[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 30, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10296-S10297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
.......................................................................
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
SENATE RESOLUTION 205--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT A
COMMEMORATIVE POSTAGE STAMP SHOULD BE ISSUED ON THE SUBJECT OF AUTISM
AWARENESS
Mr. COLEMAN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Governmental Affairs:
S. Res. 205
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) a commemorative postage stamp should be issued by the
United States Postal Service on the subject of autism
awareness; and
(2) the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend
to the Postmaster General that such a postage stamp be
issued.
Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I would like to show my support for the
autism awareness resolution submitted today by my colleague, Senator
Coleman. Autism is a developmental disability which typically appears
during the first 3 years of life and impairs the communication and
social skills in those affected. The result of a neurological disorder
affecting the functioning of the brain, autism and its associated
behaviors occur in as many as 1 in 500 individuals, in a rate of 5 boys
to every girl. Because autism is difficult to recognize and diagnose,
it is important that families seek an evaluation by a medical
professional experienced in diagnosing and treating the disorder.
This disability is about 10 times more prevalent today than it was in
the 1980s, with over 500,000 people in the U.S. today with some form of
this pervasive developmental disorder. Its frequency rate makes autism
one of the most common developmental disabilities. However, most of the
public, including many medical, educational, and vocational
professionals, are still unaware of how autism affects people and how
they can effectively work with individuals with this diagnosis. I
encourage my colleagues to join me in my efforts to increase autism
awareness, and support this resolution.
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SENATE RESOLUTION 206--HONORING THE MEMORY OF DR. WILLIAM R. (``BILL'')
BRIGHT AND COMMENDING HIS LIFE AS AN EXAMPLE TO SUCCEEDING GENERATIONS
Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself and Mrs. Dole) submitted the following
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 206
Whereas Dr. Bright died on July 19, 2003, at age 81 in
Orlando, Florida from complications related to pulmonary
fibrosis, a lung disease for which there is no known cure or
effective treatment;
Whereas Dr. Bright was an agnostic humanist and
materialist, and successful Hollywood businessman, until he
became ``overcome by the love of our great Creator God and
Savior'' in 1945, whereupon he spent 5 years in theological
studies at Princeton and Fuller Theological Seminaries;
Whereas Dr. Bright, with his wife Vonette, in 1951 founded
Campus Crusade for Christ International, which now serves
people in 191 countries through a staff of 27,000 full-time
employees and up to 500,000 trained volunteers;
Whereas his life focus was on students and laypersons, and
from the first he emphasized the role of women as full
partners in leadership in the various ministries;
Whereas Dr. Billy Graham, a long-time friend of the
Brights, has said: ``He is a man whose sincerity and
integrity and devotion to our Lord have been an inspiration
and a blessing to me ever since the early days of my
ministry'';
Whereas Dr. Bright lived simply, owning neither houses nor
land, and receiving no honoraria or donations for his
thousands of appearances across the world, and the scores of
writings and video presentations he developed;
Whereas when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, he
fulfilled a dream of more than 40 years of praying for Russia
by donating his entire pension to establish a ministry to the
students of Moscow State University;
Whereas Campus Crusade for Christ International operates
more than 70 ministries and projects which offer hope and
spiritual enlightenment across the globe to students on
hundreds of campuses, urban residents, including minorities,
the well-known Athletes-in-Action ministry, leaders of
governments, inmates of prisons, aid to families, aid to
health and education programs, aid to
[[Page S10297]]
families of military personnel, executives, entertainers and
musicians, and many others;
Whereas in 1979, Dr. Bright commissioned the JESUS film, a
feature-length documentary on the life of Christ, directed by
John Heyman, which has since been viewed by more than
5,100,000,000 people in 234 countries and has become the most
widely viewed, as well as most widely translated, in 786
languages, film in history;
Whereas Dr. Bright is author of more than 100 books and
booklets, as well as thousands of articles and pamphlets that
have been distributed by the millions in most major
languages, including the widely regarded Four Spiritual Laws
of which 2,500,000,000 copies have been distributed;
Whereas Dr. Bright received 8 honorary degrees from
universities in the United States and other nations, and
numerous awards and honors from higher education, his home
state of Oklahoma, and his peers in religious, radio, and
television broadcasting;
Whereas, Dr. Bright was awarded the unique and prestigious
Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1996, presented
by Prince Phillip at Buckingham Palace in London, and was
received by Pope John Paul II in Rome where he addressed
world spiritual leaders in accepting its $1,100,000 prize,
which he directed be given to worldwide fasting for peace and
spiritual enlightenment;
Whereas Dr. Bright sought ecumenical and trans-
denominational cooperation throughout the world by building
more than 1,000 partnerships with other ministries, and in
1983, he and former President Ronald Reagan, along with
Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant members of the clergy,
informed Congress which voted to establish The Year of the
Bible to help focus on timeless truths for the Nation;
Whereas he helped create what media reports describe as the
largest non-denominational Christian ministry in the world,
and he rejected appeals to establish a single religious
denomination and would not allow his name to be attached to
any single denominational enterprise;
Whereas he urged followers to be ``salt and light,'' to
seek civility in society, and to be active in ministry to
prisons, hospitals, orphanages, and he declared the duties of
citizenship to be reliably informed, active in the study of
issues, voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, and
personal voting;
Whereas he never endorsed individual candidates or parties,
and encouraged laypersons to seek public service and often
called upon people in all lands to study American History,
declaring President George Washington as his secular hero
after Jesus of Nazareth and the Apostle Paul;
Whereas in response to a suggestion from a Member of the
United States Senate, he helped establish the Evangelical
Council for Financial Accountability to set high standards
and monitor their compliance, setting an example for all
charitable organizations;
Whereas Money magazine has often cited Campus Crusade for
Christ International as best or one of the top 5 non-profit
ministries for effective stewardship of donor dollars; and
Whereas in his last months he co-founded the Global Pastors
Network, a separate ministry to pastors worldwide with
helpful resources and a goal to start 5,000,000 home-based
studies of the attributes of God: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) sends its condolences to Mrs. Vonette Zachary Bright,
their grandchildren, their sons, Zac and Brad, and their
wives, Terry and Katherine, all of whom are also in full-time
Christian ministry; and
(2) does hereby honor the memory of Dr. William R.
(``Bill'') Bright, an ambassador of spiritual goodwill, whose
58 years of dedicated and effective service stand as an
outstanding example of selfless leadership to all humankind.
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