[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