[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.
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