[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 75 (Thursday, May 12, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2750-S2751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. REID (for himself, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Perdue, and Mr.
Durbin):
S. 2924. A bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to former United
States Senator Max Cleland; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and
Urban Affairs.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the
bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 2924
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 ``Max Cleland Congressional
Gold Medal Act of 2016''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Joseph Maxwell ``Max'' Cleland has demonstrated the
highest degree of professionalism and has served as an
inspiration to friends, family, veterans, and many others
while dedicating his life to the public service of the United
States.
(2) Max Cleland began his career in public service when he
joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps as a young
college student, went on active duty in the United States
Army (in this section referred to as the ``Army'') in 1965 as
a Second Lieutenant, and volunteered for service in Vietnam,
rising to the rank of Captain.
(3) The Army recognized Max Cleland with a Silver Star for
his gallantry in action during the Battle of Khe Sanh in
April of 1968. According to the letter of commendation from
the Army, ``The President of the United States of America,
authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act
of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver
Star to Captain (Signal Corps) Joseph Maxwell Cleland, United
States Army, for gallantry in action while engaged in
military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile
force in the Republic of Vietnam.''.
(4) Max Cleland, a Battalion Signal Officer dispatched to
set up a radio relay antenna, was severely wounded on the
battlefield and, as a result, lost both of his legs and his
right arm. Cleland would endure 18 months of extremely
difficult rehabilitation and recovery at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center and hospitals of the Department of Veterans
Affairs (in this section referred to as ``VA hospitals'') in
Washington, DC. In 1969, Cleland testified before the Senate
Committee on Veterans' Affairs on the hardships faced by
veterans returning home from war.
(5) Upon returning to Georgia, Max Cleland was determined
to continue his public service and, in 1970, at the age of
28, was elected as the youngest Georgia State senator and
helped pass legislation to make public facilities accessible
for veterans, older people, and individuals with
disabilities.
(6) Max Cleland later came to Washington, DC and joined the
Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs as a professional staff
member, investigating VA hospitals across the country and the
treatment of service members returning from Vietnam.
(7) In 1977, President Jimmy Carter named Max Cleland, then
just 34 years old, the youngest ever individual, and first
Vietnam veteran, to serve as Administrator of the Veterans
Administration. As Administrator, Cleland helped create the
``Vet Center'' counseling program, which later expanded to
300 facilities nationwide helping veterans and their families
receive psychological care for post-traumatic stress
disorders and other problems associated with warfare.
(8) Following his term as Administrator of the Veterans
Administration, Max Cleland returned to elective office in
1982 when he was elected as Secretary of State of the
[[Page S2751]]
State of Georgia. As Secretary of State, Cleland implemented
the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20501
et seq.) in Georgia and added almost 1,000,000 new voters to
the rolls.
(9) Max Cleland was elected to the United States Senate in
1996 and would go on to chair the Subcommittee on Personnel
of the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate. In the
Senate, Cleland was known for his work in expanding benefits
for service members and in improving veterans' health care,
education, and the environment.
(10) After his service in the Senate, Max Cleland continued
his distinguished career in public service by becoming a
commissioner on the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks
Upon the United States (commonly referred to as the ``9/11
Commission'') and later as a member of the Board of Directors
of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.
(11) In 2009, President Barack Obama named Max Cleland
Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission. As
Secretary of the Commission, Cleland is charged with
commemorating both the permanent cemeteries of the United
States located in foreign countries and the military
memorials, monuments, and markers demonstrating where members
of the United States Armed Forces have served overseas since
World War I.
(12) In 2010, President Obama again called on Max Cleland
to serve his country and Cleland again accepted. This time,
Cleland agreed to serve as co-chair, and eventually the
inaugural chair, of the Advisory Committee on Arlington
National Cemetery, which was established to help fix the
problems facing the final resting place for many of the
heroes of the United States. After his tenure as chair,
Cleland was awarded the Decoration for Distinguished Civilian
Service of the Army, the highest honorary award that the
Secretary of the Army can confer on a civilian.
(13) After overcoming some of the most difficult challenges
imaginable, Max Cleland has spent almost five decades of his
life in service to the United States and the country is
forever indebted to his service.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Award Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate
shall make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf
of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Joseph
Maxwell ``Max'' Cleland.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award
described in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury
(in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike
the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and
inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
(c) Duplicate Medals.--
(1) In general.--Under such regulations as the Secretary
may prescribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates
in bronze of the gold medal struck under this Act at a price
sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor,
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.
(2) Sale of duplicate medals.--The amounts received from
the sale of duplicate medals under paragraph (1) shall be
deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS.
Medals struck under this Act are national medals for
purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
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