[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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