December 20, 2018 - Issue: Vol. 164, No. 201 — Daily Edition115th Congress (2017 - 2018) - 2nd Session
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STEPHEN MICHAEL GLEASON CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT; Congressional Record Vol. 164, No. 201
(House of Representatives - December 20, 2018)
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[Pages H10415-H10416] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] STEPHEN MICHAEL GLEASON CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT Mr. HUIZENGA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2652) to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Stephen Michael Gleason. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: S. 2652 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 ``Stephen Michael Gleason Congressional Gold Medal Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The Congress finds the following: (1) Stephen ``Steve'' Gleason was born March 19, 1977, in Spokane, Washington to Mike and Gail Gleason. (2) Steve attended Gonzaga Preparatory School for high school where he excelled as both a football and baseball player. (3) In 1995, Steve enrolled at Washington State University where he was a 2-sport athlete for the baseball and football teams and helped the Cougars football team advance to the 1997 Rose Bowl. (4) In 2000, Steve signed a professional football contract with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League as an undrafted free agent but later joined the New Orleans Saints in November of that same season. (5) Steve would go on to play 7 more seasons as a member of the New Orleans Saints. (6) Steve will always be remembered for his blocked punt on September 25, 2006, against the Atlanta Falcons, the night the Louisiana Superdome reopened for the first time after Hurricane Katrina in a game the Saints would win 23 to 3. (7) In January, 2011 Steve was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, considered a terminal neuro- muscular disease. (8) Following his diagnosis, Steve, with the loving support of his wife, Michel, began a mission to show that patients can not only live but thrive after a diagnosis of ALS and established The Gleason Initiative Foundation also known simply as ``Team Gleason''. (9) At the time of his diagnosis, however, Steve said there will be ``No White Flags'', which has become the mantra of Team Gleason. (10) The Gleason Initiative Foundation helps provide individuals with neuromuscular diseases or injuries with leading edge technology, equipment and services, raises global awareness about ALS to find solutions and an end to the disease, and has helped hundreds of people with ALS experience life adventures they never thought possible after their diagnosis. (11) Steve's story and mission have been told by the NFL Network, ESPN, HBO, ABC, CBS, CNN, and many local media outlets, as well as in a 2016 documentary titled ``Gleason'', which was heralded at the Sundance Film Festival and premiered across the country with Variety calling the production ``an emotional powerhouse''. The documentary won several awards, including the 2016 Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Documentary. (12) Steve was named one of two Sports Illustrated's Inspirations of the Year in 2014, has been a keynote speaker for Microsoft and at two United Nations sponsored Social Innovation Summits, and received the 2015 George S. Halas Courage Award, given to a NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed. (13) Steve helped advocate for the Steve Gleason Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-40; 129 Stat. 441), and the Steve Gleason Enduring Voices Act of 2017, H.R. 2465, 115th Congress (2017), which permanently ensures people living with diseases such ALS have access to speech generating devices regardless of their setting, whether at home or a healthcare institution. (14) In 2014, Steve and Team Gleason hosted a global summit to bring together researchers, patients, caregivers, and all ALS stakeholders to create a plan to ultimately end ALS. That summit resulted in the single largest coordinated and collaborative ALS research project in the world, Answer ALS, which brings together nearly two dozen research institutions, 1,000 patients and 20,000,000,000,000 data points that are important to the project and that will define the unknown pathways that will lead to treatments or finally a cure. (15) In 2015, Steve and Microsoft worked together to create a method for people who are completely paralyzed to navigate their power wheelchairs with their eyes. Today, Steve, Microsoft and all wheelchair manufacturers are working collaboratively to make it widely available to all who need this technology. In addition, Microsoft has also made eye tracking technology part of all Windows 10 products across the globe. (16) In 2011, 10 months after his diagnosis, Steve and Michel made their most significant accomplishment, becoming parents to their son Rivers. (17) Steve and Michel Gleason continue to fight to find a solution for ALS so they can share many years together and as parents to Rivers. SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. (a) Award Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of the Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design to Stephen Michael Gleason. (b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. Medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan. General Leave Mr. HUIZENGA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material on this bill. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Michigan? There was no objection. Mr. HUIZENGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this important bill has wide bipartisan support, and I urge all Members to support this legislation. Mr. Gleason who was a former player with the New Orleans Saints, has done significant work in the area of ALS--in ALS education and advocacy and its damaging effects. I, like many people in this Chamber and many people across the country, have been touched by this personally, with friends or family members, and we know the ravages that occur with this horrible disease, ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation, the Stephen Michael Gleason Congressional Gold Medal Act, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2652 and its House companion sponsored by my friend, Representative Cedric Richmond, which awards a Congressional Gold Medal to Stephen Michael Gleason, whose tireless work for people living with ALS should be honored. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Richmond), the sponsor of the House version of this bill. Mr. RICHMOND. Mr. Speaker, let me thank my colleague, Mr. Clay from St. Louis, and my colleague from Michigan. I understand the difficulty in saying very loud the ``New Orleans [[Page H10416]] Saints,'' but I just want to also thank Senator Bill Cassidy, and Senator Patty Murray for authoring this bill and working so hard to get it across the finish line. I would also like to thank Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Representative Steve Scalise for working with me in the House. The Congressional Gold Medal is a special award, and today we are coming together to support giving it to a special person. This is an award for people who dedicate themselves to causes bigger than themselves and for those who work tirelessly to help the lives of others. Both of those describe the son of Who Dat Nation, Steve Gleason. Steve, after being diagnosed with ALS, came together with his team to form Team Gleason, and he declared then that there would be no white flags in dealing with ALS. Steve is a selfless individual who has used his life to raise awareness of ALS and who has been instrumental in developing technology in order to combat this disease. He has done so much that has tangibly improved people's lives now and will continue to do so for years to come. That is why I am proud to introduce this bill in the House and to be standing here today concurring in the Senate bill to honor Steve's contributions to society. Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to support giving the Congressional Gold Medal to our son of Who Dat Nation, Steve Gleason. Mr. HUIZENGA. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to reserve, but I would like to note to my friend from Louisiana, as a Lions fan, it is much easier to be supportive of a Saints player than if this guy had actually been a Green Bay Packer. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have no football team in St. Louis, but we do have the Kansas City Chiefs, who are doing pretty well. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge Members to vote for this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. HUIZENGA. Mr. Speaker, I will note to my colleagues that as a Detroit Lions fan, I, too, don't have a football team, but I am proud to stand on the floor today and note that this is an important time to address these things. We all, as a nation, are thankful for the work of Mr. Gleason in this important issue, and I do urge support from all of my colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 2652. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it. Mr. MASSIE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. ____________________
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