[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 64 (Thursday, April 19, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2323-S2324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CORNYN (for himself and Mr. Cruz):
  S. 2714. A bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Don and Deyon 
Stephens, Founders of Mercy Ships, in recognition of nearly 40 years of 
service as the leaders of a humanitarian relief organization that 
exemplifies the compassionate character of America; to the Committee on 
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  Mr. CORNYN. 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. 2714

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

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds the following:
       (1) Mercy Ships was founded in 1978 and has worked in more 
     than 70 countries, providing services valued at more than 
     $1.3 billion, treating more than 2.56 million direct 
     beneficiaries.
       (2) Mercy Ships owns and operates the world's largest 
     private hospital ship, the Africa Mercy that has five state-
     of-the-art operating rooms and ward bed space for 82 
     patients.
       (3) Mercy Ships vessels are staffed by professional 
     volunteer crew including surgeons, nurses, doctors, dentists, 
     cooks, engineers, agriculturalists, teachers, and others.
       (4) Mercy Ships has performed more than 82,000 life-
     changing or life-saving operations such as cleft lip and 
     palate repair, cataract removal, orthopedic procedures, 
     facial reconstruction, obstetric fistula repair, and tumor 
     removal.
       (5) Mercy Ships has treated over 147,000 dental patients 
     including over 390,000 dental procedures.
       (6) Mercy Ships has trained more than 5,900 local 
     professionals (including surgeons) who have in turn trained 
     many others.
       (7) Mercy Ships has trained over 38,100 local professionals 
     in their area of expertise including anesthesiology, 
     midwifery, sterilization, orthopedic and reconstructive 
     surgery, and leadership, thereby increasing medical capacity 
     in the host nation.
       (8) Mercy Ships has taught over 198,000 local people in 
     basic health care.
       (9) Mercy Ships has completed over 1,100 infrastructure 
     development projects focusing on water and sanitation 
     education, agriculture and construction projects which 
     improve local health care delivery systems.
       (10) Annually, Mercy Ships has over 1,600 volunteers who 
     help in locations around the world, 900 of which serve in 
     Africa. At any given time, there are more than 400 crew from 
     40 nations onboard the Africa Mercy.
       (11) The Africa Mercy alone has had over 4,900 crew from 74 
     countries serve onboard since its inception in 2007. In 
     addition, more than 950 local Day Workers from 12 different 
     countries have served alongside since it first docked in 
     Africa.
       (12) Mercy Ships has served some of the world's poorest 
     populations and completed over 589 port visits in 55 
     developing nations and 18 developed nations for a total of 73 
     nations including: Australia, Bahamas, Benin, Belgium, 
     Belize, Brazil, Canada, China, Congo Brazzaville, Columbia, 
     Cuba, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, 
     Faroe Islands, Fiji, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Germany, 
     Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea (West Africa), 
     Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Ivory Coast, 
     Jamaica, Korea, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Madagascar, 
     Malta, Mexico, Montserrat, The Netherlands, New Caledonia, 
     New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, 
     Philippines, Poland, Russia, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, 
     Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, St. Eustatius (NL), St. 
     Kitts, St. Thomas, St. Vincent, Sweden, Tahiti, Togo, Tonga, 
     Trinidad, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vanuatu.
       (13) Through the years, Mercy Ships has had four hospital 
     ships that have served in some of the poorest ports in the 
     world. Those include:
       (A) The 16,500-ton Africa Mercy is the world's largest 
     nongovernmental hospital ship and is dedicated to the 
     continent of Africa.
       (B) The 522-foot Anastasis was the flag ship, and completed 
     her first relief mission in 1982 to Guatemala. Her crew of 
     400 worked in Africa until she was decommissioned in 2007.
       (C) Acquired in 1994, the 265-foot Caribbean Mercy with her 
     crew of 150 focused on the Caribbean basin and Central 
     America with its Eye Surgery Unit. The ship was sold in 2006.
       (D) Donated in 1983, the 172-foot Good Samaritan served the 
     Caribbean, Central and South America for 11 years with a crew 
     of 60. Renamed the Island Mercy, she was redeployed to the 
     South Pacific in 1994 and served there until sold in 2001.
       (E) Mercy Ships is currently building a new hospital ship 
     to serve Africa's most needy for the next 50 years with 
     delivery expected in 2018. The new vessel, larger than the 
     Africa Mercy, will assume the title of world's largest 
     private hospital ship with increased capacity building and a 
     focus on healthcare training. It will also further the 
     commitment of Mercy Ships to provide and promote through 
     teaching, safe surgery globally as demonstrated by their 
     membership in the G4 Alliance.
       (14) Mercy Ships has hosted Presidents and other heads of 
     state from many nations around the world onboard their 
     hospital ships who commended the free health care provided to 
     their people.
       (15) Mercy Ships has been endorsed by President Nelson 
     Mandela, President George Bush, Desmund Tutu, President Ellen 
     Johnson Sirleaf, Sir John Major, President Dr. Ernest Bai 
     Koroma, Tony Blair, President Jimmy Carter and First Lady 
     Mary Flake de Flores.

     SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

       (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate 
     shall make appropriate arrangements for the

[[Page S2324]]

     presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of 
     appropriate design to Don and Deyon Stephens, Founders of 
     Mercy Ships.
       (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation 
     referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 
     (referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a 
     gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions 
     to be determined by the Secretary.

     SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

       The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of 
     the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 under such 
     regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price 
     sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 
     materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and 
     the cost of the gold medal.

     SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS.

       (a) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to this 
     Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 
     31, United States Code.
       (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of sections 5134 and 
     5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under 
     this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.
                                 ______