[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3369 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
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''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 9, 2021
Mr. Warnock (for himself, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Reed, Mr.
Leahy, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Inhofe, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Murray,
Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Durbin) introduced the following bill; which was
read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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''.
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 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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