[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2714 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2714
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 19, 2018
Mr. Cornyn (for himself and Mr. Cruz) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing,
and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
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.
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, Desmond 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 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.
<all>