sitting behind that .50-caliber machine gun.
               Charlie was a good doctor and honorable Member of 
             Congress and a great friend. He always thought of others, 
             and I will always remember him for his friendship for 
             these years. Our thoughts are with his family, and his 
             wife Gloria has become a good friend of my wife Helen 
             through the congressional spouses group, and I will miss 
             Charlie, and we all will. We honor his memory and his 
             contributions to our country.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. 
             Barrett).

               Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I too stand 
             in favor of the resolution for my friend Charlie Norwood.
               When I first started running in 2002, Charlie was one of 
             the first guys to grab me by the hand, introduce me to 
             people, and be my friend. I remember my first day in 
             Congress Charlie came up to me and said, ``Boy, you just 
             hang with me, I will take good care of you.'' And he did.
               He always told me that the Augusta side of Georgia was 
             mine and the north Augusta side of South Carolina was his; 
             that no river or border could keep us apart. And it was 
             true. And the things he did for me, the things he did for 
             South Carolina, for Georgia, for this Nation will always 
             be remembered.
               Charlie Norwood was a good friend of mine, and we will 
             be sad and we will cry, but in heaven they are screaming, 
             ``We love you, Charlie.'' God bless you.

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
             Marshall).

               Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I didn't know Charlie well; I 
             only met Charlie once before I came to Congress and then 
             had a few occasions to work with him in Congress. I 
             certainly knew his reputation. He was a great advocate for 
             veterans and a great advocate for patients' rights and, on 
             some subjects, willing to buck his leadership in order to 
             advance the cause of patients' rights, and it was 
             something I appreciated a great deal.
               As Charlie grew sicker, from time to time I would seek 
             him out on the floor and ask him how he was doing. He was 
             always upbeat about it, he was always positive about it. 
             He was never down and sad. He would be very frank about 
             what he was able to do and where he was and what his 
             challenges were, but he was always positive about his 
             circumstances. His circumstance was awful, as everybody 
             knows. He fought this disease for years and gradually grew 
             worse, and we were all worried about him.
               So one of the things I did just trying to get to know 
             Charlie a little better is I went to his Website and 
             looked up a little bit about him, and was struck by the 
             description that I found of his military service in 
             Vietnam. And I thought I would like to just read that; and 
             many people who are watching this won't have an 
             opportunity to hear this about Charlie, though everybody 
             knows, I think, that he served in the military.
               But specifically during his tour in Vietnam, Charlie 
             Norwood participated in experimental military dental 
             practices that became standard procedure for the Armed 
             Forces after the war. He was one of the first participants 
             in the Army outreach program to deliver dentists to 
             forward firebases in lieu of transferring patients to rear 
             treatment areas. I am not sure if the rest of the dentists 
             and the doctors appreciated that very much; it meant that 
             you were going into harm's way a little bit more than they 
             otherwise would.
               Norwood also provided some of the first field-based 
             dental treatment of military guard dogs, and assisted in 
             nondental trauma care in mobile army surgical hospitals, 
             MASH, units. In recognition of his service under combat 
             conditions, he was awarded the Combat Medical Badge and 
             two Bronze Stars. After Vietnam, he was assigned to the 
             Dental Corps at Fort Gordon, GA, where he served until his 
             discharge in 1969. Norwood was awarded the Association of 
             the Army's Cocklin Award in 1998, and was inducted into 
             the Association's Audie Murphy Society in 1999. He 
             remained a lifelong member of the American Legion, the 
             Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Military Order of the 
             World Wars.
               Charlie's family should be very proud of Charlie 
             Norwood. As Charlie Norwood was slowly struggling with the 
             disease that took his life, he had to look back on his 
             life and realize that he helped an awful lot of people in 
             a very positive way. We will miss him.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to 
             the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings).

               Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I thank the gentleman for 
             yielding.
               Mr. Speaker, today I mournfully lost not only a 
             colleague but a very close friend. We all know that 
             Charlie's unwavering dedication to his constituents and to 
             our Nation inspired us who had the privilege of serving 
             with him. He was known and was well-documented as a 
             principled lawmaker who was absolutely committed to his 
             values and to his work in this people's House. He was 
             never afraid to stand up for his convictions.
               But, Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak on a personal 
             note, because Charlie and I were elected in 1994, and I 
             see several of my colleagues here that are going to speak 
             after me. My wife Claire and his wife Gloria became 
             friends during the orientation. And while my wife doesn't 
             come back here as often as Gloria was here with Charlie, 
             whenever she came back we always made it a point as often 
             as we could to get together with the Norwoods and have 
             dinner. Charlie loved to try a lot of different venues: He 
             was a steak man, and we ate steak. He liked Italian food, 
             and we found several Italian places where we ate. He took 
             me to a Korean restaurant. He liked Korean food after 
             being in Asia. And we had great conversations. We talked 
             about the patients' bill of rights; we disagreed. We 
             talked about OSHA; we agreed. And so he and Gloria became 
             good friends of Claire's and mine, and he even hosted my 
             brother and I down at the Master's one year. My older 
             brother and Charlie shared the same birth date, so they 
             had a bond right off the bat.
               If there is one legacy I think that Charlie will leave 
             with all of us, it is the bulldoggedness and the 
             determination with which he pursued legislation. But if 
             there is one other legacy that will be left, it is the way 
             he displayed the courage to fight this disease that he 
             had. And I truly think, Mr. Speaker, that any lesser man 
             would not have lasted as long as he did with the disease 
             that he had.
               Charlie will be very, very much missed, and our prayers 
             go out to Gloria and the family.

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how 
             much time do we have left.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Frank of Massachusetts). 
             The gentleman from Georgia has 12\1/2\ minutes, and the 
             other gentleman from Georgia has 8 minutes.

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance 
             of my time.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I thank the Speaker. And I would 
             ask the gentleman, we have numerous speakers, if there is 
             a possibility of yielding time at some point, we would 
             request it.

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I would be pleased to do so.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I thank the gentleman.
               At this point I would yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
             from Missouri (Mr. Blunt).

               Mr. BLUNT. I thank all of my colleagues for the comments 
             they have made today. The job of the whip in the House is 
             supposed to be the job of organizing the Members, and many 
             people think it is the job of convincing Members they 
             should do something they don't really want to do. I will 
             tell you that the Member that it would have been the most 
             impossible to convince to do anything he didn't want to do 
             was Charlie Norwood. He was here to do what he thought was 
             the right thing to do. It wasn't always what I thought was 
             the right thing, but it was what he thought was the right 
             thing and he was Page H1620 deg. going to do it. 
             The toughness, the courage, the determination of Charlie 
             Norwood was extraordinary among an extraordinary group of 
             people. Just this struggle that we have witnessed with 
             Charlie's health, a struggle that he faced uncomplainingly 
             as he sat day after day over in that corner recovering 
             from massive surgery, but, as Chairman Barton showed in 
             the letter he got in recent days, never giving up on the 
             job he was doing for the people he served.
               The people that sent him here should be proud, the 
             people who worked with him should be proud. The people of 
             the United States would be proud if they knew the great 
             and tireless job that Charlie Norwood did for them every 
             day. And I am honored to have had a chance to serve with 
             him and call him my friend.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
             Coble).

               Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, thank you, sir.
               I represent Pinehurst, NC, the golf capital of America. 
             When I would say that Charlie took great umbrage, it was 
             because he was from Augusta.
               On one occasion, Charlie overheard someone ask me to 
             describe my district. I replied, ``I represent High Point, 
             the furniture capital of the world; I represent one of the 
             finest zoos in the country near Asheboro.'' And knowing 
             that Charlie was listening, I said very condescendingly, 
             ``And, of course, the golf capital of America in 
             Pinehurst.''
               Charlie jumped up from his chair--this is the sanitized 
             version. He said, ``Now, you son of a gun, I will let you 
             have the furniture and zoo, but you ain't taking golf.''
               I told that story, Mr. Speaker, to the Southern Pines 
             North Carolina Rotary Club, and within 1 week that story 
             was personally delivered to Doc Norwood. And Charlie said 
             to me, ``Howard, don't ever talk about anybody. It will 
             come back to bite you.''
               Charlie Norwood, as has been said many times on this 
             floor today, was one great guy, one great Congressman who 
             will be sorely missed.
               Charlie, I won't even say Pinehurst is the greatest golf 
             capital of the world at least for a day or two in 
             remembrance of you.
               My condolences to Gloria and the entire Norwood family.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert).

               Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, it was truly an honor to know 
             Charlie Norwood; I admired and respected him. And shortly 
             after I got here to this body I was told by another Member 
             from Georgia who was sitting by Charlie when I was up 
             speaking and Charlie said, ``Who is that guy? I like 
             him.'' Well, the feeling was more than mutual.
               Charlie Norwood, what was not to like? His dogged 
             determination--some would say he was stubborn as a mule. 
             But I think Charlie might more elegantly say he was 
             persistent until it almost ceased to be a virtue. But with 
             Charlie, it was a virtue.
               Now, some gave him bad press, along with some others of 
             us who worked together on the Voting Rights Act. Some 
             falsely claimed that Charlie and others of us were trying 
             to restrict the usage of the Voting Rights Act when a 
             clear indication, everything Charlie did, everything we 
             worked on, everything we talked about behind the scenes 
             was, by golly, the Voting Rights Act has done good for the 
             places it has been applied. It needs to be applied in 
             every district in America until racial disparity has 
             disappeared.
               And although we lost on the floor temporarily, I do 
             believe there is Scripture to support people in heaven to 
             know what is going on here on Earth. They rejoice over one 
             soul's salvation, they know that it isn't over yet. As a 
             matter of equal protection, I think we eventually will get 
             it extended to every district where there is racial 
             disparity.
               To Gloria, to the Norwood family, all we can say through 
             the Speaker is, thank you for sharing this wonderful gift 
             with us. And to God on high, thank you for sharing this 
             gift with this House of Representatives.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             1 minute to the gentlelady from North Carolina (Mrs. 
             Myrick).

               Mrs. MYRICK. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
               Mr. Speaker, as you have heard some of my other 
             colleagues say, there was a group of us who came in in 
             1995 together with Charlie and got to know him very well 
             and consider him a dear friend.
               You have heard all the words, ``perseverance'' and 
             ``doggedness'' and ``determination'' and ``stubborn'' and 
             all those other things that describe Charlie, but there 
             are also some other words that describe Charlie, and these 
             are ``loyal'' and ``friend,'' because he was a friend to 
             all.
               Gloria and Charlie and I became very good friends early 
             on. You could always count on him. There was never any 
             question, if you needed Charlie, he was there if he 
             believed in what you were doing; if he didn't, he would 
             always forthrightly tell you.
               He also displayed that big word ``courage,'' because we 
             saw what he went through as he spent his last 3 years 
             here, and he was always doing his job for his people. The 
             other thing about Charlie was integrity. I think you have 
             to look long and far to find someone who had more 
             integrity than Charlie Norwood; if he gave you his word, 
             he gave you his word.
               All of our blessings go to Gloria and his family.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Shadegg).

               Mr. SHADEGG. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
               Mr. Speaker, I rise to mourn the loss of my friend, 
             Charlie Norwood, and to pay tribute to him and his record, 
             and to extend my sympathies to his wife and his family.
               Charlie Norwood was an extraordinary human, an 
             extraordinary soldier, and an extraordinary U.S. 
             Congressman, and the Nation is better for his service.
               You have heard it said here, over and over and over 
             again, that he was passionate, that he was a fighter for 
             the cause, whether that was in Vietnam, whether that was 
             in his chosen field, dentistry, or whether that was here 
             in the U.S. Congress.
               I worked closely with Charlie on the patients' bill of 
             rights. I believed deeply, as Charlie did, that individual 
             human beings, patients, were being injured by the 
             practices of managed care companies around the country, 
             and that we needed to do something about that. Charlie 
             injected himself in that fight with the kind of passion 
             that Charlie brought to every fight. And I worked shoulder 
             to shoulder with Charlie in that fight, and Dr. Tom 
             Coburn, and learned what a great individual and what an 
             inspiring principled human being he was.
               But the best thing about Charlie was the twinkle in his 
             eye. When Charlie got into a fight, he would literally 
             light up, and light the room with a twinkle of being able 
             to press forward with his fight and his belief and his 
             passion.
               We will all miss him. I consider it a privilege to have 
             known him.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             1 minute to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).

               Mr. WICKER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
               Mr. Speaker, Charlie Norwood and I were elected together 
             in 1994, as were the two previous speakers. And we were 
             part of that history-making, majority-making 73-Member 
             class who came to office in 1995.
               It didn't take us long to realize that Charlie Norwood 
             was one of the wisest and steadiest and most dependable 
             Members of that class. He was a conservative, and never 
             wavered from that philosophy. He was trustworthy, as Mrs. 
             Myrick said.
               He was a competitor. When Charlie Norwood waged battle 
             on this floor on your side, you knew you had a capable 
             comrade at arms. And if he was on the other side, when it 
             was over, you knew you had been in a fight. I remember at 
             the end of the debate on the patients' bill of rights, 
             right along the rail back here, Charlie Norwood and Tom 
             Coburn embracing after the debate like athletes after a 
             great contest.
               Whatever he did, Charlie Norwood did it cheerfully, and 
             that is one of the main things I will remember about 
             Charlie. He was a patriot in every sense of the word. He 
             was a credit to Page H1621 deg. this House of 
             Representatives. I am proud to have called him my 
             colleague and my friend.

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, how much time does 
             the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) have?

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 30 seconds 
             remaining.

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             6 minutes to my colleague from Georgia, and I ask 
             unanimous consent to let the gentleman from Georgia in 
             turn control that 6 minutes and yield to other Members.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the 
             request of the gentleman from Georgia?
               There was no objection.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
             Deal) now has 6\1/2\ minutes.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for his 
             courtesy.
               I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
             Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield).

               Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, all of us join in wishing 
             our condolences to Charlie's wife Gloria and his entire 
             family.
               Those of us who were elected in 1994 and had the 
             opportunity to know Charlie, to work with Charlie, and for 
             me personally I had the opportunity to sit next to him on 
             the Energy and Commerce Committee for about 8 years, 
             Charlie was many things. He was a soldier in Vietnam, he 
             was a businessman, he was a dentist, he was a great U.S. 
             Congressman. He also was a Sunday School teacher at 
             Trinity on the Hill Methodist Church in Augusta, GA. And I 
             know that church meant a lot to him because he is asking 
             for donations to that church as a memorial.
               Recently I attended a church service in a Methodist 
             church in Kentucky, and the title of the sermon was ``You 
             Can't Make a Success of Life Without Making a Gift of 
             It.'' And when I think of Charlie Norwood, that is really 
             what I think about: He made a gift of his life. We will 
             miss him. He has made a tremendous impact on all of us. We 
             wish his family the very best.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter).

               Mr. CARTER. I thank you for yielding.
               Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about my friend, Charlie 
             Norwood. I have prepared remarks, but I would really like 
             to just relate like others have.
               The first time I ran into Charlie I was a new freshman 
             in this body. He sat behind me. And when you are brand new 
             here, you are listening and you are trying to figure out 
             what is going on. And when Charlie Norwood opened his 
             mouth, he was saying things sometimes that others were 
             not, and stood his ground to those things, even though 
             they might be in conflict with both the other side and his 
             party, both. Charlie had a way of standing up for his 
             principles.
               I also want to talk about Gloria, because Gloria took my 
             wife under her wing and was kind to her. And I can tell 
             you for this last year and a half, literally every week 
             that I have served in this Congress, my wife has asked 
             about Charlie's health because she fell in love with 
             Gloria Norwood.
               Everyone in this House sends out their hearts to Gloria 
             at the loss of her beloved husband. We were proud to serve 
             with him. He was a great American.
               Today I rise to honor my friend and colleague Mr. 
             Charlie Norwood from northeastern Georgia who passed away 
             yesterday morning. As a man of strong character and 
             unwavering convictions, his passing is surely a saddening 
             loss to the American people.
               Charlie Norwood served as a brave soldier during Vietnam 
             as part of the Army Dental Corps in the 173d Airborne 
             Brigade. He was honored for his courageous service with 
             the Combat Medical Badge and two Bronze Stars.
               Elected to Congress in 1994, Charlie was the first 
             Republican to represent his northeastern Georgia district 
             since Reconstruction. During his time in Congress he was 
             known for his endless fight for the patients' bill of 
             rights and his fight for stricter immigration policies.
               Charlie bravely battled cancer and lung disease, and in 
             his final days he returned to Augusta to be with his 
             family. The Norwood family will be in my thoughts and 
             prayers. Please join me, Mr. Speaker, in expressing our 
             deep appreciation for the lifetime of service by Charlie 
             Norwood and extending our sympathies to his wife, Gloria 
             Wilkinson Norwood, and their family.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             1 minute to one of our colleagues from Iowa (Mr. King).

               Mr. KING of Iowa. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
               Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in profound sorrow and 
             gratitude for the life of Charlie Norwood. I believe I had 
             known Charlie long before I came here to meet him in 
             person. I got to know him through C-SPAN and through the 
             media. When I met him personally, he had matched up 
             identically with the person that I saw through the 
             television screen. Charlie had that light within him, as 
             John Shadegg said.
               I look back at a time when Charlie was not feeling well. 
             He came here whenever it was physically possible for him 
             to do that, and I remember a day when he looked poor, but 
             when he spoke in that microphone right there, that light 
             came back on again and the real Charlie Norwood again 
             blessed this Chamber with his presence.
               America will always be grateful. Gloria, Marilyn and I 
             want you to know that you and your family are in our 
             prayers. We will always look over to this place on this 
             floor where Charlie always sat and recognize that as 
             Charlie's seat in the People's Chamber.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer).

               Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express deep sorrow at 
             the passing of our friend and colleague, Charlie Norwood. 
             While most of us hope to make a difference in this world, 
             Charlie Norwood certainly did that. He also made a 
             difference in the lives of those who were fortunate enough 
             to have known him.
               Charlie was steadfast and did what he thought was right. 
             He was an immovable object in the defense of principle, 
             and when met with irresistible force, it wasn't likely 
             that Charlie was the one who was moved.
               During the development of the Medicare prescription drug 
             benefit, I worked closely with Charlie and several of my 
             colleagues to see if there was an alternative plan and how 
             we were going to work this out. Charlie's contributions 
             were insightful, they were valuable, and added 
             considerably to the worth of our final product. During 
             that process, he was constantly mindful of two things, and 
             that was the need to help seniors who had no drug coverage 
             and the need to be wise stewards for taxpayers.
               Coming to Congress with a medical background, Charlie 
             provided a point of view that enhanced any debate he 
             entered. While witnesses before him at the Health 
             Subcommittee may have cringed at times under his 
             questioning, the responses that were drawn out always 
             added an important dimension to our debates.
               Charlie will be sorely missed: in Congress, in the 
             Health Subcommittee, but more importantly in all our 
             lives. I give my deepest sympathies to his wife, Gloria, 
             his sons Charles and Carlton, and his constituents.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 
             1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham).

               Mr. LATHAM. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I 
             thank the Speaker for this chance to say just a few words 
             about my dear friend and classmate, Charlie Norwood.
               To Gloria, to the family, we extend our most sincere, 
             deepest condolences. Kathy and I will keep you in our 
             prayers.
               I just want to tell one short story about Charlie. When 
             we came into Congress together back in 1994 and we had the 
             Contract With America, the first 100 days, one of the very 
             first votes that we had was H.R. 1. That was an amendment 
             to the Constitution to balance the budget. I was standing 
             right back here at the voting machine beside Charlie 
             Norwood. I voted ``yes.'' Charlie put his card in, he 
             voted ``yes,'' and he turned to me and said, ``You know 
             what. That's what I ran on. I can go home now. I've done 
             my job. I've kept my promise.''
               That's what Charlie Norwood was all about. I just want 
             to say, Charlie, you're home now, the Augusta, the Georgia 
             that you love, and our thoughts and prayers will always be 
             with you and the great honor that you have given all of us 
             here to serve with you in this great body. Page 
             H1622 deg.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I would say to my colleague, Mr. 
             Lewis, I am prepared to close if you would like to.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the 
             gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

               Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, Charlie Norwood, the 
             man from Georgia, not just a citizen of Georgia, not just 
             a citizen of the American South, but a citizen of the 
             world, a man who fought the good fight, who kept the 
             faith. He was a good and decent man, and we will never 
             ever forget his lasting contribution.
               We pray for his family, for the people of his 
             congressional district, and we pray for his soul.
               Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to 
             thank my colleague, Mr. Lewis, for his graciousness, for 
             his assistance in bringing this resolution to the floor, 
             and to express my appreciation to all of our colleagues 
             who have spoken here today. Their eloquence, I hope, 
             conveys to Gloria and to the family the esteem with which 
             we held Charlie Norwood. Truly the gentleman from Georgia 
             and the blue seersucker suit is going to really be missed 
             here, but his legacy will live on.
               It is the responsibility of each of us to make sure that 
             we have the same degree of commitment and passion as 
             Charlie Norwood did. He set a great example we will all 
             endeavor to follow.

               Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today 
             in sadness to note the recent passing of a dear friend and 
             colleague, Charlie Norwood. I want to extend to his wife 
             Gloria and her sons, and their family, my deepest sympathy 
             for their loss.
               I know how much Charlie loved his wife Gloria and his 
             family.
               I join my colleagues today on the floor of the House to 
             honor his service in the House of Representatives, and to 
             honor his memory.
               Charlie and I came to Washington with the class of 1994. 
             We were elected to Congress in the same year and we came 
             with the class that was going to change the way Washington 
             operates.
               In the seven terms that I have served with Charlie, I 
             gained a lasting friendship and respect for him.
               Charlie certainly made an impact on the House of 
             Representatives. He always fought for the causes for which 
             he believed, and many times we were on the same side.
               In the last year of his service, as he was battling 
             illness, he always had a smile for me when I would speak 
             to him. And I know that he had a smile for anyone who came 
             to say hello.
               As a man of faith, I know that Charlie is in heaven. But 
             for those of us who had the privilege to know him, we will 
             miss him until we meet again.
               He was an outstanding Congressman, and he will be 
             missed.

               Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, it is with sorrow, yet 
             fondness, that I speak on the passing of our colleague and 
             friend, Charlie Norwood. While in Congress, his dedication 
             to Georgians, to patient advocacy, to business ownership 
             and property rights, and to veterans are legendary.
               Prior to his service in the House of Representatives, 
             Charlie served his country as a captain in the U.S. Army 
             Dental Corps in Vietnam, and he contributed to his 
             community as a dentist, business owner, and active 
             worshipper in his Methodist Church.
               I first learned about Charlie in 1994 when he was 
             running for his Georgia district. Struck by his pluckiness 
             and quiet steadfast determination even then, I decided to 
             campaign for him in his district-to-be, and met his wife 
             Gloria. And when he was elected, he immediately became a 
             player in health care legislation, not waiting to reach 
             the echelons of seniority to make real contributions.
               Through all his trials, Charlie Norwood had a sparkle, 
             an ingenuity of how to get things accomplished. His 
             passion would at times translate into defiance at another 
             Member. In particular, I recall such a moment at the 
             Energy and Commerce markup on July 27, 2006 of H.R. 4157, 
             the Better Health Information System Act of 2006, or 
             ``Health IT'' bill. Another Member, Representative Markey, 
             was offering some language that would have the effect of 
             governing relations between health care providers and 
             their patients. Well, Charlie took great exception to 
             this, and rather angrily erupted to Representative Markey 
             that his profession has engaged in the highest ethical 
             standards of patient privacy since the inception of 
             dentistry, and therefore ``I don't need you to legislate 
             my professional ethics.''
               In the past couple of years, Charlie would ride in his 
             scooter to the Energy and Commerce Committee on which we 
             served together, and to the floor, for debate and hearings 
             and votes. And notwithstanding his ailing health, I was 
             always touched by his continued friendly, high spirits. 
             Charlie, I am honored to have known you. Rest in peace.

               Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this 
             resolution honoring the life of our friend and a great 
             Member of this body, Charlie Norwood, who passed away 
             after an 8-year battle with a chronic lung disease, and 
             then lung cancer.
               Elected in 1994, Charlie was a passionate public servant 
             who will be remembered for his dedication to health care 
             issues and his commitment to patients' rights. A dentist 
             by training, he had the unique perspective of 
             understanding how health policy impacted him as a 
             practitioner as well as his patients. His experiences were 
             a driving force in his passionate advocacy for a patients' 
             bill of rights, and he helped lead the effort to pass that 
             legislation.
               Charlie also served his country in the Army for 3 years, 
             and was a veteran of the Vietnam war. I had the privilege 
             of getting to know Charlie when our offices were next door 
             to each other in the Rayburn Building and enjoyed our 
             friendly visits and candid conversations. He instantly 
             gained my respect as a hard-working and eager gentleman 
             willing to work across party lines in search of 
             compromise.
               Mr. Speaker, while Charlie's presence will be missed, 
             his valiant spirit will live on and I am grateful for the 
             opportunity to have served with him in this Chamber. I 
             send my condolences and best wishes to his family, and 
             join my colleagues in supporting this resolution.

               Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply saddened at the 
             loss of a great American. Charlie Norwood was an honored 
             Member of this House of Representatives and will be deeply 
             missed. His work for patient and individual rights showed 
             his intense compassion for the American people.
               Congressman Norwood was someone who lived the American 
             dream. He went to college, became a dentist, fought for 
             his country in Vietnam, and was a loving husband, father 
             and grandfather. He served his district, State and country 
             with distinction in the U.S. Congress.
               Charlie worked to leave the world a better place than it 
             was given to him, and I can say that, because of his 
             service to our country and work for health care issues, he 
             did just that.
               Congressman Charlie Norwood was taken from this Earth 
             too soon. My wife Diana and I extend our deepest sympathy 
             to Gloria and the entire Norwood family at this difficult 
             time.

               Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise with a heavy heart 
             today to remember a friend, and colleague--Representative 
             Charlie Norwood of Georgia, who passed away yesterday, at 
             his home in Augusta, GA.
               Charlie and I came into Congress as part of the 
             ``Republican Revolution'' in 1994. We shared a common 
             vision with the rest of our classmates of what the Federal 
             Government should be and how it should act. Charlie worked 
             diligently to attain this vision while serving his 
             constituents.
               During this sorrowful time my thoughts and prayers go 
             out to his family, friends, staff and loved ones. It was 
             an honor serving with Charlie, and he will be sorely 
             missed.

               Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay 
             tribute to a great American and a Member of this House. 
             Charles Norwood was a veteran, dentist, small business 
             owner, and Member of Congress from Georgia.
               Congressman Norwood, who died on Wednesday, February 14, 
             2007, was a respected Member of this body and respected by 
             all who knew him. His presence will be greatly missed and 
             we all mourn his loss and extend our sincerest condolences 
             to his family and friends.
               Charles Norwood was born July 27, 1941, in Valdosta, GA. 
             ``Charlie'' as he was known, attended school in Valdosta 
             throughout his first year of high school when his family 
             moved to Tennessee, where he graduated in 1959 from Baylor 
             Military High School in Chattanooga. He received his B.A. 
             from Georgia Southern University in 1964 and a doctorate 
             in dental surgery from Georgetown University Dental School 
             in 1967 where he was elected president of the Dental 
             School student body during his senior year.
               After completing dental school, Charlie Norwood enlisted 
             in the U.S. Army, and was commissioned a captain in the 
             U.S. Army Dental Corps from 1967 to 1969. He was first 
             assigned to the Army Dental Corps at Sandia Army Base in 
             Albuquerque, NM. In 1968, he was transferred to the 
             Medical Battalion of the 173d Airborne Brigade in Vietnam.
               While in the Dental Corps, Charlie pioneered dental 
             practices that became standard procedure after the Vietnam 
             war. In addition to assisting the soldiers, he also 
             provided some of the first field-based dental treatment of 
             military guard dogs. For his distinguished service to our 
             Nation, Charlie received the Combat Medical Badge and two 
             Bronze Stars. He was discharged in 1969 after which he 
             entered the private practice of dentistry in Augusta, GA. 
             For many years, ``Doc Norwood'' provided great service to 
             all his patients. Page H1623 deg.
               In 1994, Charlie Norwood was elected to represent the 
             10th Congressional District of Georgia in the historic 
             104th Congress. We were classmates because that same year 
             I was elected to represent the citizens of the Eighteenth 
             Congressional District of Texas. Charlie represented his 
             district so well that he was reelected by his constituents 
             six times and always by substantial margins.
               In Congress, Charlie Norwood was a strong proponent for 
             health care reform. He introduced legislation calling for 
             a patients' bill of rights. He also championed more and 
             better health care for veterans. In addition to his work 
             in health care reform, Norwood introduced legislation and 
             worked on various other public policy issues.
               Throughout his congressional career, Charlie Norwood 
             served on the Energy and Commerce Committee and the 
             Education and the Workforce Committee. He was vice 
             chairman of the Subcommittee on Health from 2001 to 2004 
             and a member of the Energy and Power Subcommittee from 
             1995 to 2000.
               Mr. Speaker, a dear colleague has fallen but he will not 
             be forgotten. We are all saddened by our loss but we are 
             happy to have served with him. Our prayers and condolences 
             are with his family and loved ones. Charlie Norwood--
             Vietnam veteran, dentist, small business owner, and Member 
             of Congress--was a good Representative, a good legislator, 
             and a good man. He will be missed.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the 
             balance of my time.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time has expired.
               Without objection, the previous question is ordered on 
             the resolution.
               There was no objection.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the 
             resolution.
               The resolution was agreed to.
               A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

               Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 
             U.S. Congress, it is with great sadness that I rise today 
             to recognize the passing of my esteemed colleague and 
             friend, the Honorable Charles Whitlow Norwood, Jr. of 
             Georgia's 10th Congressional District.
               Yesterday we lost an inspiring public servant to 
             complications from his 8-year battle with idiopathic 
             pulmonary fibrosis. All who knew him and worked with him 
             recognized and appreciated his hard work. Throughout his 
             seven terms in Congress, Charlie served on the Education 
             and the Workforce Committee as chairman of the 
             Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. He also served on 
             the Committee on Energy and Commerce, which included two 
             terms as vice chairman of the Subcommittee on Health. 
             Fueled by a sincere interest in helping others, his 
             colleagues knew he was not working for himself but for the 
             people.
               Charlie is well known for introducing the first 
             comprehensive managed health care reform legislation to 
             Congress in 1995. He truly left his mark in legislation 
             with reforms on patient's rights, education, private 
             property rights, telecommunications, and environmental 
             regulations.
               Charlie was dedicated to public service throughout his 
             entire life, not only as a Member of Congress, but also as 
             a dentist, a Vietnam veteran, a small businessman, and a 
             man of great faith. He and wife were active in their local 
             United Methodist Church, as well as members of the Augusta 
             Opera Society and Augusta Symphony Guild. In every aspect 
             of his life, he was recognized with countless awards and 
             honors which illustrate how his contributions to his 
             community were limitless.
               We have not lost a colleague--we have lost a good 
             friend.
               The Honorable Charlie Norwood is survived by his wife 
             Gloria, sons Charles and Carlton Norwood, and four 
             grandchildren, all of Augusta. We will continue to hear of 
             his service well into the future as Charlie's legacy will, 
             without a doubt, live on.
               Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the U.S. Congress, I am proud 
             to honor the life of the Honorable Charles Whitlow 
             Norwood, Jr. and his living legacy.

               Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sadness 
             that I mourn the loss of my friend and colleague, 
             Congressman Charlie Norwood. Charlie was a tenacious 
             fighter in Congress who would not back down from his 
             beliefs. More important than his work in the House of 
             Representatives, he was a dedicated husband, loving father 
             of two sons and a grandfather of four.
               Charlie served his country proudly in Vietnam and was a 
             decorated veteran. Upon his return to the States, he 
             practiced dentistry and helped countless Georgians. In 
             1994, he brought his compassion and conservative values to 
             Washington. I soon learned that Charlie Norwood was a man 
             of impressive character and conviction, with a Southern 
             charm and heart of gold.
               Charlie Norwood was a fervent believer in tackling the 
             problem of illegal immigration, and I enjoyed working with 
             him to pass immigration reform. Charlie made a valuable 
             contribution to the House's immigration bill in the 109th 
             Congress by including parts of his CLEAR Act, H.R. 842, in 
             the legislation. I shared his belief that we should direct 
             local law enforcement to help us apprehend the illegal 
             immigrants in this country who are criminals.
               Charlie courageously battled cancer for a number of 
             years, and he was an inspiration to many, including his 
             colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I am pleased that I 
             had the opportunity to work with Charlie, and my wife 
             Cheryl and I extend our deepest sympathies to Gloria 
             Norwood and their entire family.

               Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my 
             fellow colleagues in mourning the passing of Congressman 
             Charlie Norwood. My friend and the Honorable 
             Representative for the people of the Ninth District of 
             Georgia passed away on Tuesday after his long battle with 
             lung disease and cancer. This Chamber, and the State of 
             Georgia has lost a friend and one of our most capable and 
             dedicated Members. Even before Charlie came to Congress in 
             the election of 1994, he was a courageous individual and 
             public servant. The former Army dentist was a decorated 
             officer serving in Vietnam, having been awarded the Combat 
             Medical Badge and two Bronze Stars for his service.
               Words cannot fully express the sorrow that is felt by 
             those who have known and loved Charlie. My heart goes out 
             to Charlie's wife, Gloria, their two sons, Charles and 
             Carlton, and their four grandchildren. I also will be 
             keeping Charlie's staff in my thoughts and prayers, as I 
             had the pleasure of working with Dr. Norwood on a variety 
             of issues, and his staff was always a delight to work 
             with. I can only imagine how tough it is for them, and all 
             of Charlie's family and friends right now during this 
             difficult time. I will be keeping Charlie's memory in my 
             thoughts and prayers. He was always a dear friend of mine, 
             someone who I looked to for his opinion and judgment.
               Charlie is now leaving us for a better place, but he 
             leaves behind a lasting legacy, and shoes that can never 
             be filled. We have lost a hero and a champion. God bless.

               Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I join my 
             colleagues in mourning the passing of Charlie Norwood. As 
             a Member of Congress from the neighboring State of South 
             Carolina, I was fortunate enough to serve with Charlie and 
             see firsthand his dedication to public service. Coming to 
             Congress with a medical background, Charlie championed 
             issues regarding a patients' bill of rights which was 
             designed to give people better access to health care. As a 
             decorated Vietnam veteran, Charlie was a fighter. He 
             fought for 12 years as a Member of Congress on behalf of 
             his constituents. I worked with Charlie on a number of 
             issues including education, military, and veterans' 
             issues. As Subcommittee chairman of Health on the 
             Veterans' Affairs Committee, I had the pleasure of 
             participating in a town hall meeting with the veterans 
             from his district.
               Diagnosed with cancer in 2006, Charlie continued to 
             serve the people of Georgia bravely and honorably in the 
             House of Representatives despite his ill health. He fought 
             to the end, and in his final days, he returned home to be 
             with his family.
               Charlie will be sorely missed, but his legacy will never 
             be forgotten. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife 
             Gloria and his two children during this sad time.

               Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I 
             rise today to honor the memory of former Georgia 
             Congressman Charlie Norwood and his lifetime of dedication 
             to the people of Georgia and the United States. I was 
             deeply saddened to learn our colleague passed away earlier 
             this week. We have not only lost a wonderful friend, but 
             an individual who during his lifetime made countless 
             contributions toward the betterment of our Nation.
               Charlie, a native of Valdosta, GA, began his career of 
             service by volunteering for the U.S. Army, serving as 
             captain in the Dental Corps. He served in Vietnam, where 
             he distinguished himself under combat conditions, and he 
             was awarded the Combat Medical Badge and two Bronze Stars. 
             Immediately after his discharge, Charlie opened his dental 
             practice in Augusta. He was highly involved in many 
             professional organizations, serving as president of both 
             the Eastern District Dental Society and the Georgia Dental 
             Association.
               In 1994, Charlie was elected to represent the 10th 
             District of Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives. 
             Throughout his six terms, Charlie was a champion of 
             patients' rights, introducing his patients' bill of 
             rights. He also fought for health care reform for military 
             retirees and veterans. Charlie also served with 
             distinction as a member of the Energy and Commerce 
             Committee and the Education and the Workforce Committee.
               We are privileged to have known and worked with such a 
             passionate and loyal individual. Charlie will be greatly 
             missed and always remembered. Madam Speaker, I ask my 
             colleagues to join me in remembering a dedicated 
             statesman. Dr. Norwood will be deeply missed by his 
             family--his wife, Gloria Wilkinson Norwood, and his sons, 
             Charles Norwood and Carlton Norwood--as well as the 
             countless friends he leaves behind. Our thoughts and 
             prayers are with them all at this difficult time.

               Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, this week our country lost a 
             fine American with the death of Congressman Charlie 
             Norwood. Congressman Norwood was a tireless advocate for 
             his district and the State of Georgia and an icon in the 
             field of health care. His dogged determination to improve 
             life for the average family and improving health care in 
             this country for the patient that confronted overwhelming 
             bureaucracy, increasing costs, and diminishing access was 
             a hallmark of this great man's career of public service.
               Before I was elected to Congress and during one trip to 
             Washington where I met with my Chamber of Commerce as a 
             private physician, I was asked which Member of Congress I 
             would most like to meet. I responded that I would most 
             like to meet with Charlie Norwood. To my surprise, they 
             were able to set up a meeting for me with Congressman 
             Norwood. Now at the time, I was a constituent of Majority 
             Leader Dick Armey who represented the 26th District before 
             he retired and I succeeded him here in the House of 
             Representatives. At that time, the Majority Leader was 
             basically playing traffic cop to one of Charlie's many 
             bold health care initiatives. Unfortunately, when 
             Congressman Norwood figured out I wasn't visiting him as 
             an emissary of Congressman Armey he listened to my gushing 
             praise and then quickly exited the meeting graciously. It 
             was 6 years later that I would have the chance to meet 
             again with Congressman Norwood, this time as a freshman 
             Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The first 
             question he asked me then was, ``are you with me or 
             against me,'' then referring to his long battle for the 
             patients' bill of rights.
               Well, I've been with Charlie ever since. During my early 
             tenure in office, he was a gracious mentor and even more 
             so when I joined him as a member of the Energy and 
             Commerce Committee during the 109th Congress. Charlie's 
             strong defense of medical providers and patients, his 
             tough stances on border security and national security, 
             defined a man dedicated to his country. Even during his 
             failing health, Congressman Norwood was as persistent as 
             he ever was.
               My thoughts and prayers are with Gloria and his family. 
             America lost a great man. I lost a friend and a mentor. 
             Charlie, we won't forget you.

               Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sorrow that 
             I rise to remember the life of Charlie Norwood. I know 
             Charlie had an impact on everyone that he came into 
             contact with and we are all grieving the loss.
               I had the privilege of serving with Charlie on the 
             Energy and Commerce Committee. Charlie loved a robust 
             discussion of the issues. He loved the ability to debate 
             an idea and he loved espousing his conservative beliefs. 
             When his microphone went on in committee, you could see 
             the gleam in his eye as he readied for a hearty exchange. 
             His love of engaging the issues was appreciated by all his 
             colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee.
               Charlie was a man of deep conviction and integrity. He 
             will be deeply missed, not only by this body but also by 
             his constituents and his family.
               Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
             celebrating the life and accomplishments of Congressman 
             Charlie Norwood.

                                     ADJOURNMENT
               Mr. DELAHUNT. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now 
             adjourn.
               Page H1667 deg. The motion was agreed to.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 
             159, the House stands adjourned until 10 a.m. today, as a 
             further mark of respect to the memory of the late 
             Honorable Charlie Norwood.
               Thereupon (at 12 o'clock and 1 minute a.m.), pursuant to 
             House Resolution 159, the House adjourned as a further 
             mark of respect to the memory of the late Honorable 
             Charlie Norwood until today, Thursday, February 15, 2007, 
             at 10 a.m.
                  Thursday, February 15, 2007 Page H1671 deg. 
                                                15fe07-75 deg.
               The House met at 10 a.m.
               The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered 
             the following prayer:
               God, ever mindful of those who place their trust in You, 
             You bless our comings and our goings, for You are ``God 
             with us'' and guide every step of the way.
               Today we ask Your blessing upon Lorraine Miller and Dan 
             Beard as they enter this Chamber to be sworn in as 
             officers of the House of Representatives. May they 
             faithfully fulfill the duties that are about to be laid 
             upon them and serve this noble institution and its Members 
             with diligence, prudence and right judgment. May they be 
             welcomed with sincerity and gratitude.
               Today, Lord, we also pray for the Honorable Charlie 
             Norwood, who will be carried from Your Church here on 
             Earth and laid to rest. May the modest smile on his face 
             come to full expression as he hears You say, ``Well done, 
             my good and faithful servant. Come, enter the joy of your 
             Master.''
               Grant his family and friends the consolation that comes 
             from faith. May he and all those who serve and love others 
             and work in public service through Your mercy rest in 
             peace.
               Amen. Page H1782-H1783 deg. 15fe07-
             103 deg.
             APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE COMMITTEE TO ATTEND FUNERAL 
                        OF THE LATE HONORABLE CHARLIE NORWOOD
               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 
             159, and the order of the House of January 4, 2007, the 
             Chair announces the Speaker's appointment of the following 
             Members of the House to the committee to attend the 
             funeral of the late Honorable Charlie Norwood:
               The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Lewis
               The gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Boehner
               The gentleman from Missouri, Mr. Blunt
               The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Bishop
               The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Deal
               The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Kingston
               The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Linder
               The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Gingrey
               The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Marshall
               The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Scott
               The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Barrow
               The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Price
               The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Westmoreland
               The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Johnson
               The gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr. Sensenbrenner
               The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Barton
               The gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Coble
               The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Gene Green
               The gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Hoekstra
               The gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Manzullo
               The gentleman from California, Mr. McKeon
               The gentleman from Florida, Mr. Mica
               The gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Frelinghuysen
               The gentleman from Washington, Mr. Hastings
               The gentleman from Illinois, Mr. LaHood
               The gentleman from Iowa, Mr. Latham
               The gentlewoman from North Carolina, Mrs. Myrick
               The gentleman from Arizona, Mr. Shadegg
               The gentleman from Kansas, Mr. Tiahrt
               The gentleman from Mississippi, Mr. Wicker
               The gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Aderholt
               The gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Pitts
               The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Sessions Page 
             H1783 deg.
               The gentlewoman from California, Mrs. Capps
               The gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Hayes
               The gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Tancredo
               The gentleman from Nebraska, Mr. Terry
               The gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Brown
               The gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Pence
               The gentleman from Florida, Mr. Putnam
               The gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Shuster
               The gentleman from Florida, Mr. Miller
               The gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson
               The gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Sullivan
               The gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Barrett
               The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Burgess
               The gentleman from Iowa, Mr. King
               The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Neugebauer
               The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Conaway
               The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Gohmert
               The gentlewoman from Ohio, Mrs. Schmidt
               The gentleman from California, Mr. Bilbray
                 Tuesday, March 6, 2007 Page H2192-H2197 deg. 
                                                06mr07-82 deg.
                    CHARLIE W. NORWOOD LIVING ORGAN DONATION ACT
               Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
             pass the bill (H.R. 710) to amend the National Organ 
             Transplant Act to clarify that kidney paired donation does 
             not involve the transfer of a human organ for valuable 
             consideration, as amended.
               The Clerk read as follows:
                                      H.R. 710
               Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
             of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

             SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
               This Act may be cited as the ``Charlie W. Norwood Living 
             Organ Donation Act''.

             SEC. 2. NATIONAL ORGAN TRANSPLANT ACT; AMENDMENT REGARDING 
               PAIRED DONATION OF HUMAN KIDNEYS.
               (a) In General.--Section 301(a) of the National Organ 
             Transplant Act (42 U.S.C. 274e(a)) is amended by adding at 
             the end the following: ``The preceding sentence does not 
             apply with respect to the paired donation of human 
             kidneys.''.
               (b) Definition.--Section 301(c) of the National Organ 
             Transplant Act (42 U.S.C. 274e(c)) is amended by adding at 
             the end the following:
               ``(4) The term `paired donation of human kidneys' means 
             the donation and receipt of human kidneys under the 
             following circumstances:
               ``(A) An individual (referred to in this paragraph as 
             the `first donor') desires to make a living donation of a 
             kidney specifically to a particular patient (referred to 
             in this paragraph as the `first patient'), but such donor 
             is biologically incompatible as a donor for such patient.
               ``(B) A second individual (referred to in this paragraph 
             as the `second donor') desires to make a living donation 
             of a kidney specifically to a second particular patient 
             (referred to in this paragraph as the `second patient'), 
             but such donor is biologically incompatible as a donor for 
             such patient.
               ``(C) Subject to subparagraph (D), the first donor is 
             biologically compatible as a donor of a kidney for the 
             second patient, and the second donor is biologically 
             compatible as a donor of a kidney for the first patient.
               ``(D) If there is any additional donor-patient pair as 
             described in subparagraph (A) or (B), each donor in the 
             group of donor-patient pairs is biologically compatible as 
             a donor of a kidney for a patient in such group.
               ``(E) All donors and patients in the group of donor-
             patient pairs (whether two pairs or more than two pairs) 
             enter into a single agreement to donate and receive such 
             kidneys, respectively, according to such biological 
             compatibility in the group.
               ``(F) Other than as described in subparagraph (E), no 
             valuable consideration is knowingly acquired, received, or 
             otherwise transferred with respect to the kidneys referred 
             to in such subparagraph.''.

             SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE MEDICARE PHYSICIAN 
               ASSISTANCE AND QUALITY INITIATIVE FUND.
               Section 1848(l)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
             1395w-4(l)(2)) is amended--
               (1) in subparagraph (A), by adding at the end the 
             following: ``In addition, there shall be available to the 
             Fund for expenditures during 2009 an amount equal to 
             $30,000,000 and for expenditures during or after 2013 an 
             amount equal to $470,000,000.''; and
               (2) in subparagraph (B)--
               (A) in the heading, by striking ``furnished during 
             2008'';
               (B) by striking ``specified in subparagraph (A)'' and 
             inserting ``specified in the first sentence of 
             subparagraph (A)''; and
               (C) by inserting after ``furnished during 2008'' the 
             following: ``and for the obligation of the entire first 
             amount specified in the second sentence of such 
             subparagraph for payment with respect to physicians' 
             services furnished during 2009 and of the entire second 
             amount so specified for payment with respect to 
             physicians' services furnished on or after January 1, 
             2013''.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the 
             gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee) and the gentleman 
             from Texas (Mr. Barton) each will control 20 minutes.
               The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.

               Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I 
             may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 
             710, a bill originally introduced by Representative 
             Norwood of Georgia, only for the purpose of adding 
             cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 
             of rule XII.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the 
             request of the gentleman from Washington?
               There was no objection.

               Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
             may consume.
               Mr. Speaker, we are here today to pass the Charlie W. 
             Norwood Living Kidney Organ Donation Clarification Act. We 
             do so both to honor Dr. Norwood, who provided such great 
             service to his district and to the country for many years; 
             of course, Dr. Norwood did so as the result of being a 
             recipient of lung transplants himself; but also to honor 
             the thousands of Americans who are today waiting for 
             kidney transplants. This bill, we believe, will be a great 
             step forward to hasten the day when those folks can 
             potentially have kidney transplants.
               It is a fitting tribute to Dr. Norwood for his tireless 
             efforts to improve our Nation's health and his great work 
             in fighting as a patient's advocate.
               Second, I would like to thank the staff of both of the 
             committees, as well as Dr. Norwood's office and personal 
             staff, for their work to make this bill a reality.
               This legislation would allow a procedure commonly known 
             as paired donation to be legal, to make that clear, and to 
             provide hope to patients waiting for kidney transplants. 
             Paired organ donation will make it possible for thousands 
             of people who wish to donate a kidney to a spouse, a 
             family member or a friend but find that they are medically 
             incompatible to still become living kidney donors.
               This is very important, because, as of February 23, we 
             had over 70,000 patients who are now on the waiting list 
             for a kidney transplant, and yet we performed only 16,500 
             kidney transplants in 2005, of which only 6,500 were 
             living kidney donors. H.R. 710 will take a significant 
             step toward reducing the number of patients on the waiting 
             list and giving many more the hope that their wait will 
             not be endless.
               Further, this bill is supported by numerous medical 
             organizations, including the United Network for Organ 
             Sharing, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the 
             American Society of Transplantation, the National Kidney 
             Foundation and the American Society of Pediatric 
             Nephrology.
               I have sort of a local person who gives me advice about 
             this, Dr. Connie Davis, who is a transplant expert, a 
             physician, and she says that this bill is a huge step 
             forward for the transplant community as clinical efforts 
             in the direction of paired donation have been severely 
             hampered by concerns over the legal status of such 
             activity.
               I believe it is imperative that we make it clear that 
             there is no intent by Congress to bar this procedure. It 
             is my hope that the Senate will act quickly on this. 
             Simply put, we want this legislation to save lives 
             immediately.
               So, for the 70,000 patients waiting for lifesaving 
             kidney transplants, with time spent on costly and often 
             arduous Page H2193 deg. dialysis treatment, their 
             time on the waiting list can be significantly shortened 
             with passage and implementation of this bill.
               It is an honor to stand here working for the name of Dr. 
             Charlie Norwood. I want to thank all those who have worked 
             on this bill, and I hope very shortly we can have this on 
             the President's desk and help those 70,000 people to a 
             healthy future and great productive years, just like Dr. 
             Norwood had in the U.S. Congress.
               I submit for the Record a statement from Dr. Norwood in 
             support of this legislation.
                     Statement of the Honorable Charlie Norwood
               Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 710, the Living 
             Kidney Organ Donation Clarification Act. This bill will 
             explicitly state that Americans in need of a kidney will 
             have a greater chance of receiving one through the process 
             of paired donation.
               Over 70,000 Americans are currently in need of a kidney 
             transplant. As a result of significant demand and limited 
             supply, most transplantees wait for over 4 years before 
             receiving a kidney. Four years for their lives to be saved 
             or lost.
               During this time, if their kidneys fail, end stage renal 
             disease can set in. These patients must undergo dialysis. 
             While dialysis extends patients' lives, their condition 
             often prevents them from being fully engaged in their 
             community and career. Dialysis is life-extending, but not 
             life-bettering.
               Sadly, in many cases, this is where patients lose their 
             battle. In 2004 alone, 3,823 transplant candidates died 
             awaiting a kidney. As our population ages, that figure is 
             going to increase.
               Mr. Speaker, medical science has enabled us to perform 
             more successful organ transplants than ever before. These 
             transplants give patients a new lease on life. Many 
             Members in this body or their loved ones have been touched 
             by the lifesaving gift of organ donation, myself included.
               Kidney transplants from living donors tend to be highly 
             successful, but in many cases, those who want to give a 
             kidney to a loved one feel they cannot help because they 
             are not biologically compatible with the patient in need.
               H.R. 710 is very simple. It clarifies that paired 
             donation is legal under the National Organ Transplant Act. 
             As a result, a pair consisting of a kidney transplant 
             candidate and an incompatible living donor can be matched 
             with another such incompatible pair to enable two 
             transplants that otherwise would not occur.
               Remember those 3,823 souls and ask yourself--could you 
             justify not allowing a process of simply cross-matching to 
             save their lives?
               I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
             legislation in memory of those who have died waiting for a 
             kidney as well as the thousands of Americans who are 
             seeking a transplant or trying to become a living donor to 
             save a loved ones' life.

               Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

               Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
             time as I may consume.
               Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank Chairman Dingell and 
             Subcommittee Chairman Pallone and Ranking Member Deal and 
             Congressman Inslee for expediting consideration of this 
             specific piece of legislation.
               As I have pointed out earlier on the House floor after 
             notification of Congressman Norwood's passing, he wrote me 
             a letter the last day he was in Washington before he flew 
             home to Georgia, and this particular piece of legislation 
             was the primary issue in that letter. It is very, very 
             heartwarming, and I am very grateful that the majority 
             would move this piece of legislation as quickly as they 
             have done. I want to thank them sincerely for doing that.
               As has been pointed out, this piece of legislation will 
             be called the Charlie Norwood Living Kidney Organ Donation 
             Clarification Act, and it is in honor of Congressman 
             Norwood, the late Congressman from the 10th District of 
             Georgia.
               There are over 78,000 Americans who need kidney 
             transplants. The average wait is over 4 years. Paired 
             donation can create greater access to kidney transplants. 
             A paired donation consists of a transplant candidate and 
             an incompatible living donor who are matched with another 
             similar pair so as to enable two transplants that would 
             otherwise not occur.
               The legislation before us today clarifies the ability to 
             perform paired transplantations through the National Organ 
             Transplant Act, or NOTA. This legislation clarifies that 
             paired donations are not considered a valuable 
             consideration.
               This legislation has received the strong support of all 
             the major transplant organizations, including the United 
             Network for Organ Sharing, the American Society of 
             Transplantation, the Association of Organ Procurement 
             Organizations, the National Kidney Foundation, the 
             American Society of Pediatric Nephrology, the Cedars Sinai 
             Health Systems, Johns Hopkins, and the American Society of 
             Transplant Surgeons.
               As a consequence of the legislation that Congressman 
             Norwood and Congressman Inslee have crafted, we assume 
             that at least an additional 2,000 organ transplants a year 
             will occur. That is truly a gift of living that will keep 
             on giving for many, many years to come.
               This legislation, unfortunately, will be the last of 
             many great pieces of legislation that Congressman Norwood 
             helped to pass when he was a colleague of ours in this 
             body. He was a true statesman and sincerely a warm, 
             personal friend of mine. I will miss him greatly.
               Before I yield back, I want to tell a story about 
             Charlie and then read something into the Record.
               Congressman Norwood always considered himself to be very 
             prepared. He was always ready for almost any contingency.
               The night that we voted the Medicare Modernization Act 
             part D prescription drug benefit on this floor will be a 
             time that will long be remembered because it was such a 
             close vote and it took so long to get it passed. Charlie 
             and myself and three other members of the Energy and 
             Commerce Committee on the Republican side had been a part 
             of a group to craft an alternative program for the part D 
             prescription drug benefit. Some of our alternative program 
             was in the final legislation, but not all of it. As a 
             consequence, Charlie was listed as a ``lean no.'' He was 
             in reality a ``hard no,'' but he listed himself as a 
             ``lean no.''
               As we all know, when the climactic vote occurred, there 
             weren't enough yeses on the board to pass it. So I went to 
             one of the senior leaders of the majority party, I am not 
             going to say which one, but I went to one of the senior 
             leaders and I said, ``I think we can get Charlie Norwood 
             to vote for this bill.'' They said, ``No, you're not going 
             to get Charlie to vote for the bill.'' I said, ``I think 
             we can, if you'll talk to him.''
               So I went to Charlie and I said, ``Would you talk?'' 
             Charlie said, ``I don't want to talk to anybody. I'm going 
             to vote against the bill.''
               I went back and forth. I finally arranged a meeting back 
             in the Republican Cloakroom where Charlie would discuss 
             this particular piece of legislation.
               Now, he had been a no, no, no, no, no for the last 2 
             weeks. So when I finally got the two parties together, 
             Norwood immediately pulled out a list from his pocket. 
             Now, he is deceased, so whatever the statute of 
             limitations is has expired. And this Congressman, who had 
             been a lean no, lean no, lean no, had a list of 10 things, 
             10, that if the senior leadership on the Republican side 
             would consider, he would consider voting for the bill. 
             Ten.
               Obviously, that discussion didn't go too far, so he 
             ended up voting no. But he was prepared, and he had a list 
             of things.
               Now, in that same sense of being prepared, Mr. Inslee 
             has already put into the Record a statement on this bill 
             by Congressman Norwood. Isn't that amazing? I am going to 
             read another one into the Record. This is the floor 
             statement in support of this bill by the late Congressman 
             Charlie Norwood of the 10th District of Georgia.

               Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also offer a sincere thank you 
             to Ranking Member Barton, Chairman Dingell and Mr. Inslee 
             for all of their help moving this bill. Committee staff, 
             including Katherine Martin, John Ford and Peter Goodloe 
             should be acknowledged for their aid as well. A special 
             thank you to Nick Shipley with Mr. Inslee's office who 
             worked with J.P. from my staff from day one as a tireless 
             advocate to get this bill into law.
               It has been said that common sense is the knack of 
             seeing things as they are and doing things as they ought 
             to be done. Well, let me tell you how things were being 
             done. For years, people missed or were delayed in an 
             opportunity to have a life-saving kidney transplant simply 
             because a member of the executive branch couldn't grasp 
             the Page H2194 deg. true intent of the National 
             Organ Transplant Act's valuable consideration clause. The 
             valuable consideration clause was meant to outlaw the 
             buying and selling of organs, which everyone agrees is 
             proper.
               Now, there are two types of transplant donors, living 
             and cadaveric, or deceased. As a lung transplant 
             recipient, I benefited from the latter, but in the case of 
             the first, a friend or a relative wanting to spare their 
             loved ones from death or dialysis graciously offers to 
             give up one of their kidneys. Regardless of the method, 
             both patient and donor must be biologically compatible.
               In recent years doctors discovered that by using the 
             simple database methods that we use in our everyday lives 
             and business, a paired donation could take place with 
             these living donors.
               In the process of a kidney paired donor transplant, a 
             pair consisting of a kidney transplant candidate and an 
             incompatible living donor is matched with another such 
             incompatible pair to enable two transplants that otherwise 
             would not occur.
               Now, I'm just an old country dentist, but isn't this 
             just common sense? I want to give to someone, but I'm not 
             compatible, but I can give to another patient. Their 
             willing, yet also incompatible, friend can give to my 
             loved one. As a result, two people live; two more slots 
             are opened on the list for even more transplants to take 
             place. Common sense, Mr. Speaker.
               However, instead of every single transplant center 
             undertaking this commonsense approach, some folks were 
             denied the chance to be cross-matched and, instead, their 
             loved one suffered and even died while awaiting a 
             transplant.
               Seventy-three thousand six hundred fifty-two. That is 
             roughly the number, Mr. Speaker, of people waiting for a 
             kidney transplant. I can't imagine looking at any of those 
             people and telling them ``I am sorry, some bureaucrat 10 
             years ago inspired fear around the simple process to save 
             you today, so you will have to languish on the list and 
             hope for the best.''
               I will tell you what: That is hogwash. Times have 
             changed. Paired donation is saving lives today and will 
             save even more once we get this bill done. H.R. 710 has 
             the support of every major transplant organization, from 
             the United Network for Organ Sharing, who will manage the 
             national list, to the surgeons who will perform the 
             transplants, to the patient advocates to the hospitals.
               In fact, a study published in the Journal of 
             Transplantation predicts a 14-percent increase in the live 
             kidney donor transplants performed each year if paired 
             donation were allowed. Moreover, for each patient who 
             receives a kidney, Medicare will save $220,000 in dialysis 
             costs.
               In fact, Johns Hopkins just did a five-way paired 
             donation where five people were saved instead of being put 
             on the waiting list. Now imagine the good a national list 
             will do. Thousands will be saved through simple common 
             sense. Paired donation is the way things ought to be done.
               How often can we stand in this well on this floor and 
             know what we are doing will save the Government money, 
             improve patient quality of life and save lives? Not too 
             often, Mr. Speaker. I can testify to that.
               What the bureaucracy has failed to correct, this 
             Congress will now step up and take care of, unfortunately 
             for all of those who have not been able to benefit, not a 
             minute too soon.
               I yield back the balance of my time.

               That is the floor statement of the late Congressman 
             Norwood on a bill that, at the time he prepared this, he 
             wasn't sure would get to the floor.
               Yet because of his tenacity and preparedness and the 
             willingness of Mr. Dingell and Mr. Inslee and Mr. Pallone 
             and Speaker Pelosi, the bill is on the floor. I would urge 
             all of my colleagues to support this bill. I do intend to 
             ask for a rollcall vote and let us leave a living legacy 
             of life for the late Congressman Charlie Norwood.
               Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

               Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Barton for 
             reading Dr. Norwood's eloquent statement into the Record.
               I want to note that kidney donation is not just for the 
             recipients. It is for their families and the places they 
             work, and even the U.S. Congress. The reason we had the 
             benefit of Dr. Norwood's wisdom for years in the U.S. 
             Congress was because of a lung transplant. I want to note 
             that what we are doing today is not only helping those 
             70,000 people, but also their families and workplaces and 
             the whole U.S. economy.
               Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

               Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to 
             the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal), the ranking member 
             of the Health Subcommittee.

               Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking 
             member for yielding me this time.
               I too wish to express appreciation to the sponsor and 
             all of those who have made it possible to bring this bill 
             to the floor today. It is certainly altogether fitting and 
             proper that we name this bill after the late Charlie 
             Norwood.
               This bill does two very important things that Charlie 
             really believed in. The first is he believed in organ 
             transplant. As Mr. Inslee alluded, he was the recipient of 
             a lung transplant that extended his life. He believed in 
             organ transplants.
               The second thing that it does is something that he 
             really believed in as well, and that is overcoming 
             bureaucratic red tape that made no common sense. And that 
             is what this bill does. Pairing of donations for kidneys 
             makes all of the common sense in the world. It will save 
             lives and money. Certainly in the tradition of Charlie 
             Norwood, it will perpetuate the importance of organ 
             donations and do so in the memory and in the honor of a 
             great Member of this body.

               Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I would yield to the dean of 
             the House whose leadership helped bring this bill to the 
             floor today, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), 
             for such time as he may consume.

               Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues have said 
             strongly why this is a good piece of legislation and why 
             it should be enacted. I strongly support it, and I urge my 
             colleagues to vote for H.R. 710, the Charlie W. Norwood 
             Living Organ Donation Act. I am delighted that the 
             Commerce Committee could report this good piece of 
             legislation to the House floor, and I am pleased by the 
             consequences of it because we will achieve more help to 
             those in need of organ donation, something which is of 
             great importance to the country and to those who are in 
             such grave and serious need.
               Charlie Norwood wanted this bill very badly. It is a 
             good bill. We are delighted that we could bring to the 
             House floor a good bill which not only does good but which 
             honors its author, Charlie Norwood, by carrying forward 
             his goals, his purposes, and his intentions with regard to 
             helping his fellow Americans. I am delighted we can do 
             this for Charlie Norwood who was a valuable member of the 
             committee and who will indeed be missed by his colleagues 
             in Congress on both sides of the aisle.
               I have a longer statement which will appear in the 
             Record which I believe sets forth some of the things 
             already said by my colleagues. I thank my good friend, the 
             manager of the bill on this side, and the former chairman 
             of the committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton), 
             my dear friend, for their leadership on this matter.
               I rise in strong support of H.R. 710, the ``Charlie W. 
             Norwood Living Organ Donation Act.''
               Representative Charlie Norwood was a dear friend and 
             colleague of mine. Beginning in 1995, Charlie served the 
             people of the 10th District of Georgia admirably and 
             honorably in the House of Representatives. Sadly, Charlie 
             lost his long battle with cancer on February 13, 2007, but 
             he shall not be forgotten and we will pass this 
             legislation in his honor.
               H.R. 710 would modify the National Organ Transplant Act 
             (NOTA) to clarify that ``paired'' kidney donations do not 
             violate a clause of the act regarding ``valuable 
             consideration,'' which outlaws the buying or selling of 
             kidneys and other organs.
               A ``paired'' donation occurs when a donor who is willing 
             to give a kidney to a family member or friend, but is 
             biologically incompatible, donates to another patient who 
             also has an incompatible donor. By cross-matching two 
             Page H2195 deg. or more incompatible donor-
             recipient pairs, more patients can receive kidneys and 
             more donors can give them.
               Currently, an estimated 6,000 individuals nationwide 
             have offered kidneys to family members and friends, only 
             to have the donation rejected because they are 
             incompatible. Many providers will not perform paired 
             donations, however, for fear of violating NOTA. If paired 
             donations were allowed, a study published in the Journal 
             of Transplantation by Johns Hopkins Hospital and the 
             Massachusetts Institute of Technology predicts that there 
             would be a 14-percent increase in the number of live 
             kidney donor transplants performed each year.
               The controversy over paired organ donation began with an 
             interpretation by the Department of Health and Human 
             Services (HHS) stating that paired donation MAY be in 
             violation of NOTA's valuable consideration clause. The 
             clause was intended to outlaw the buying or selling of 
             transplantable human organs. This stigma against paired 
             donation elicits concern within some areas of the 
             transplant community, which desperately wants clear 
             legislative guidance on this issue.
               This legislation is supported by leading organ donation 
             and organ transplant organizations such as the National 
             Kidney Foundation, the American Society of 
             Transplantation, the American Society of Transplant 
             Surgeons, the Association of Organ Procurement 
             Organizations, the Organization for Transplant 
             Professionals, and the United Network for Organ Sharing 
             (UNOS).
               Paired transplantation is a way to solve the dilemma 
             faced by people who want to become living organ donors for 
             a family member or friend, but are unable to do so because 
             they are biologically incompatible. And one of the added 
             benefits of this bill is that it produces savings. Since 
             Dr. Norwood was dedicated to making sure that physicians 
             were treated right and paid properly, we will be using 
             this savings to do just that.
               I would like to sincerely thank Representatives Norwood 
             and Inslee for their leadership, dedication, and diligent 
             work on this important legislation. I urge all of my 
             colleagues to join me in strong support of H.R. 710, the 
             ``Charlie W. Norwood Living Organ Donation Act.''

               Mr. BARTON of Texas. Before I yield to Dr. Gingrey, I 
             want to thank the gentleman from Michigan for his 
             excellent leadership and his willingness to expedite this 
             process. It is because of John Dingell that this bill is 
             on the floor this afternoon. We on the minority are very 
             appreciative of that.
               Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
             Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).

               Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for 
             recognizing me, and I have a longer speech that I want to 
             submit for the Record. I think my staff must have been 
             looking over the ranking member's shoulder when they wrote 
             it. He has already said those nice things about our good 
             friend, Charlie Norwood.
               I was touched, though, in the letter that he received 
             and read, the phrases ``hogwash'' and an ``old country 
             dentist.'' I was sitting here thinking, I can see Charlie 
             saying those things on this floor. That is the way he was 
             and that is the way we remember him. He wasn't an old 
             country dentist, let me assure you. He was a prosperous 
             dentist in Augusta, GA, a population of 130,000, the home 
             of the Masters; but that was Charlie.
               Let me join Joe Barton, the ranking member, in thanking 
             Chairman Dingell. I mentioned this bill to the chairman 
             last week, and he looked at me and said, ``Doc,'' and he 
             had a little mist of tear in his eye, he said, ``Don't 
             worry about this; we are going to do this.'' And I knew 
             then that the chairman and Representative Inslee and 
             others were fully supportive of what Charlie was trying to 
             do.
               If he was thinking just of himself, Mr. Speaker, this 
             bill probably would say the Living Lung Organ Donation 
             Act, which also would be possible; but that wasn't 
             Charlie. He was thinking about those 70,000 other people 
             who are waiting for a kidney.
               Charlie himself had to wait a long time to get that 
             lung. Too long, we think. I don't know if it would have 
             saved his life if he would have had an opportunity for a 
             paired living lung donor, but he was thinking of others 
             who were suffering, and as others have said, to bring a 
             commonsense solution to problem solving in a bipartisan 
             way. They described Charlie as a dog that has got ahold of 
             a bone and won't let it go. Well, we can say to Charlie 
             today, as part of our legacy to him, that he has 
             succeeded.
               Mr. Speaker, let's support this bill as a legacy and 
             tribute to the great Member, Charlie Norwood.
               Mr. Speaker, this legislation honors a dear friend and 
             former colleague in this body, the late Congressman 
             Charlie Norwood. Charlie worked tirelessly as an advocate 
             for patients across our Nation, and this bill is a fitting 
             tribute to the tremendous impact he's made on health care 
             in America.
               Mr. Speaker, in this country, there are more than 74,000 
             men, women and children on the waiting list for a kidney 
             transplant. Unfortunately, if the current trend of kidney 
             transplants continues, only about half of these candidates 
             will ever receive a life-saving transplant. Tragically, in 
             2004, nearly 4,000 listed patients died while awaiting a 
             kidney.
               One way for individuals to avoid the kidney transplant 
             waiting list altogether is to find a living donor, like a 
             friend or family member who is willing to selflessly 
             donate a kidney to save a loved one. The limitation on 
             this compassion is that only compatible matches can donate 
             kidneys; if your friends and family are not a match, they 
             can't be your donor.
               But those of us who knew Charlie know that he was an 
             excellent problem solver, always turning challenges into 
             opportunities. With the limited donor options individuals 
             face within their community of family and friends, patient 
             advocates and health care providers have pushed for living 
             organ donors. Charlie was convinced of the unlimited 
             potential that could be realized when the pool of living 
             donors would be expanded beyond one's immediate family and 
             friends. In fact, there have been success stories of 
             hospitals doing just this--finding pairs of living kidney 
             donors who aren't matches for their own loved ones, but 
             are matches for someone else's loved one.
               Unfortunately, due to conflicting interpretations of the 
             National Organ Transplant Act, hospitals across the 
             country are hesitant to make this type of procedure a 
             rule--and this is where the Charlie Norwood Living Kidney 
             Organ Donation Act will create miracles.
               H.R. 710 would clarify in statute that this type of 
             paired living kidney donation would be allowed under 
             Federal law. This will alleviate the concerns of hospitals 
             and health care providers that want to give all kidney 
             patients the hope that transplants represent but ambiguity 
             in law currently prevents.
               Mr. Speaker this is a win-win situation. More patients 
             would benefit from a kidney transplant, thereby reducing 
             the number of individuals on the waiting list. In turn, 
             more Americans--both on the waiting list and off--will 
             have that miraculous second chance at life.
               Mr. Speaker, passing this legislation will be a lasting 
             tribute to Charlie Norwood's selfless efforts to help 
             those in need. While we all wish our friend's lung 
             transplant had saved his life, we can honor him by giving 
             Americans across our Nation greater access to the 
             potential miracle of an organ donation.

               Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
             time.

               Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to 
             another distinguished member of the Georgia delegation, 
             Congressman John Linder.

               Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
             yielding me this time.
               I rise in support of the underlying legislation, and in 
             support of the memory and legacy of its author, my friend 
             and colleague, Charlie Norwood.
               Many people may remember the story of Nicholas Greene, 
             the 17-year-old boy who was killed during a family 
             vacation in Italy. The tragic and sudden loss of this 
             young boy was turned into a story of hope and love when 
             his parents generously donated his organs. Out of his 
             tragic death sprang life, as seven people received 
             Nicholas' heart, liver, kidneys, corneas, and pancreatic 
             cells.
               If there is one lesson we can take from Nicholas' great 
             gift to the world and from the strong humanitarian legacy 
             of Charlie Norwood, it is that we must support life 
             whenever we have that opportunity.
               H.R. 710 specifically excludes kidney-paired donations 
             from the National Organ Transplant Act's valuable 
             consideration clause. The valuable consideration clause 
             has a noble purpose, which is to keep people from buying 
             and selling human organs. In the case of kidney-paired 
             donation, which is held to the highest of medical ethical 
             standards, that purpose is obstructing the ability to save 
             lives. By supporting this bill, we can give countless 
             people a better chance for survival.
               Let me be clear: paired-organ donation does not 
             constitute the buying or selling of organs. If we believe 
             as much, then we accept the idea that the gift of life has 
             a monetary value. Charlie vehemently opposed this concept, 
             and so should we. Page H2196 deg.
               Thousands of people die each year waiting on a 
             transplant list, praying for the right match for a kidney. 
             Paired donations will significantly increase the number of 
             available kidneys each year, allowing even more people to 
             live productive, healthy lives.
               H.R. 710 honors the memory of our friend Charlie 
             Norwood; it honors the memory of Nicholas Greene and his 
             family; and it honors all those Americans who have lost 
             their lives while waiting on a transplant list. As such, I 
             urge all of my colleagues to join me in passing this 
             critically important vehicle for giving the gift of life 
             to others.

               Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to make a 
             point. I think this is a great bipartisan success, to try 
             to improve organ donation prospects for these 70,000 
             Americans. But we have more work to do. This bill is not 
             the end of our efforts. I worked for 2 years with Mike 
             Bilirakis, a great Republican, to try to have people in 
             hospitals work with families on transplant donation 
             issues. We need to fund that bill, and I hope we can have 
             a bipartisan effort to do that.
               We have work to do to fund immunosuppressant drugs. 
             Right now, we are not funding the drugs that donees need 
             to suppress the immunological response to donation.
               So I hope we can continue to work in a bipartisan 
             fashion to help these 70,000 Americans. We will remember 
             Charlie Norwood's efforts in this regard and on future 
             successes.
               Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

               Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes 
             to another distinguished member of the Georgia delegation, 
             Jack Kingston from Savannah.

               Mr. KINGSTON. Thank you, Mr. Barton, and I thank Dr. 
             Burgess for letting a noncommittee member go first. I 
             appreciate the courtesy; and I wanted to thank Mr. Inslee 
             for his help on this bill and all of the work and 
             leadership by both parties on this.
               If Charlie Norwood were here today, he would be sitting 
             there and he would be embarrassed. He would be deflecting 
             all of these sweet things that are being said about him. 
             But if this bill was controversial and was having a tough 
             fight, Charlie Norwood would be right in the middle of it 
             and pushing it along and making sure it got done and 
             standing up for the folks outside the 70,000-plus folks 
             who are in line for an organ transplant right now. That is 
             who he always answered to.
               I remember the Norwood-Dingell bill on the patients' 
             bill of rights, how he did not appreciate the leadership 
             in our party's position on it, so he went out and found 
             alternative ways to get it done. And in that case, he 
             cobbled together a bipartisan group of Democrats and 
             Republicans to push his patients' bill of rights because 
             Charlie Norwood was a fighter, and he was always a fighter 
             for a good cause. So it is fitting and proper for him to 
             be recognized in this bill.
               A couple of weeks ago I was at the University of 
             Georgia, which is located in Athens, my hometown, and in 
             Charlie Norwood's district. And I met with Dr. Steve 
             Stice. He told me he is doing a lot of work on stem cells, 
             and he casually mentioned that the University of Georgia 
             had cloned about 50 cattle and sheep. I could not believe 
             they had cloned that many.
               But as I listened to him and all of the technological 
             breakthroughs that are happening in the world of science 
             and medicine today, I think we have not even scratched the 
             surface of what lies out there in organ transplants. There 
             will be medical revolutions in the years to come because 
             of the technology that is out there.
               So our laws and what we are doing today is keeping the 
             law current with the technology and with the science. That 
             is why it is a good thing to do this. Think about Floyd 
             Spence, our colleague from South Carolina, who had a lung 
             transplant for 12 years, and our brave Charlie Norwood. 
             Think about what they do; they educate the rest of us.
               Our day in office for all of us will end. Either 
             politically or biologically or for whatever reason, but 
             what a great thing it is to have that service time in the 
             House be used to hold a baton high that you can pass on to 
             the next generation and have true national impact. That is 
             what we are doing here today.

               Mr. BARTON of Texas. How much time do I have remaining?

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 
             1\1/2\ minutes remaining.

               Mr. BARTON of Texas. I, unfortunately, can only yield 1 
             minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), a member 
             of the committee.

               Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Barton for the 
             time, and I thank Chairman Dingell for bringing this bill 
             to the floor. This is a wonderful legacy for Charlie 
             Norwood. Charlie was all about clarification and common 
             sense. We miss him on the committee. Personally, he was my 
             mentor and had seen me through many issues on the 
             committee. But I can think of no more fitting way to close 
             out the legacy of Charlie Norwood than with this act that 
             brings clarification to Federal law and allows paired 
             donations to proceed apace.
               Charlie Norwood, from life hereafter, has reached back 
             to this House and delivered one last dose of common sense. 
             Thank you, Charlie.

               Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, could I ask unanimous 
             consent for 3 additional minutes to tell one last Charlie 
             Norwood story.

               The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the 
             request of the gentleman from Texas?
               There was no objection.

               Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, before I close, since 
             we have painted Charlie Norwood to be such a saint today, 
             I have got to kind of get a little bit truer picture of 
             him.
               In the Energy Policy Act debate of 2005, there was a 
             provision in the bill that was not controversial in the 
             overall part of the bill, but it was very controversial in 
             certain areas of the country. One of those areas was in 
             Charlie's area of the Southeast.
               I had been working with him all through the debate to 
             try to get him to help me forge a compromise on this 
             particular issue, and he agreed that the compromise was 
             the best public policy, but it wasn't the policy that his 
             region supported. So he was in a difficult position of 
             agreeing with me, the chairman, on what the good public 
             policy was, but knowing that was not a vote that he would 
             be supporting in talking for his region.
               I went round and round with him about how to convince 
             him to support this particular item in the bill, and he 
             just flat couldn't do it. But I finally got him to agree 
             that, at the critical moment, he would not be there to 
             vote against it. In other words, he would be absent, 
             meeting a constituent or something, and he just couldn't 
             be there. He and I agreed on this, and our staffs had 
             worked it out so that when the time came to vote, Mr. 
             Norwood would not vote ``no,'' which would make me happy, 
             but he wouldn't vote ``yes'' either, which would have made 
             me even happier. He just wouldn't vote.
               So, sure enough, the critical moment came, and the vote 
             occurred. True to his word, Charlie Norwood was not 
             around, but as soon as I gaveled the vote, he burst into 
             the room, ``Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman, could I be 
             recorded?'' I said, ``no, the vote has already expired.'' 
             He said, ``what kind of hogwash is this'' and just raised 
             holy cane, purely for theatrical purposes, but you know, 
             the point had been made.
               So his constituency felt justified in his support, and I 
             felt justified in that he didn't vote against me, and yet 
             he had upstaged his chairman, but in some cases, that was 
             Charlie Norwood.
               We rise in support of this bill. It does save money. It 
             saves $30 million or $40 million the first year and I 
             think $400 million to $500 million over the 10-year 
             scoring period. So we are going to work with the majority 
             to find a way to put these savings to use so, once again, 
             Congressman Norwood not only is doing a good thing, 
             providing a gift to the living, but this piece of 
             legislation, if it becomes law, will also save the 
             taxpayers money.
               I would strongly urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill.
                        Monday, March 26, 2007 Page E649 deg. 
                                                26mr07-41 deg.
               Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, I rise today to carry 
             on a tradition started by the late Congressman Charlie 
             Norwood, whose death this year was a great loss to Georgia 
             and the U.S. House of Representatives. Each year on the 
             eve of the Masters Golf Tournament in his hometown of 
             Augusta, GA, Congressman Norwood would honor a golfer of 
             great acclaim before his colleagues in the House.
               This year, that tribute belongs to Gary Player, a world-
             renowned golfer whose accomplishments extend far beyond 
             the links. In April, Mr. Player will tee up at the Augusta 
             National for the Masters Tournament for the 50th 
             consecutive year, a remarkable achievement of longevity in 
             any career. Few events in sports compare to the grace and 
             beauty of the Masters Tournament, and for a half century, 
             Mr. Player has played an important role in one of the most 
             cherished and most watched sporting events in the world.
               Gary Player's record is the envy of countless golfers. 
             It includes 159 victories worldwide. He holds nine major 
             championships including: three Masters, three British 
             Opens, two U.S. Opens and one PGA Championship. In 
             addition, he has won the World Match Play Championship 
             four times.
               Outside the game of golf, Mr. Player has dedicated his 
             life to family--he is celebrating his 50th wedding 
             anniversary this year--and to serving the underprivileged.
               In 1983, he established the Gary Player Foundation to 
             address the education crisis in South Africa. The Player 
             family started the Blair Atholl School--complete with a 
             primary school of 400 students, a pre-elementary school 
             for 75, a community resource center and a sports complex. 
             The foundation ensures high-quality education, a 
             nutritional feeding scheme and basic medical care for each 
             child.
               Besides his foundation, Gary Player hosts the annual 
             Nelson Mandela Invitational Golf Tournament, one of the 
             largest charity events in South Africa. To recognize his 
             many achievements, Gary Player was awarded an Honorary 
             Doctor of Laws from the Saint Andrews University in 1995.
               Gary Player has lived an incredible life and he doesn't 
             take those blessings for granted. He has said, ``I have 
             been so lucky with golf, with my family, with my health. I 
             am truly thankful.'' Let us wish him continued luck and 
             thanks for his accomplishments on and off the course. Mr. 
             Player, good luck in Augusta. 
               day, March 29, 2007 deg. Page H3356-H3362 deg. 
                                      29mr07-73 deg. 
                            PUBLIC BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS
               Under clause 2 of rule XII, public bills and resolutions 
             were introduced and severally referred, as follows: . . .
               By Mr. KINGSTON (for himself, Mr. Deal of Georgia, Mr. 
             Westmoreland, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Scott of Georgia, 
             Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Price of Georgia, Mr. Linder, 
             Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Gingrey, Mr. Barrow, Mr. 
             Barton of Texas, Mr. Young of Alaska, Mr. Conaway, Mr. 
             Bonner, Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
             Franks of Arizona, Mr. Latham, Mr. Boswell, Mrs. Musgrave, 
             Mr. Hayes, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Rehberg, Mr. 
             Fossella, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of 
             Florida, Mr. Delahunt, Ms. Fallin, Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart 
             of Florida, Ms. Foxx, Mr. Hall of Texas, Mr. David Davis 
             of Tennessee, Mr. Dingell, Mrs. McMorris Rodgers, Mr. Gary 
             G. Miller of California, Mr. Gohmert, Mr. Whitfield, Mr. 
             Brown of South Carolina, Mr. Hastings of Washington, Mrs. 
             Emerson, Mr. Smith of Texas, Mr. Wamp, Mr. Buyer, Mr. 
             Gallegly, Mr. Hastert, Mr. Gillmor, Mr. Upton, Mr. 
             Aderholt, Mr. Engel, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Shuster, Mr. Wicker, 
             Mr. English of Pennsylvania, Mr. LaHood, Mrs. Drake, Mr. 
             Goode, Mr. Pitts, Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida, Mr. 
             Coble, Mr. Hobson, Mr. Burgess, Ms. Carson, Mr. Petri, Mr. 
             McGovern, Mr. Baca, Mr. Hensarling, Mr. Boozman, Mr. 
             Reynolds, Mr. Duncan, Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico, Mr. 
             Lamborn, Mr. Weldon of Florida, Mr. King of Iowa, and Mr. 
             Boustany):
               H.R. 1808. A bill to designate the Department of 
             Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta, GA, as the 
             ``Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
             Center''; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. deg.
                              Proceedings in the Senate
                   Thursday, February 8, 2007 Page S1745 deg. 
                                                08fe07-93 deg.
               Mr. ISAKSON. I rise for a moment to ask all Members of 
             the Senate to join me in expressing their concern, their 
             hopes, and their prayers for Congressman Charlie Norwood. 
             Congressman Norwood, of Georgia, yesterday notified the 
             House and the Senate that he would be returning to his 
             home in Augusta.
               A little over 2 years ago, Charlie had a lung transplant 
             to try to correct a degenerative disease which he had with 
             him throughout his life. That transplant was successful 
             and he returned to the House of Representatives and, as he 
             always did, he represented the State of Georgia with 
             courage, with dignity, and with tenacity.
               Unfortunately, last year, cancer occurred in the lung 
             and successfully was removed by surgery. But it has 
             reappeared now in his liver. Charlie is fighting for his 
             life.
               His lovely wife Gloria is in Augusta with him, and his 
             countless thousands of friends are there. But in this 
             business that we go through in this Senate, there is 
             always a time that all of us should reflect on the 
             blessings we have, and that is the blessing of life. I 
             pray now that the good Lord will look after Charlie and 
             give him as much of that life as He possibly can.
               I think it is also appropriate that we reflect a minute 
             on how important his service in the Congress has been. We 
             all know that domestically health care, affordability of 
             health insurance, and the importance of the doctor-patient 
             relationship are the concerns the American people look to 
             us to help solve. Charlie Norwood and his cosponsorship of 
             Norwood-Dingell laid a platform for which one day many of 
             those problems will be solved. He has fought tenaciously 
             for better health care, for better patient-doctor 
             relationships, and a better relationship between the 
             Federal Government and the providers of lifesaving health 
             care around the country.
               At this moment, while a champion of health care is in 
             dire straits himself, I hope all Members will join me and 
             pray that his recovery will be fast and swift and that God 
             puts His blessed hand on his shoulder.
               I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a 
             quorum.

               Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, in that remaining 1 minute 
             55 seconds [of allotted time], I will very quickly say a 
             word of commendation about a good friend of mine, a good 
             friend of all Members of Congress, who is now serving in 
             the other body, Congressman Charlie Norwood.
               Congressman Norwood has been in a severe battle for his 
             life for the last 3 years, and he is having a tough time. 
             He has made a decision to now go back to Augusta, GA, and 
             spend the rest of his time with his family.
               And, boy, what a great warrior Charlie Norwood has been. 
             It was my privilege to be elected to Congress with 
             Congressman Norwood in 1994. He is an avowed conservative. 
             He does not back away from any of his positions in 
             supporting conservative values. He is a strong supporter 
             of our men and women who wear the uniform of the United 
             States. He is a Vietnam veteran. He is a very professional 
             dentist. And he is one of the greatest guys I have ever 
             had the privilege of being associated with.
               As Charlie and his wife Gloria return to Augusta to 
             spend the rest of his time there, I want to say it has 
             been a privilege to know him. It has been a privilege to 
             serve with him. I hope to have the opportunity to spend 
             some more time with him in the next several weeks, months, 
             whatever it may be.
               But he is a great trooper. He is a great American. And I 
             hope all Members of this body, as well as all Americans, 
             will keep Congressman Norwood and his wife Gloria in their 
             thoughts and prayers.
               Mr. President, I yield back the remainder of my time.
             Tuesday, February 13, 2007 Page S1890-S1891 deg. 
                                               13fe07-114 deg.
               Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
             the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 79, 
             which was submitted earlier today.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the 
             resolution.
               The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

               A resolution (S. Res. 79) relative to the death of 
             Representative Charles W. Norwood, Jr., of Georgia.
               Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow 
             and deep regret the announcement of the death of the 
             Honorable Charles W. Norwood, Jr., late a Representative 
             from the State of Georgia.
               Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these 
             resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit 
             an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the deceased.
               Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns or recesses 
             today, it stand adjourned or recessed as a further mark of 
             respect to the memory of the deceased Representative.

               There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to 
             consider the resolution.

               Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
             the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider 
             be laid upon the table.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
               Without objection, it is so ordered.
               The resolution (S. Res. 79) was agreed to.

               Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
             Senator Chambliss and I, from Georgia, be recognized for a 
             few minutes to pay tribute to Representative Norwood.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
               The Senator from Georgia.

               Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, first of all, I thank Leader 
             Reid and Leader McConnell for bringing this resolution 
             Page S1891 deg. forward in a very timely fashion. 
             We learned during the lunch hour today that Representative 
             Charlie Norwood of Georgia passed away, a victim of 
             cancer.
               Charlie had been fighting that disease valiantly for 
             over 3 years, having a lung transplant, and, 
             unfortunately--after the transplant's success for a year 
             and Charlie doing well--cancer occurred in one lung and 
             then transferred to his liver.
               His wife Gloria has been an absolutely wonderful human 
             being, seeing to it that Charlie continued to do his work 
             in the House of Representatives, even though suffering 
             greatly from the effects of the cancer that reoccurred.
               Charlie Norwood was elected in 1994 and was a classmate 
             and fellow Representative with many of us here--Senator 
             Coburn, Senator Graham, Senator Lincoln, Senator 
             Chambliss, and myself.
               On behalf of all of us who have had the chance to serve 
             with Charlie Norwood, we today pay tribute to his life, 
             the great accomplishments he made on behalf of his 
             district, and his untiring effort to bring about quality, 
             affordable health care within the reach of every single 
             American.
               He will be remembered for many things: his tenacity, his 
             great sense of humor, his commitment to his district, and 
             to his people. But from a political standpoint and a 
             service standpoint, he will be remembered for Norwood-
             Dingell, the legislation that laid the groundwork for 
             reforms in health care that even go on at this day.
               So as a Member of the Senate from Georgia, as a personal 
             friend of Charlie Norwood and his beautiful wife Gloria, 
             and as one who is so thankful for the contributions he 
             made to my State, to me as an individual, and to this 
             body, I pay tribute to Charlie Norwood and pass on the 
             sympathy and the condolences of my family to his wife 
             Gloria and his many friends.
               And again, I repeat my thanks to Senator McConnell and 
             Senator Reid for their timely recognition of the passing 
             of Charlie Norwood.
               It is my pleasure now to, with unanimous consent, 
             recognize Senator Chambliss from Georgia.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. McCaskill). The Senator from 
             Georgia is recognized.

               Mr. CHAMBLISS. Madam President, I thank my friend and 
             colleague from Georgia for those very generous and kind 
             words about our mutual friend.
               I rise today to pay tribute to a guy who has been a 
             great inspiration not just for the last 3 years when he 
             has so bravely fought the deadly disease that ultimately 
             got him--cancer--but Charlie Norwood and I were elected to 
             Congress together in 1994.
               Charlie was one of those individuals who came to 
             Congress for the right reason; that is, to make this 
             country a better place to live for our generation as well 
             as for future generations.
               Charlie worked every single day to make sure he could 
             personally do everything he could as a Member of the House 
             of Representatives to make this country better.
               Charlie grew up a Valdosta Wildcat. Now, to people in 
             this body that may not mean a whole lot, but to anybody 
             who lives in our great State, growing up a Valdosta 
             Wildcat and playing for the Wildcat football team is a 
             very special asset.
               Valdosta is a very unique town down in my part of the 
             State, down in the very southern part of our State. The 
             football lore of Valdosta is second to no other community 
             in the country.
               Charlie loved his Valdosta Wildcats. He and I used to 
             sit on the floor of the House every now and then, 
             particularly during football season, and talk about his 
             days of growing up. My hometown of Moultrie is the biggest 
             football rival of Valdosta.
               Charlie loved life. He loved things like football. He 
             also loved his family. He was the proud husband of Gloria 
             Norwood, who is one more great lady, and he had two sons 
             and several grandchildren.
               Charlie used to take his grandchildren to Atlanta every 
             year at Thanksgiving, used to take the girls. He would let 
             those girls have the run of a very nice hotel in Atlanta 
             to do whatever they wanted, including Charlie Norwood, a 
             mean, gruff, old dentist from Augusta, GA, sitting down in 
             the afternoon and having tea with his granddaughters. He 
             was, indeed, a very special person, a guy who loved his 
             country, loved his State, loved his family, and really 
             cared about what is best for America.
               One anecdote about Charlie I will never forget. He and I 
             became good friends during the 1994 campaign. We both 
             signed the Contract With America. We ran on the Contract 
             With America. One provision in there was requiring an 
             amendment to the Constitution calling for the Federal 
             budget to be balanced. Charlie and I both felt very 
             strongly about that. We were sitting on the floor of the 
             House of Representatives one night together, as we were 
             debating and voting on the amendment to the Constitution 
             calling for a balanced budget, and as the numbers in favor 
             of the bill grew and grew, the roar within the Chamber 
             itself got louder and louder. It took 397 votes to reach 
             the point where the balanced budget amendment would pass, 
             and when it hit 350, the roar got louder. It hit 360. 
             Finally, it hit 397. Charlie looked over at me and said: 
             ``Sax, that is why we came here.'' He was that kind of 
             person who truly cared about his country and the 
             principles for which he stood.
               He was a man who will truly be missed, as my colleague, 
             Senator Isakson, said, for his ideas on health care. He 
             truly believed that every person who received health care 
             treatment in this country ought to have the ability to 
             look their physician in the eye and make sure they had the 
             right to choose the physician from whom they were 
             receiving medical services. It is only fitting that 
             Charlie's patients' bill of rights was reintroduced in the 
             House in the last several days. I look forward, hopefully, 
             to Congressman Dingell taking up that bill and debating 
             that bill. It was a controversial bill then. It will be 
             controversial again. But just because Charlie Norwood felt 
             so strongly about it, I am hopeful we will see some 
             movement on that bill.
               As I wind down, I have such fond memories about Charlie 
             from a personal standpoint. But most significantly, the 
             great memories I will always have about Charlie Norwood 
             are about his commitment to America, his commitment to 
             freedom, his commitment to the men and women who wear the 
             uniform of the United States, of which he was one--he was 
             a veteran of Vietnam--and about the great spirit Charlie 
             Norwood always brought to every issue on the floor of the 
             House of Representatives. He was a great American. He was 
             a great Member of the House of Representatives. He was a 
             great colleague. He was a great friend who will be missed.
               I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a 
             quorum.Page S1922-S1925 deg. 13fe07-
             134 deg. 
                                SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
               Senate RESOLUTION 79--RELATIVE TO THE DEATH OF 
             REPRESENTATIVE CHARLES W. NORWOOD, JR., OF GEORGIA
               Mr. REID (for himself, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Chambliss, and 
             Mr. Isakson) submitted the following resolution; which was 
             considered and agreed to:
                                     S. Res. 79
               Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow 
             and deep regret the announcement of the death of the 
             Honorable Charles W. Norwood, Jr., late a Representative 
             from the State of Georgia.
               Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these 
             resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit 
             an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the deceased.
               Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns or recesses 
             today, it stand adjourned or recessed as a further mark of 
             respect to the memory of the deceased Representative. deg.
                      Wednesday, February 14, 2007 Page S1954-
                                     S1955 deg. 14fe07-79 deg.
               Mr. COBURN. Madam President, I want to take a few 
             minutes first to talk about someone who was a very dear 
             friend whom I think was emblematic of what our forefathers 
             thought about when they thought about a U.S. Congressman. 
             His name was Charlie Page S1955 deg. Norwood. He 
             died yesterday. Charlie was a ``tell it like it is'' guy. 
             His motivations were always altruistic. They were never 
             self-centered.
               He had never been in politics. He was a dentist, and he 
             got fed up. He came here and had a tremendous impact in 
             terms of his voice of common sense, reason, and 
             compassion. The House of Representatives is going to miss 
             that voice, but more important, the American people are 
             going to miss one of the few voices of common sense that 
             we have in Congress today. He leaves a wife, Gloria, and 
             two sons, all supportive of his sacrifice to serve here.
               There are a lot of stories told about Charlie. I won't 
             go into that. He was always fun to be around. He was 
             always invigorating. And he never quit believing in this 
             wonderful thing we call the American dream.
               He fought hard for what he thought was right on 
             immigration. He recognized that if we build a wall, it is 
             not to keep people in; that the opportunities here are so 
             great, what has been created by our Founders and grew 
             through the years is so tremendous, that we ought to 
             continue to take advantage of it.
               What I really liked about him was that he was a true 
             citizen legislator. He abandoned his practice and his easy 
             life and came to do the hard work of representing the 
             people of Georgia with common sense and down-home, plain 
             family values. He will be sorely missed. But he leaves a 
             legacy, a legacy to everybody who is out there today who 
             thinks we need to change the Congress of the United 
             States. The legacy he leaves is this: If you are willing 
             to sacrifice and get into the fray, you can come here and 
             make a difference. That is what he proved. His life was 
             not that of a career politician--although that is a 
             wonderful service, and we have dedicated people throughout 
             both Houses of Congress who have dedicated their lives to 
             public service. But he brought a freshness and he brought 
             ideas because his experience was what everybody else in 
             the country was experiencing, not what is experienced 
             among the political elite in this country.
               The challenge that Charlie leaves for all of us who are 
             not in Congress, who do not like things the way they are, 
             is to actually get involved. That legacy will live on for 
             a long time--I know in his district in Georgia, and also 
             through the State of Georgia--but also for those of us who 
             will continue to remember him and the sacrifices he made.

                Page S1956 deg. 14fe07-84 deg.Mr. 
             GRAHAM. Madam President, I wanted to take this opportunity 
             to say a few words about my close friend and colleague who 
             passed away yesterday, Congressman Charlie Norwood.
               There is no doubt that with the death of Charlie Norwood 
             the State of Georgia has lost one of her favorite sons. We 
             were elected to serve in the House of Representatives the 
             same year and represented adjoining districts in Georgia 
             and South Carolina.
               Charlie was a dear friend of mine.
               I have never met anyone in politics with more passion 
             about what they believe than Charlie Norwood. He was a 
             great Representative for the people of the 10th District 
             of Georgia, and in his years of service he made a real 
             difference in the Congress.
               There is no doubt Charlie's leadership, his wisdom, and 
             his wit will be sorely missed.
               Now is the time to keep Charlie's family in our prayers. 
             But we should also celebrate a life well-lived. Knowing 
             Charlie Norwood like I do, I am confident he would not 
             have wanted it any other way.
             Thursday, February 15, 2007 Page S2002-S2003 deg. 
                                               15fe07-139 deg.
               Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I want to speak briefly on 
             one other issue aside from the war effort, as that is the 
             one that really needs to, and does, occupy our time. But a 
             good friend of mine has just recently passed away, 
             Congressman Charlie Norwood. Charlie and I came in 
             together in the House of Representatives in the 1994 
             election cycle. He recently passed away due to 
             complications in his liver from a long battle that he had 
             with pulmonary fibrosis and the difficulties that he had.
               His legislative accomplishments are significant, and 
             those are in the Record and well known. What I want to 
             talk about is the person because he was a beautiful man. 
             He served in Vietnam as a dentist. He had this beautiful, 
             folksy way of presenting a tough topic. He would boil down 
             the essence of a difficult topic in a folksy sentence or 
             two, and you would listen to it and you would say: You 
             know, I think that is about accurate.
               He could take difficult things and boil them down. He 
             cared a lot about health care issues, and he worked a lot 
             Page S2003 deg. on health care issues. What I 
             remember is a kindly gentleman who was very active and 
             involved in the issues of the day and who cared about 
             other people. He taught Adult Sunday School classes. He 
             worked as a small businessman. He was a dedicated public 
             servant, even as he felt that the Government had grown too 
             big and was taking over too much authority.
               It reminds me that, as we leave these places--and we all 
             will--when you look back on it, there is a legislative 
             career, and there are a number of legislative items that 
             each of us is associated with, and the cares and concerns 
             and the passions that we have of the day, but there is 
             also a person who is there, and the soul and the character 
             of that individual. In this case, Dr. Charlie Norwood had 
             a beautiful soul. He was someone who touched people in a 
             positive way. I am not sure you can say a lot more at the 
             end of our days than that.
               Congressman Norwood is survived by his wife Gloria, sons 
             Charles and Carlton Norwood, and grandchildren, all of 
             Augusta.
               During his life, Norwood has served as a Member of 
             Congress, longtime patients' and individual rights 
             champion, dentist, Vietnam veteran, and small businessman.
               Norwood, a seven-term Member of the U.S. House of 
             Representatives from 1995 to 2007, served most of east 
             Georgia at some point during his congressional career due 
             to redistricting in 1996, 2002, and 2006. He won re-
             election every year since 1998 by landslide margins, and 
             was elected to the 110th Congress in November by a 68-
             percent margin. His 10th District seat will be filled in a 
             special election to be scheduled by Georgia Governor Sonny 
             Perdue.
               Norwood achieved national recognition after introducing 
             the first comprehensive managed health care reform 
             legislation to Congress in 1995, which subsequently passed 
             the House of Representatives in both 1999 and 2001. 
             Norwood's patients' bill of rights legislation became a 
             key issue in the 2000 Presidential election, and will 
             likely be revived in the 110th Congress.
               Norwood was instrumental in health care reform for 
             military retirees and veterans as well as patients-at-
             large. The former Army dentist was co-author of the Keep 
             Our Promises to Military Retirees Act in 1999, which 
             provided fully funded health care for life for the 
             Nation's military retirees. The majority of the bill was 
             enacted as part of the Defense Authorization Act of 2000.
               In addition to his longtime national advocacy for 
             patients, Norwood succeeded in passing reforms across a 
             broad range of public policy areas, spanning education, 
             private property rights, telecommunications, and 
             environmental regulations.
               Norwood is further recognized as the father of the 
             Nation's current Class A broadcast television service, by 
             authoring and passing into law the Community Broadcasting 
             Protection Act in 1998.
               In congressional oversight action, Norwood played a key 
             role in the 1996-1998 Teamster's investigation, the 1998-
             2002 investigations of theft and fraud at the U.S. 
             Department of Education, and the impeachment of former 
             President Bill Clinton in 1998.
               Norwood received a bachelor's degree from Georgia 
             Southern University in Statesboro in 1964, and a doctorate 
             in dental surgery from Georgetown University Dental School 
             in Washington, DC, in 1967, where he was elected president 
             of the Dental School student body in his senior year. He 
             married the former Gloria Wilkinson of Valdosta in 1962 
             while attending Georgia Southern.
               After dental school, he volunteered for the U.S. Army 
             and served as a captain in the Dental Corps from 1967 to 
             1969, beginning with an assignment to the U.S. Army Dental 
             Corps at Sandia Army Base in Albuquerque, NM. In 1968 he 
             was transferred to the Medical Battalion of the 173d 
             Airborne Brigade in Vietnam, and served a combat tour at 
             Quin Nyon, Quang Khe, and LZ English at Bon Son. In 
             recognition of his service under combat conditions, he was 
             awarded the Combat Medical Badge and two Bronze Stars.
               After Vietnam, he was assigned to the Dental Corps at 
             Fort Gordon, GA, where he served until his discharge in 
             1969. Norwood was awarded the Association of the United 
             States Army Cocklin Award in 1998, and was inducted into 
             the Association's Audie Murphy Society in 1999. He 
             remained a lifelong member of the American Legion, the 
             Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Military Order of the 
             World Wars.
               Dr. Norwood began private practice dentistry in Augusta 
             immediately after his discharge. During his dental career, 
             he served as president of the Georgia Dental Association 
             and was a delegate to the American Dental Association.
               In addition to his dental practice, Norwood also founded 
             Northwoods Nursery in Evans, providing trees and shrubs to 
             wholesale outlets throughout the Central Savannah River 
             area, and Augusta Dental Laboratory, which manufactured 
             dental devices for patients.
               He became a stalwart supporter of small business and 
             property rights interests in Congress, receiving the 1995 
             Fighting Frosh Award of the United States Business and 
             Industrial Council, the Guardian of Senior's Rights Award 
             of the 60 Plus Association, the Friend of the Family Award 
             of the Christian Coalition, the Friend of the Taxpayer 
             Award of Americans for Tax Reform, the Guardian of Small 
             Business Award of the National Federation of Independent 
             Business, the Spirit of Enterprise Award of the U.S. 
             Chamber of Commerce, the Thomas Jefferson Award of the 
             U.S. Food Service Council, the Champion of Property Rights 
             Award of the League of Private Property Owners, the 
             Taxpayer's Hero Award of the Council for Citizens Against 
             Government Waste, and the Taxpayer's Friend Award of 
             National Taxpayers Union.
               Dr. Norwood and his wife Gloria were longtime members of 
             and taught Adult Sunday School at Trinity on the Hill 
             United Methodist Church in Augusta. He was also a past 
             board member of the Augusta Opera Society and a member of 
             the Augusta Symphony Guild.

              deg.Page S2021 deg. 15fe07-166 deg. 
                      ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION SIGNED
               At 11:56 a.m., a message from the House of 
             Representatives, delivered by Mr. Hays, one of its reading 
             clerks, announced that the House has agreed to H. Res. 
             159, resolving that the House has heard with profound 
             sorrow of the death of the Honorable Charlie Norwood, a 
             Representative from the State of Georgia.
               day, March 29, 2007 deg. Page S4159-S4161 deg. 
                                     29mr07-122 deg. 
                     INTRODUCTION OF BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
               The following bills and joint resolutions were 
             introduced, read the first and second times by unanimous 
             consent, and referred as indicated: . . .
               By Mr. CHAMBLISS:
               S. 1026. A bill to designate the Department of Veterans 
             Affairs Medical Center in Augusta, GA, as the ``Charlie 
             Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center''; 
             to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
               day, April 10, 2007 deg. Page S4305-S4308 deg. 
                                      10ap07-45 deg. 
                                ADDITIONAL COSPONSORS
                                       S. 1026
               At the request of Mr. Chambliss, the names of the 
             Senator from Georgia (Mr. Isakson), the Senator from 
             Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy), the Senator from North 
             Carolina (Mr. Burr) and the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. 
             Coburn) were added as cosponsors of S. 1026, a bill to 
             designate the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
             Center in Augusta, GA, as the ``Charlie Norwood Department 
             of Veterans Affairs Medical Center''.
                day, April 11, 2007 deg.Page S4380-S4382 deg. 
              11ap07-31 deg. Page S4380 deg.
                                ADDITIONAL COSPONSORS
                                       S. 1026
               At the request of Mr. Chambliss, the name of the Senator 
             from South Carolina (Mr. Graham) was added as a cosponsor 
             of S. 1026, a bill to designate the Department of Veterans 
             Affairs Medical Center in Augusta, GA, as the ``Charlie 
             Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
             Center''. deg.
                                           

             [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T3500.002
             
                                    In Memory Of
                                    The Honorable

                               Charles W. Norwood, Jr.

                                    July 27, 1941

                                  February 13, 2007

                                   Funeral Service

                             Thursday, February 15, 2007

                                      2:00 P.M.

                           First Baptist Church of Augusta

                                  Dr. Steve Dodson

                                     Officiating

If so desired memorial contributions may be made to Trinity on the Hill 
United Methodist Church, 1330 Monte Sano Ave., Augusta, GA 30904 or 
INOVA Health System Foundation, 8110 Gatehouse Rd., Suite 200 E, Falls 
Church, VA 22042

                                       Family

                                        Wife

Gloria W. Norwood

                                        Sons

Charles W. Norwood III and Denise D. Norwood

Klaris Carlton W. Norwood and Paige W. Norwood

                                    Grandchildren

Kristen E. Norwood

Klaris Carlton W. Norwood, Jr.

Aubrey W. Williams

Kendall P. Williams
