[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 126 (Thursday, July 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3789-S3790]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MAX CLELAND VA MEDICAL CENTER ACT

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration 
of S. 3369, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 3369) to designate the medical center of the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs in metropolitan Atlanta, 
     Georgia, as the ``Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta Department 
     of Veterans Affairs Medical Center''.

  There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the 
Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read 
a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered 
made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 3369) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed as follows:

                                S. 3369

       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 VA Medical 
     Center Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Joseph Maxwell Cleland was born August 24, 1942, in 
     Atlanta, Georgia, the child of Juanita Kesler Cleland and 
     Joseph Hughie Cleland, a World War II veteran, and grew up in 
     Lithonia, Georgia.
       (2) Joseph Maxwell Cleland graduated from Stetson 
     University in Florida in 1964, and received his Master's 
     Degree in history from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
       (3) Following his graduation from Stetson University, 
     Joseph Maxwell Cleland received

[[Page S3790]]

     a Second Lieutenant's Commission in the Army through its 
     Reserve Officers' Training Corps program.
       (4) Joseph Maxwell Cleland volunteered for duty in the 
     Vietnam War in 1967, serving with the 1st Cavalry Division.
       (5) On April 8, 1968, during combat at the mountain base at 
     Khe Sanh, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was gravely injured by the 
     blast of a grenade, eventually losing both his legs and right 
     arm.
       (6) Joseph Maxwell Cleland was awarded the Bronze Star for 
     meritorious service and the Silver Star for gallantry in 
     action.
       (7) In 1970, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was elected to the 
     Georgia Senate as the youngest member and the only Vietnam 
     veteran, where he served until 1975.
       (8) As a Georgia State Senator, Joseph Maxwell Cleland 
     authored and advanced legislation to ensure access to public 
     facilities in Georgia for elderly and handicapped 
     individuals.
       (9) In 1976, Joseph Maxwell Cleland began serving as a 
     staffer on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the United 
     States Senate.
       (10) In 1977, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was appointed by 
     President Jimmy Carter to lead the Veterans Administration.
       (11) He was the youngest Administrator of the Veterans 
     Administration ever and the first Vietnam veteran to head the 
     agency.
       (12) He served as a champion for veterans and led the 
     Veterans Administration to recognize, and begin to treat, 
     post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans suffering the 
     invisible wounds of war.
       (13) Joseph Maxwell Cleland was elected in 1982 as 
     Secretary of State of Georgia, the youngest individual to 
     hold the office, and served in that position for 14 years.
       (14) In 1996, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was elected to the 
     United States Senate representing Georgia.
       (15) As a member of the Committee on Armed Services, Joseph 
     Maxwell Cleland advocated for Georgia's military bases, 
     members of the Armed Forces, and veterans, including by 
     championing key personnel issues, playing a critical role in 
     the effort to allow members of the Armed Forces to pass their 
     GI Bill education benefits to their children, and 
     establishing a new veterans cemetery in Canton, Georgia.
       (16) In 2002, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was appointed to the 
     9/11 Commission.
       (17) In 2003, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was appointed by 
     President George W. Bush to the Board of Directors for the 
     Export-Import Bank of the United States, where he served 
     until 2007.
       (18) In 2009, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was appointed by 
     President Barack Obama as Secretary of the American Battle 
     Monuments Commission overseeing United States military 
     cemeteries and monuments overseas, where he served until 
     2017.
       (19) In 2010, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was appointed Chairman 
     of the Advisory Committee on Arlington National Cemetery, 
     where he served until 2017.
       (20) Joseph Maxwell Cleland authored three books: Strong at 
     the Broken Places, Going for the Max: 12 Principles for 
     Living Life to the Fullest, and Heart of a Patriot.
       (21) Joseph Maxwell Cleland received numerous honors and 
     awards over the course of his long and distinguished career.
       (22) Joseph Maxwell Cleland was a patriot, veteran, and 
     lifelong civil servant who proudly served Georgia, the United 
     States, and all veterans and members of the Armed Forces of 
     the United States.
       (23) On November 9, 2021, at the age of 79, Joseph Maxwell 
     Cleland died, leaving behind a legacy of service, sacrifice, 
     and joy.

     SEC. 3. JOSEPH MAXWELL CLELAND ATLANTA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
                   AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER.

       (a) Designation.--The medical center of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, shall 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act be known and 
     designated as the ``Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta Department 
     of Veterans Affairs Medical Center'' or the ``Joseph Maxwell 
     Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center''.
       (b) Reference.--Any reference in a law, regulation, map, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     medical center referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed 
     to be a reference to the Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta 
     Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

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