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Charlie Norwood 

LATE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM 

GEORGIA 

÷ 

MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

AND OTHER TRIBUTES 

HON. CHARLIE NORWOOD ÷ z 1941–2007 

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Charlie Norwood 


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U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 2007

Memorial Addresses and 

Other Tributes 

HELD IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AND SENATE 

OF THE UNITED STATES 

TOGETHER WITH A MEMORIAL SERVICE 

IN HONOR OF 

CHARLIE NORWOOD 

Late a Representative from Georgia 

One Hundred Tenth Congress 

First Session 

÷ 

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Compiled under the direction 

of the 

Joint Committee on Printing 

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[ iii ] 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Biography .................................................................................................. v 

Proceedings in the House of Representatives: 

Tributes by Representatives: 

Barrett, J. Gresham, of South Carolina ................................... 22 

Barrow, John, of Georgia ........................................................... 13 

Barton, Joe, of Texas ....................................................... 19, 47, 54, 59 

Bishop, Sanford D., Jr., of Georgia ........................................... 16 

Blackburn, Marsha, of Tennessee ............................................. 41 

Blunt, Roy, of Missouri .............................................................. 25 

Boehner, John A., of Ohio ......................................................... 13 

Bonner, Jo, of Alabama ............................................................. 40 

Brown, Henry E., Jr., of South Carolina .................................. 39 

Burgess, Michael C., of Texas ................................................... 40, 59 

Buyer, Steve, of Indiana ............................................................ 31 

Cantor, Eric, of Virginia ............................................................ 35 

Capps, Lois, of California .......................................................... 11 

Carter, John R., of Texas ........................................................... 29 

Coble, Howard, of North Carolina ............................................ 25 

Costello, Jerry F., of Illinois ...................................................... 34 

Deal, Nathan, of Georgia ............................................... 4, 6, 7, 32, 51 

Dingell, John D., of Michigan ................................................... 52 

Franks, Trent, of Arizona .......................................................... 5 

Gingrey, Phil, of Georgia ......................................................... 3, 8, 54 

Gohmert, Louie, of Texas .......................................................... 26 

Green, Gene, of Texas ................................................................ 20 

Hastings, Doc, of Washington ................................................... 23 

Hunter, Duncan, of California .................................................. 5 

Inslee, Jay, of Washington ............................................. 44, 45, 51, 57 

Jackson-Lee, Sheila, of Texas ................................................... 35 

Johnson, Henry C. ‘‘Hank,’’ Jr., of Georgia .............................. 4, 14 

Jones, Walter B., of North Carolina ......................................... 33 

King, Steve, of Iowa ................................................................... 30 

Kingston, Jack, of Georgia ........................................................ 57 

Latham, Tom, of Iowa ................................................................ 32 

Lewis, John, of Georgia ............................................................. 7, 32 

Linder, John, of Georgia ............................................................ 12, 56 

Marshall, Jim, of Georgia .......................................................... 22 

Miller, Jeff, of Florida ................................................................ 37 

Myrick, Sue Wilkins, of North Carolina ................................... 27 

Pelosi, Nancy, of California ....................................................... 18 

Price, Tom, of Georgia ............................................................... 10 

Radanovich, George, of California ............................................ 35 

Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana, of Florida ............................................... 4 

Scott, David, of Georgia ............................................................. 9 

Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr., of Wisconsin ............................ 38 

Sessions, Pete, of Texas ............................................................. 38 

Shadegg, John B., of Arizona .................................................... 27 

Stearns, Cliff, of Florida ............................................................ 33 

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Page 

Proceedings in the House of Representatives:—Continued 

Tributes by Representatives—Continued 

Westmoreland, Lynn A., of Georgia ...................................... 3, 15, 60 

Whitfield, Ed, of Kentucky ........................................................ 29 

Wicker, Roger F., of Mississippi ............................................... 28 

Wilson, Joe, of South Carolina .................................................. 17 

Proceedings in the Senate: 

Tributes by Senators: 

Brownback, Sam, of Kansas ...................................................... 70 

Chambliss, Saxby, of Georgia ................................................... 64, 66 

Coburn, Tom, of Oklahoma ....................................................... 68 

Graham, Lindsey, of South Carolina ........................................ 69 

Isakson, Johnny, of Georgia ................................................. 63, 64, 65 

Memorial Service ...................................................................................... 74 

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BIOGRAPHY 

CHARLES WHITLOW NORWOOD, JR., a seven-term Member 

of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2007, 

served most of east Georgia at some point during his congressional career due to redistricting in 1996, 2002, and 

2006, representing counties extending from the North Carolina border in the north Georgia mountains, to the Macon 

and Dublin area in middle Georgia, and halfway to Savannah in south Georgia. He won re-election every year since 

1998 by landslide margins, and was elected to the 110th 

Congress in November by a 68-percent margin. 

Representative NORWOOD achieved national recognition 

after introducing the first comprehensive managed health 

care reform legislation to Congress in 1995, which subsequently passed the House of Representatives in both 1999 

and 2001. Dr. NORWOOD’s patients’ bill of rights legislation 

became a key issue in the 2000 Presidential election, and 

will likely be revived in the 110th Congress. 

Dr. NORWOOD was instrumental in health care reform for 

military retirees and veterans as well as patients at large. 

The former Army dentist was co-author of the Keep Our 

Promises to Military Retirees Act in 1999, which provided 

fully funded health care for life for the Nation’s military retirees. The majority of the bill was enacted as part of the Defense Authorization Act of 2000. 

In addition to his long-time national advocacy for patients, 

Dr. NORWOOD succeeded in passing reforms across a broad 

range of public policy areas, spanning education, private 

property rights, telecommunications, and environmental regulations. 

He reformed the Nation’s special education system by authoring the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Discipline Reform Amendment in 1999, which passed the House 

of Representatives and became law in 2003 as part of the 

Improving Education Results for Children with Disabilities 

Act, protecting disabled students and their teachers from violence in the classroom. 

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Dr. NORWOOD is further recognized as the father of the 

Nation’s current class A broadcast television service, by authoring and passing into law the Community Broadcasting 

Protection Act in 1998. 

In Federal issues with direct local economic impact, Dr. 

NORWOOD played the pivotal role in reforming U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers dealings with local government and private citizens, through Federal approval for restoration of the 

New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam, and reform of the 

Corps’ Lake Management Plan regulation of private property 

owner rights. In addition, Dr. NORWOOD founded the Savannah River Water Quality Initiative in 1996, which succeeded 

in restoring the trout stocking demonstration project in the 

Savannah River rapids above Augusta in 1998. 

Representative NORWOOD provided the driving legislative 

pressure in preserving Federal funding and missions of the 

U.S. Army’s Signal Corps Headquarters and Eisenhower 

Army Regional Medical Center at Fort Gordon, and the U.S. 

Department of Energy Savannah River Site Project, staving 

off attempts to downsize or close both facilities during Federal funding cutbacks throughout his congressional career. 

In congressional oversight action, Dr. NORWOOD played a 

key role in the 1996–1998 Teamster’s investigation, the 

1998–2002 investigations of theft and fraud at the U.S. Department of Education, and the impeachment of former 

President Bill Clinton in 1998. 

Dr. NORWOOD was a member of the Energy and Commerce 

Committee throughout his congressional career. In the 110th 

Congress he served on the Subcommittees on Health and 

Oversight and Investigations. He was vice chairman of the 

Subcommittee on Health from 2001 to 2004, and a member 

of the Energy and Power Subcommittee from 1995 to 2000. 

Dr. NORWOOD also served on the Education and the Workforce Committee from 1995 to 2006, where he was chairman 

of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections from 2001 to 

2006, and vice chairman of the Oversight and Investigations 

Subcommittee from 1997 to 2000. 

He was also a member of the Rural Health Care Caucus, 

the Army Caucus, and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, and served on the Speaker’s Task Force on Tritium Production in the 104th Congress and the Speaker’s Working 

Group on Health Care Reform in the 105th Congress. 

Dr. NORWOOD was born in Valdosta, GA, July 27, 1941, 

the son of the late Charles Whitlow Norwood, Sr. and Lola 

Parham Norwood. He attended Lowndes County public 

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schools through the first year of high school at Valdosta 

High, and graduated from Baylor Military High School in 

Chattanooga, TN, in 1959. Dr. NORWOOD was a football 

standout throughout high school, played under legendary 

Valdosta High Coach Wright Bazemore, and was the defensive nemesis of later-NFL Minnesota Vikings quarterback 

great Fran Tarkenton during the 1958 battle between Valdosta and Athens High, and again in a 1959 Baylor-Athens 

High match-up. 

Dr. NORWOOD received a bachelor’s degree from Georgia 

Southern University in Statesboro in 1964, and a doctorate 

in dental surgery from Georgetown University Dental School 

in Washington, DC, in 1967, where he was elected president 

of the Dental School student body in his senior year. He 

married the former Gloria Wilkinson of Valdosta in 1962 

while attending Georgia Southern. 

After dental school he volunteered for the U.S. Army and 

served as a captain in the Dental Corps from 1967 to 1969, 

beginning with an assignment to the U.S. Army Dental 

Corps at Sandia Army Base in Albuquerque, NM. In 1968 he 

was transferred to the Medical Battalion of the 173d Airborne Brigade in Vietnam, and served a combat tour at Quin 

Nyon, Quang Khe, and LZ English at Bon Son. 

During his tour, he participated in experimental military 

dental practices that became standard procedure for the 

Armed Forces after the war. He was one of the first participants in the Army outreach program that delivered dentists 

to forward firebases in lieu of transferring patients to rear 

treatment areas. Dr. NORWOOD also provided some of the 

first field-based dental treatment of military guard dogs, and 

assisted in non-dental trauma care in mobile army surgical 

hospitals (MASH units). In recognition of his service under 

combat conditions, he was awarded the Combat Medical 

Badge and two Bronze Stars. After Vietnam, he was assigned to the Dental Corps at Fort Gordon, GA, where he 

served until his discharge in 1969. Dr. NORWOOD was awarded the Association of the United States Army Cocklin Award 

in 1998, and was inducted into the Association’s Audie Murphy Society in 1999. He remained a lifelong member of the 

American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the 

Military Order of the World Wars. 

Dr. NORWOOD began private practice dentistry in Augusta 

immediately after his discharge. During his dental career, he 

served as president of both the Georgia Dental Association 

and the Eastern District Dental Society, was a delegate to 

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the American Dental Association, and was founder of the Augusta Dental Disaster Society. He was a member of the 

American Dental Association, the Georgia Academy of Dental Society, the Augusta Dental Society, was an Honorable 

Fellow of the Georgia Dental Association, and a Fellow of 

both the International College of Dentistry and the American 

College of Dentistry Sciences. 

Dr. NORWOOD received the American Psychological Association’s Outstanding Leadership Award in 1996 and the Association’s Man of the Year Award in 1998; the American 

Medical Association’s Nathan Davis Award for 1999; and the 

Guardian of Medicare Award of the United States Seniors 

Association in 1996 for his leadership efforts in health care 

reform. 

In addition to his dental practice, Dr. NORWOOD also 

founded Northwoods Nursery in Evans, providing trees and 

shrubs to wholesale outlets throughout the Central Savannah River area, and Augusta Dental Laboratory, which manufactured dental devices for patients. 

He became a stalwart supporter of small business and 

property rights interests in Congress, receiving the 1995 

Fighting Frosh Award of the United States Business and Industrial Council; the Guardian of Senior’s Rights Award of 

the 60 Plus Association, the Friend of the Family Award of 

the Christian Coalition, the Friend of the Taxpayer Award of 

Americans for Tax Reform, the Guardian of Small Business 

Award of the National Federation of Independent Business, 

the Spirit of Enterprise Award of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Thomas Jefferson Award of the U.S. Food Service 

Council, the Champion of Property Rights Award of the 

League of Private Property Owners, the Taxpayer’s Hero 

Award of the Council for Citizens Against Government 

Waste, and the Taxpayer’s Friend Award of National Taxpayers Union. 

Dr. NORWOOD and his wife Gloria were long-time members 

of and taught Adult Sunday School at Trinity on the Hill 

United Methodist Church in Augusta. He was a past board 

member of the Augusta Opera Society, and a member of the 

Augusta Symphony Guild. 

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MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

AND 

OTHER TRIBUTES 

FOR 

CHARLIE NORWOOD 

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Proceedings in the 

House of Representatives 

WEDNESDAY, February 7, 2007 

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, before I begin my 

remarks, I would like to call on my fellow Members to keep 

the gentleman from Georgia, Congressman CHARLIE NORWOOD, in your thoughts and prayers. As many of you know, 

CHARLIE has suffered from cancer for some time and has 

fought valiantly, just as he did when he recovered from a 

lung transplant several years ago. 

Today CHARLIE announced that he is going to decline further treatment and return home to Augusta, GA, where he 

will receive hospice care in his home. CHARLIE NORWOOD has 

served the people his entire life. He has served his Nation 

as a soldier in Vietnam. He served Augusta, GA, but also as 

a dedicated father to his children, and a husband to his loving wife Gloria. 

Since 1995, he has ably and some would say tenaciously 

represented the people of eastern, northern Georgia, but his 

service and his wisdom have benefited us all. To me he is not 

just a great Georgian and a great American, he is a great 

friend. He served as a mentor to me and to many others in 

this House. And I know that everyone here, Mr. Speaker, 

has CHARLIE and Gloria in their thoughts and prayers. 

He said today that he is turning it over to the Lord’s 

hands, and I know that he can be in no better place than 

that. I look forward to working with CHARLIE again. I look 

forward to him getting back. . . . 

Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 

California for yielding. 

And I want to take just a second to join my colleagues 

from Georgia and particularly the two who are on the floor 

tonight, Dr. Price and Representative Westmoreland, in saying to our colleague CHARLIE NORWOOD that we are praying 

for you, buddy. All of us from Georgia, and every Member of 

this body on both sides of the aisle are praying that the mirVerDate jan 13 2004 14:30 May 29, 2007 Jkt 033500 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\NORWOOD\33500.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
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acle of God’s healing will deliver you back to us soon, and we 

think about you constantly. . . . 

THURSDAY, February 8, 2007 

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, today we got 

word that a fellow Representative from the State of Georgia, 

Representative CHARLIE NORWOOD, has gone home to Augusta after battling cancer here in Washington, DC, at various facilities. He has handled his affliction bravely, and he 

has been an example of a great fighting spirit. We wish his 

family the best, and he is in our prayers as he continues his 

battle. . . . 

TUESDAY, February 13, 2007 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have been informed 

by House leaders that our colleague, Congressman CHARLIE

NORWOOD, has passed away. I would ask our colleagues to 

join me as we rise in a moment of silent prayer for CHARLIE. 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues and visitors. 

Congressman NORWOOD was a proud Vietnam veteran, 

and his service to our Nation will be sorely missed. Mr. Deal 

will soon come to the floor to make a statement on behalf of 

his State’s delegation. . . . 

MOMENT OF SILENCE OBSERVED IN MEMORY OF THE HONORABLE 

CHARLIE NORWOOD 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that we recognize the Members of the Georgia delegation to make the sad commentary on Congressman NORWOOD’s passing. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Moran of Virginia). Is 

there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Florida? 

There was no objection. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman. 

On behalf of my colleagues from the State of Georgia, it is 

with great sadness that I announce that our colleague CHARLIE NORWOOD passed away at approximately 12:45 today. 

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CHARLIE was a great Member of this body and a friend to 

all. 

Mr. Speaker, I would ask that this body observe a moment 

of silence in his memory. 

Amen. 

Mr. HUNTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time 

as I may consume. 

Madam Speaker, I have got one speaker left here, Mr. 

Franks of Arizona, but let me just say one thing before he 

speaks. I appreciate the debate. I think we have had a good 

discussion this evening. 

I wanted to say one thing about CHARLIE NORWOOD. He 

passed away. He was a member of the 173d Airborne Brigade. I was a member of that brigade. I had a very average 

tour, a very easy tour in Vietnam. I did nothing special. But 

CHARLIE NORWOOD was a real hero who won the Combat 

Medical Badge and two Bronze Stars in Vietnam. 

I thought to commemorate CHARLIE, I have my copy of 

General Douglas MacArthur’s farewell speech that I quoted 

earlier, and let me just quote a paragraph about duty, honor, 

and country that Douglas MacArthur thought so represented 

the fighting man in this country. 

He said these words about duty, honor and country: 

They teach to be proud and unbending in honest failure, but humble and 

gentle in success; not to substitute words for action; not to seek the path 

of comfort, but to face the stress and spur of difficulty and challenge; to 

learn to stand up in the storm, but to have compassion on those who fall; 

to master yourself before you seek to master others; to have a heart that 

is clean, a goal that is high; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; 

to reach into the future, yet never neglect the past; to be serious, yet never 

take yourself too seriously; to be modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness; the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of 

true strength. 

I think that largely represented our great friend CHARLIE

NORWOOD. 

Madam Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks). 

Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Thank you, Mr. Hunter. I certainly add my own feelings toward the words that you just 

spoke on behalf of CHARLIE NORWOOD. None of us know 

when we have to step from this floor for the last time. This 

man, while he was here, maintained a sense of honor. He 

was always committed to doing those things that would 

bring better hope to future generations. He was honorable 

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among us, and we can certainly salute that kind of brotherhood that he represented to all of us. 

I certainly pass along my own condolences and also congratulations to his family, because in a sense CHARLIE NORWOOD’s dreams were fulfilled in that he dreamed to be a 

statesman, and he certainly rose to that occasion in every 

way. 

I suppose it is in a sense a little bit of a statement to all 

of us that the brief moments that we have here should be 

spent debating those things that would truly make a difference, not only for this generation, but for whatever generations remain to America. . . . 

MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE 

A message from the Senate by Ms. Curtis, one of its clerks, 

announced that the Senate has agreed to the following resolution. 

S. RES. 79 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the honorable CHARLES W. NORWOOD, JR., late a Representative from the State of Georgia. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to the House 

of Representatives and transmit an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the 

deceased. 

Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns or recesses today, it stand adjourned or recessed as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased Representative. 

WEDNESDAY, February 14, 2007 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged resolution (H. Res. 159) and ask for its immediate consideration. 

The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: 

H. RES. 159 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of the death 

of the Honorable CHARLIE NORWOOD, a Representative from the State of 

Georgia. 

Resolved, That a committee of such Members of the House as the Speaker 

may designate, together with such Members of the Senate as may be joined, 

be appointed to attend the funeral. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House be authorized and directed to take such steps as may be necessary for carrying out the provisions of these resolutions and that the necessary expenses in connection 

therewith be paid out of applicable accounts of the House. 

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Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate and 

transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That when the House adjourns today, it adjourn as a further 

mark of respect to the memory of the deceased. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Georgia 

(Mr. Deal) is recognized for 1 hour. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 minutes of 

time to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) and thank 

him for arranging for this resolution to be heard at this time 

today. 

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. 

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, we lost a true champion in 

the House of Representatives yesterday—CHARLES NORWOOD

from Georgia. CHARLIE, as he was known by most of us here, 

was truly a friend across party lines and across State lines. 

He was a true patriot. He served by offering dental services 

in the U.S. Army in the combat zone of Vietnam. 

He returned to a private dental practice in Georgia, and 

then in the election cycle of 1994 was elected to this House 

of Representatives. He came with a passion for many things. 

Health care was at the very top of his list. Education followed closely. And he worked on both of those issues with all 

of his heart. 

He inspired many people in this House because he was indeed passionate about everything that he did. If he was your 

friend, you knew he was your friend. If you were on the opposite side of an issue from him, he let you know that as 

well, but he was still your friend. 

All of us watched as we observed what had been diagnosed 

in 1998 as an incurable disease. And following that diagnosis, he underwent lung transplant surgery. That was a 

process that most of us probably would have had great difficulty undergoing. But CHARLIE did it with courage. He rebounded with the same kind of determination and willingness to go forward in spite of the inconveniences that 

brought to him. 

We saw him with his oxygen tank, and we saw him on his 

little scooter as he rode around the Capitol on his way over 

here and back and forth to votes. Throughout it all, he maintained his good humor, he maintained his zest for life. CHARLIE NORWOOD is someone who will truly be missed. 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. 

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tion before us as a tribute to our fallen colleague, Mr. NORWOOD. 

More than anything else, Congressman NORWOOD was a 

warrior. He fought for his beliefs with passion and conviction, and he fought for the people of his district and for the 

people of Georgia who loved him. 

He was awarded two Bronze Stars for his bravery on behalf of our Nation during the Vietnam war, and he fought 

courageously for patient rights right here on the floor of the 

House of Representatives. 

In fact, his last official act was to reintroduce the patients’ 

bill of rights on Monday, a bill he coauthored with John Dingell. CHARLIE NORWOOD, this good man, this son of Georgia, 

fought a good fight. He was a warrior to the end. 

The thoughts and prayers of all of the Members of Congress, and especially the members of the Georgia delegation, 

are with his wife Gloria and his two sons, Charles and 

Carlton, their family and his many grandchildren. I hope 

they will find comfort in knowing that Congressman CHARLIE NORWOOD made a lasting contribution not just to the 

State of Georgia, but to the Nation and to all of us as Members of this body. We are more than lucky, we are very 

blessed to have known him as a friend and as a colleague. 

He will be deeply missed. 

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would yield 3 minutes to our Georgia colleague (Mr. Gingrey). 

Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, CHARLIE NORWOOD was a 

very successful dentist in my hometown of Augusta, GA. I 

didn’t know CHARLIE at that time because I had long since 

moved away. 

But as a practicing physician in Marietta, GA, as an OB/ 

GYN, several years ago I went to the annual meeting of the 

Georgia OB/GYN Society to hear Dr. CHARLIE NORWOOD talk 

about the patients’ bill of rights. Physicians across Georgia 

and across this country were concerned with managed care 

and HMOs and liability and that sort of thing. 

And, Mr. Speaker, when I heard Dr. NORWOOD speak to 

my colleagues, physicians, about this issue, and then, in 

turn, when we gave him a standing ovation, I want to tell 

you, Mr. Speaker, and I never did tell CHARLIE this, but that 

was an inspiration to me to some day have the opportunity, 

and thank God that I did, to follow in that walk that he 

walked. 

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What a great Member of this body and what a fierce competitor and a fair competitor, Mr. Speaker. As my colleague 

on the other side of the aisle, the distinguished John Lewis, 

knows well, CHARLIE would fight for something he believed 

in but in a very respectful way. And he thought about others 

before himself. 

An example, Mr. Speaker, is that just in this last election 

cycle, when CHARLIE was suffering so much, as Representative Deal has just mentioned, he didn’t think about himself. 

He won his reelection with 67 percent of the vote. And it 

wasn’t that he couldn’t campaign because of his illness. He 

was working all that time for another colleague in a very 

competitive district. He was essentially running that other 

campaign. That is the kind of guy CHARLIE NORWOOD was, 

and the kind of fellow that we will all remember here on 

both sides of the aisle in this great House of Representatives. 

He was a friend, he was a colleague. He was a fighter. He 

was a fighter for patients’ rights. He was a fighter for students, as his work on the Education and the Workforce Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee attest to. 

He is somebody that we can all emulate. 

And I just want to say to his wife Gloria, to his two sons, 

Carlton and Charles, Jr., and to the four grandchildren and 

to the Norwood family, we are praying for you. We want to 

uplift you. We will be with you tomorrow, but we know, as 

you do, that CHARLIE is in heaven right now, and God has 

accepted him with open arms saying, ‘‘well done, my good 

and faithful servant.’’ 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to 

the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott). 

Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, to my distinguished 

colleagues from Georgia and other Members of Congress who 

are here, this is indeed a sad occasion. 

CHARLIE NORWOOD led an extraordinary life. He was a 

combat veteran. He was a dentist. He pulled himself up by 

his own bootstraps, truly a son of the South, a son of Georgia. 

He is a person who cared about all the people of Georgia. 

Let me give you an example, if I may. I remember when I 

was serving in the Georgia legislature as a State senator, 

and we needed some help for the Morehouse School of Medicine’s National Primary Care Center. The person that led the 

fight up here to secure the Federal dollars for the Morehouse 

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School of Medicine’s Primary National Care Center was 

CHARLIE NORWOOD. And we thank him for that. 

Mr. Speaker, as I think of CHARLIE NORWOOD, and I think 

of so many of the great debates and the battles that we have 

had up here that we have shared, I am reminded of a great 

conversation that took place between two great men, Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee. It was at a time when this 

Nation was going through its great Civil War and was about 

how to fix that. The conversation went like this. Robert E. 

Lee said, ‘‘it is not incumbent upon us to complete the task.’’ 

And Abraham Lincoln said, ‘‘nor are we free to desist from 

doing all we possibly can.’’ 

That was the essence of CHARLIE NORWOOD. We might not 

have to complete this task, to make America a better place, 

but neither are we free to desist from doing all we possibly 

can. 

CHARLIE, we appreciate you. You fought the good fight. 

You stayed the course. And for you, God has put up an extraordinary crown of righteousness. We thank you, and we 

thank God for passing our way. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

3 minutes to my colleague from Georgia (Mr. Price). 

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, America, the State of 

Georgia and this House of Representatives have lost a great 

public servant, an uncommon leader, and a proud patriot. 

I am profoundly saddened by the passing of Congressman 

CHARLIE NORWOOD, a gentleman who selflessly served the 

people of Georgia and this House for more than 12 years. 

CHARLIE spent his entire life helping others as a soldier, 

as a dentist, as a legislator. He served valiantly in the defense of our Nation in the medical battalion of the 173d Airborne Brigade in Vietnam. He returned home to serve his 

community in Augusta as a dentist. And for 12 years, he was 

a faithful servant to the people of Georgia in his district as 

a Member of Congress. 

In Congress he was a passionate supporter of our military 

and of our veterans. He was a tireless advocate for patients 

and patient-centered health reform. And he never forgot for 

whom he worked in Washington, his constituents. 

Congressman NORWOOD was a dear friend to me. His 

friendship and his perspective and his guidance in this 

House are things that I will always cherish. Anyone who 

knew CHARLIE knew that he was as tough as they come and 

he always stood up for what he believed in. Rarely, rarely in 

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any walk of life are we privileged to come to know someone 

who stood for his principles as strongly as CHARLIE NORWOOD. His legacy in the House of Representatives will be one 

of integrity, vigor, and loyalty. 

Congressman NORWOOD’s devotion to this body and to our 

country will be sorely missed, but his legacy will never be 

forgotten. And I shall never forget that wry smile and that 

twinkle in his eye. What a hero. 

Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in expressing our deepest sympathies to CHARLIE’s wife Gloria, his family, and his 

friends. 

And while we mourn the loss of this great patriot, we celebrate his lifetime of noble and heroic service and we thank 

God for giving us the gift of the life of CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

21⁄2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. 

Capps). 

Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all of the fine 

colleagues that we have who are from Georgia for giving 

each and every one of us a chance to speak. I am not from 

Georgia, and I know he was your favorite son, but I do want 

to give this as my chance to honor this very distinguished 

Member of Congress, CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

I rise today, Mr. Speaker, with a heavy heart but also real 

admiration for the life of this dear colleague of ours, CHARLIE

NORWOOD. And my heart as well as all of our hearts go out 

to his family members, to his community, and to all of the 

people whose life he has touched. 

I had the privilege of serving on the Energy and Commerce Committee with CHARLIE for several years and had 

the opportunity to work with him on initiatives in the Health 

Subcommittee. And though he and I come from vastly different places on the ideological spectrum, we were often able 

to see eye to eye on health policy as two health professionals 

serving in Congress. 

I was proud to work with him in co-chairing the School 

Health and Safety Caucus, where we used the opportunity to 

spotlight ways in which we could improve the health of children through school-based initiatives. I was also honored to 

work with him on legislation to promote children’s dental 

health. 

I think we can all agree that CHARLIE will be remembered 

as reliably conservative, but also as an independent thinker. 

His leadership in establishing a patients’ bill of rights was 

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exemplary of his willingness to go out on a limb for something in which he truly believed. He introduced that bill 

shortly before I came to Congress, and the momentum for 

passage of the patients’ bill of rights was one of the main 

reasons that I was eager to serve on this Health Subcommittee, which he belonged to. 

I admired his characteristic patient-centered approach to 

health care policy. It wasn’t popular with some of our colleagues, and the President flat out warned that his bill 

would be vetoed. But CHARLIE continued forward and was 

looking forward to an opportunity to finally pass the patients’ bill of rights in its original form in this, the 110th 

Congress. 

So I want to take this opportunity to express again my 

condolences to the Norwood family and to thank them all for 

the tremendous years, 12 years, of service that they allowed 

their CHARLIE to serve with us all in Congress. And I thank 

my colleagues again. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

3 minutes to another Georgia colleague (Mr. Linder). 

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding 

his time. 

I met CHARLIE NORWOOD over 30 years ago. We were both 

young dentists in Georgia. He was the president of the Georgia Dental Association, and I was a young, newly elected 

dentist in the Georgia legislature. And his enthusiasm blew 

me away. Irrespective of what he was talking about, he only 

had two gears: neutral and full speed ahead. And his enthusiasm would capture you. And the bulldoggedness, the way 

he would put his teeth on an issue and fight for it without 

ever backing up was astonishing to me. CHARLIE did not 

have a coy bone in his body. From the day you met CHARLIE, 

you knew what he stood for on whatever the issue was. 

Respectfully, he and I differed on the patients’ bill of 

rights. We spent many hours talking about it. He was adamant that I was wrong and he was right. But at no point did 

he ever raise his voice or show any disrespect for a position 

that I had taken that was different from his. 

CHARLIE loved this institution. He loved the give and take 

of it. He loved the formality of it. We talked one day if he 

ever had any notion of running for the Senate, and he said 

he would never survive there. He would never survive not 

getting something done every day. 

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He treated this institution that he loved with great dignity. When he fought his fights, you knew he was going to 

fight fair. And for 30-plus years when I have been able to 

visit with him or know him on this issue or that, I always 

walked away from each encounter saying what a nice man, 

what a nice man. 

For Gloria and the family, you are in our prayers. A 

psalmist has written that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and those who are crushed in spirit He saves. 

May God give you peace. 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barrow). 

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 

yielding. 

I rise this afternoon to remember one of our fellow delegation members, the Honorable CHARLIE NORWOOD. I know 

that many Members of this body served with CHARLIE much 

longer than I did, but unlike them, I think I may be the only 

Member here with the distinction of once actually having 

been represented by CHARLIE as one of his constituents. 

CHARLIE NORWOOD was an accomplished and tireless legislator who had stands on issues that ran the political spectrum. And while I may not have agreed with him on every 

issue, I always admired his spirit, and I say that as a former 

constituent and as a colleague. 

As anyone who knew him will tell you, CHARLIE cared 

deeply for the State of Georgia and for the people he represented in Congress for over 12 years. 

In this Chamber and among this delegation, there is no 

question that CHARLIE NORWOOD will be missed and his absence will be long felt here in Washington and back home in 

Georgia. 

My prayers remain with Congressman NORWOOD’s wife 

Gloria, and with their entire family. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker I am pleased to yield 

1 minute to the minority leader (Mr. Boehner). 

Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from 

Georgia for yielding. 

And I come to remember my good friend and our good 

friend, CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

I met CHARLIE in October 1994 when he was a candidate 

for Congress for the first time, and I had dinner with him 

one night before we went off on a 16-city tour. I didn’t think 

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it would ever end. But at dinner that night, I looked at 

CHARLIE and I asked, ‘‘Why are you running for Congress’’? 

He said, ‘‘That OSHA, that OSHA, they did this to me.’’ 

And for every day that CHARLIE NORWOOD served in this 

Congress, he was all over OSHA, to have rules and regulations that met the straight-face test. 

I was the chairman of the Education and the Workforce 

Committee, and CHARLIE was one of my subcommittee chairs 

for the 5 years that I was the chairman. Clearly the most 

difficult member I have ever had to try to manage. And 

whether it was the patients’ bill of rights, whether it was 

OSHA, or a host of other issues, when CHARLIE got that bone 

in his mouth, you could not get it out of his mouth. He was 

the most dogged, persistent Member I have ever worked 

with. As a matter of fact, I might even say he might be the 

most dogged persistent person that I have ever met with because when CHARLIE picked up a cause, he was never going 

to leave it alone until he accomplished his goal. 

And I am sure that CHARLIE is watching over us today, 

wondering why the patients’ bill of rights isn’t law. Mr. Linder just talked about it. CHARLIE fought about this on more 

occasions than you can ever imagine, as did John and a lot 

of other Members. But CHARLIE truly believed in that piece 

of legislation. He put his heart and soul into it. 

We are going to miss CHARLIE around here. We are going 

to miss that dogged persistence that he brought to this floor 

every day and in the committee rooms every day. 

But to Gloria and his family, our prayers are with you. 

And, CHARLIE, may your soul rest in peace. 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson). 

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to 

honor CHARLIE NORWOOD, a great servant of the people of 

Georgia. 

By now you have all heard about his life, so I won’t spend 

much time on his extensive biography. But I do want to 

bring attention to what he would have wanted us to focus on 

above and beyond his legislative accomplishments, and that 

is his family. 

I did not get an opportunity to get to know CHARLIE, but 

I do know enough about him to understand what was most 

important to him. He was a man of high character and values, and so his family was very important. I would like to 

mention and send my deepest condolences to CHARLIE’s 

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beautiful wife, Gloria, and his two sons, Charles and 

Carlton, who made it possible for him to serve so honorably, 

particularly at times when clearly he must have not been 

feeling well. But he still persisted with his duties and responsibilities as a Congressman. 

It takes a lot to just walk these Halls from the office to the 

Capitol and back again, and he walked as long as he could, 

and then he started taking his wheelchair. So the man had 

a spirit to prevail over whatever obstacles might have befallen him. That is a spirit that each one of us can learn 

from and live by and do the best that we can, like he did. 

So in addition to just being a great human being, there 

were a number of legislative accomplishments. I will not go 

over those either, but I will say as a member of the Armed 

Services Committee, that I want to bring attention to his 

military service. He was awarded the Combat Medical Badge 

and two Bronze Stars for his service in Vietnam. While I did 

not always or often agree with him on the issues, by all accounts he served his State and his district well. 

Georgia and this Nation have lost a great man, and I am 

honored to have this opportunity to recognize his contributions today. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to 

yield 3 minutes to our colleague, the gentleman from Georgia 

(Mr. Westmoreland). 

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Georgia for yielding me time. 

Mr. Speaker, CHARLIE NORWOOD was a friend of mine, he 

was a friend of all Georgians, and he was a friend of every 

freedom-loving person in this world, because he fought hard 

for you. 

He was one of the original Republican revolutionaries that 

was elected in 1994, and he never really lost that spirit, that 

conservative fever. He agreed with Jefferson that the government that governs least, governs best, and he fought for 12 

years in this House to make sure that regulations on business and individual lives were at a minimum. In fact, sometimes he called the government’s reach into our lives oppressive. 

Once CHARLIE was quoted in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, as saying, ‘‘If I want to put bad wiring in my house 

and burn my family down, that is my problem, not the government’s.’’ 

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That was typical of CHARLIE. He was a witty warrior. 

When he joined me in the Voting Rights Act, trying to modernize section 5, the renewal of the Voting Rights Act, I had 

come up with two amendments. One of them had to do with 

putting the whole country under it, going through the same 

scrutiny. 

I met with CHARLIE and CHARLIE said, ‘‘Lynn, I want the 

modernization amendment to be the Norwood amendment.’’ 

I said, ‘‘That’s fine, CHARLIE, but why?’’ He said, ‘‘Because I 

can do a better job than you can.’’ That is the way he felt, 

and that is exactly the way he was. 

That is just one example of why I called CHARLIE my ‘‘foxhole buddy.’’ When CHARLIE NORWOOD said he was with you, 

he was with you until the bitter end. You had his word that 

he would have your back, and his word was his bond. 

His loyalty and love of country defined him throughout his 

life. The Valdosta High School football star went on to become a dentist who took his skills to the front lines of Vietnam, where he served his fellow soldiers and his Nation with 

valor. He served in Vietnam for 1 year and obtained the 

rank of captain and won two Bronze Stars. 

For the next four decades, CHARLIE and his loving wife 

Gloria made their home Augusta, where they raised two children, Carlton and Charles, and he served his community 

with a smile on his face when he talked about his grandchildren. 

So the thoughts and prayers of all Georgians go out to the 

Norwood family tonight, to let that family know that we are 

appreciative of the time that they allowed CHARLIE to come 

up here and to serve with us, to bring joy to our hearts and 

thoughts to our minds of what we could do to make this 

country a better place to live in. 

The one thing that I want to close with is this, Mr. Speaker: In all the discussions I got into with CHARLIE NORWOOD

about legislation, he constantly said, ‘‘Lynn, we have got to 

do what’s right.’’ That was his motto, to do what was right, 

and he did. It was an honor to call him friend. 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop). 

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. 

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to stand this afternoon to give 

some remarks about our colleague and dear friend, CHARLIE

NORWOOD. 

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Shakespeare wrote that all the world is a stage and all the 

men and women merely players. Each has his entrance and 

his exit. One man in his time may play many parts. 

So it was with CHARLIE. CHARLIE was a son, a son to 

Charlie Norwood, Sr., and Lola. He was a husband to Gloria. 

He was a father to Charlie and Carlton and a grandfather. 

And he was a cousin to two very, very wonderful ladies down 

in Valdosta who said that they often prayed for Cousin 

CHARLIE, because they just couldn’t understand how he became a Republican. 

CHARLIE was a student. CHARLIE got his bachelor’s degree. 

He studied dentistry. He was a soldier. He served his country. He was in Vietnam. But CHARLIE was a public servant. 

CHARLIE believed in leadership through service, and he lived 

it. 

CHARLIE really was great, because measured by the standards of Jesus, that he who is great among you shall be your 

servant, and he who is greatest shall be servant unto all, 

CHARLIE measured up. 

CHARLIE was a fighter. CHARLIE fought hard for any principle in which he believed. He didn’t give up, as you heard, 

on the patients’ bill of rights. He was a fierce competitor. I 

often didn’t agree with him, but I had to admire his tenacity, 

because he was a fighter. And all the way to the end, CHARLIE fought. He fought for life. 

We are all blessed, really blessed, to have known CHARLIE. 

And Gloria was devoted to CHARLIE. She took leave from her 

duties as a member of the Congressional Club to attend to 

CHARLIE, to give CHARLIE her best efforts in his last days. 

But CHARLIE served well. He really embodied God’s 

minute. I have only just a minute, only 60 seconds in it; 

forced upon me, can’t refuse it; didn’t seek it, didn’t choose, 

did it; I must suffer if I lose it, give account if I abuse it; just 

a tiny little minute, but eternity is in it. 

Thank you, CHARLIE. You used your minute well. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson). 

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Thank you, Congressman 

Deal, for coordinating this tribute to a patriot. 

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute and remembrance of 

my dear friend and our colleague CHARLIE NORWOOD. Upon 

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ber of Congress from an adjoining district, I learned firsthand of CHARLIE’s dedication to the public and his love of 

America. Gloria has been a model First Lady for the district, 

enthusiastically assisting CHARLIE in his life of public service. 

CHARLIE was a committed health care practitioner, a loving family man and a passionate public servant. He spent 

his entire life fighting for the people of his beloved Georgia. 

True to his character, CHARLIE fought to the end, despite 

debilitating health conditions. He was always in good spirits, 

even though we knew he was exerting extraordinary efforts 

to fully represent his constituents. He reminded me so much 

of my predecessor, the late Congressman Floyd Spence, a fellow courageous lung transplant recipient. 

I had the pleasure of serving with CHARLIE on the Education and the Workforce Committee. I am honored to, this 

year, be the Republican ranking member on the Workforce 

Protection Subcommittee, which CHARLIE ably chaired for 

three terms. 

In Congress, CHARLIE was an ardent advocate for health 

care reform and patients’ rights. He was a good friend and 

strong supporter of the employees of the Savannah River Nuclear Laboratory. I was proud to work closely with him in 

our efforts to create a MOX facility for the transformation of 

plutonium waste at the Savannah River site. 

CHARLIE is survived by his wife Gloria; his two sons, 

Charles and Carlton; and four grandchildren. Roxanne and 

I join with his colleagues in mourning his passing and send 

our prayers to his family, staff, and constituents. May God 

bless the Norwood family at this time, and may they know 

that he made a significant and positive difference for America. 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to 

yield 1 minute to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the young lady from California, Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 

yielding and having this Special Order to honor the life and 

service of our colleague Congressman NORWOOD. 

It is with great sadness that we received the news first of 

his illness and then of his passing. We had hoped to have an 

occasion such as this before he died so he could hear the 

praise of his colleagues on the floor. I know that many conveyed their good wishes to him personally. 

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He left us in a very dignified way. He decided that he 

would be, as he lived, surrounded by his family at home so 

that he could die in peace. 

Congressman NORWOOD, as we all know, as our minority 

leader mentioned, he had his own particular style, plain spoken, very eloquent, and he was a passionate public servant. 

He served our country and his own community in Vietnam 

in service to our country and in the Congress of the United 

States. 

Again, in this Congress he did his best to serve his constituents, his conscience, and his country. 

Again, he faced the end of his life and his sickness with 

great bravery and dignity. 

Our thoughts and prayers, I have conveyed to his wife Gloria, but I say again on this floor that our thoughts and prayers are with Gloria and his two sons, Charles and Carlton, 

and his four grandchildren. I know that I can speak for all 

Members of Congress when we convey our sympathy to 

them. I hope that it is a comfort to them that so many people 

mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton). 

Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to read part 

of a letter dated February 8, 2007. It is from Congressman 

NORWOOD to me. It is the last official correspondence that I 

received from him. It says: 

Dear Joe. 

When you receive this letter, you will know of my return to Georgia after 

my decision to forgo further medical treatment in the Washington, DC, area 

for my ongoing battle with non-small-cell cancer. Needless to say, I hope 

things turn out for the best. 

I expect to be unavailable for my duties for the foreseeable future. I do, 

however, expect my staff to continue working on several issues, even if I 

can’t be there in person. 

I will have my staff working on the Living Organ Kidney Donation Clarification Act (H.R. 710). This bipartisan, bicameral bill addresses the issue 

of paired transplantation, which is a way to solve the dilemma faced by people who want to become living organ donors for a family member or friend, 

but are unable to do so because they are biologically incompatible. In the 

process of kidney-paired donor transplants, a pair consisting of a kidney 

transplant candidate and an incompatible living donor is matched with another such incompatible pair to enable two transplants that otherwise would 

not occur. This bill is widely supported, has no known opposition, doesn’t 

cost a dime, will save Medicare money, and will save thousands of lives. I 

urge you to work with Mr. Inslee, Chairman Dingell, and my staff to move 

this important bill forward. 

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I have checked with Chairman Dingell. He has assured me 

that he is prepared to move the bill if it is as he says it is. 

Knowing CHARLIE, always telling the truth, it is. So hopefully, very soon on the floor of this body, we will have the 

Charlie Norwood Living Organ Kidney Donation Clarification Act. 

There are so many stories, but I want to tell one NORWOOD

story. CHARLIE asked me and now my wife, then my 

girlfriend, Terri, to go down to the Masters Golf Tournament. 

I am not a golfer and so I discouraged him from asking me. 

He said, ‘‘You may not like it but Terri will.’’ 

So we got to go down to the tournament, and on the first 

day we went to the tournament, CHARLIE was telling me how 

plugged in he was with all the folks at the Masters and how 

many people he knew, and he was really a major figure out 

there. 

So we pulled up to the driveway to go up to the main clubhouse that you have seen on TV, and the guard at the gate 

said, ‘‘May I help you?’’ He said, ‘‘I am Congressman NORWOOD, and I have got Congressman Barton of Texas, and we 

want to go up to the clubhouse.’’ The guard said, ‘‘Well, Congressman, you are not on the list.’’ He said, ‘‘I am not on the 

list?’’ And the guard said, ‘‘No, Congressman, you are not.’’ 

So I started giving CHARLIE a hard time from the backseat. 

I said, ‘‘CHARLIE, I thought you were a big player around 

here; you cannot even get up to the clubhouse.’’ So NORWOOD

started giving me a hard time, and I started hoorahing the 

guard, and he said, ‘‘Wait a minute; he said you are a Congressman from Texas?’’ And I said, ‘‘Yes, sir.’’ He said, ‘‘Congressman NORWOOD, you park right up there by the clubhouse.’’ 

So, for that one day, CHARLIE NORWOOD had a better parking spot than Tiger Woods or Arnold Palmer or any of the 

members of the Masters golf course. 

He is in heaven now and my guess is he has got the best 

parking spot in heaven, too. God bless you, CHARLIE NORWOOD, and God bless you, Gloria, and God bless all your 

family members. CHARLIE will dearly, dearly be missed. 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green). 

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Georgia. 

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I rise in support of the resolution and to pay tribute to my 

friend and fellow member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Dr. CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

CHARLIE came to Congress after my first term as part of 

the class of 1994, and it seems a year did not go by that we 

did not serve on a committee together. 

I honorably served with him at first on the Education and 

the Workforce Committee and then later on the Energy and 

Commerce Committee. 

CHARLIE and I shared a passion for health care issues, and 

I particularly enjoyed our work together on the Health Subcommittee. 

A dentist by training, CHARLIE was devoted to improving 

the health care system, not only for providers like himself 

but also for the patients who rely on our health care system 

to keep them well. 

The phrase patients’ bill of rights would not have been 

coined if CHARLIE and our chairman, John Dingell, had not 

teamed up to give patients an ability to fight back against 

the HMOs that too often make health care decisions based 

on the bottom line, rather than a physician’s recommendation. 

I note CHARLIE’s last legislative act before leaving Washington and returning to Georgia was to reintroduce the patients’ bill of rights in this Congress as H.R. 979. 

There is no doubt in my mind that this legislation will be 

CHARLIE’s legacy and will honor him and his work in this esteemed Chamber by finally making his vision of patients’ 

rights a reality. 

Last July 4 recess, CHARLIE and I joined two other members of the Health Subcommittee as we visited the impressive trauma facilities utilized by our brave military doctors 

to treat our wounded service personnel in Baghdad, Iraq and 

Kabul, Afghanistan. 

I knew there was a good reason CHARLIE and I got along, 

despite being different parties, but I also realized that trip 

that CHARLIE and I shared a lot of interests, and one of them 

is firearms. I met few people with more enthusiasm for firearms than CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

In fact, I will mention how he cared about people, and 

Chairman Deal understands that, he presented a book to 

those of us who went. It has a picture of CHARLIE NORWOOD

with a .50-caliber machine gun in a helicopter we were flying 

in, but CHARLIE was not really happy because he was not sitting behind that .50-caliber machine gun. 

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CHARLIE was a good doctor and honorable Member of Congress and a great friend. He always thought of others, and 

I will always remember him for his friendship for these 

years. Our thoughts are with his family, and his wife Gloria 

has become a good friend of my wife Helen through the congressional spouses group, and I will miss CHARLIE, and we 

all will. We honor his memory and his contributions to our 

country. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Barrett). 

Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I too stand 

in favor of the resolution for my friend CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

When I first started running in 2002, CHARLIE was one of 

the first guys to grab me by the hand, introduce me to people, and be my friend. I remember my first day in Congress 

CHARLIE came up to me and said, ‘‘Boy, you just hang with 

me, I will take good care of you.’’ And he did. 

He always told me that the Augusta side of Georgia was 

mine and the north Augusta side of South Carolina was his; 

that no river or border could keep us apart. And it was true. 

And the things he did for me, the things he did for South 

Carolina, for Georgia, for this Nation will always be remembered. 

CHARLIE NORWOOD was a good friend of mine, and we will 

be sad and we will cry, but in heaven they are screaming, 

‘‘We love you, CHARLIE.’’ God bless you. 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

21⁄2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Marshall). 

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I didn’t know CHARLIE

well; I only met CHARLIE once before I came to Congress and 

then had a few occasions to work with him in Congress. I 

certainly knew his reputation. He was a great advocate for 

veterans and a great advocate for patients’ rights and, on 

some subjects, willing to buck his leadership in order to advance the cause of patients’ rights, and it was something I 

appreciated a great deal. 

As CHARLIE grew sicker, from time to time I would seek 

him out on the floor and ask him how he was doing. He was 

always upbeat about it, he was always positive about it. He 

was never down and sad. He would be very frank about what 

he was able to do and where he was and what his challenges 

were, but he was always positive about his circumstances. 

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His circumstance was awful, as everybody knows. He fought 

this disease for years and gradually grew worse, and we 

were all worried about him. 

So one of the things I did just trying to get to know CHARLIE a little better is I went to his Website and looked up a 

little bit about him, and was struck by the description that 

I found of his military service in Vietnam. And I thought I 

would like to just read that; and many people who are 

watching this won’t have an opportunity to hear this about 

CHARLIE, though everybody knows, I think, that he served in 

the military. 

But specifically during his tour in Vietnam, CHARLIE NORWOOD participated in experimental military dental practices 

that became standard procedure for the Armed Forces after 

the war. He was one of the first participants in the Army 

outreach program to deliver dentists to forward firebases in 

lieu of transferring patients to rear treatment areas. I am 

not sure if the rest of the dentists and the doctors appreciated that very much; it meant that you were going into 

harm’s way a little bit more than they otherwise would. 

NORWOOD also provided some of the first field-based dental 

treatment of military guard dogs, and assisted in nondental 

trauma care in mobile army surgical hospitals, MASH, units. 

In recognition of his service under combat conditions, he was 

awarded the Combat Medical Badge and two Bronze Stars. 

After Vietnam, he was assigned to the Dental Corps at Fort 

Gordon, GA, where he served until his discharge in 1969. 

NORWOOD was awarded the Association of the Army’s 

Cocklin Award in 1998, and was inducted into the Association’s Audie Murphy Society in 1999. He remained a lifelong 

member of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign 

Wars, and the Military Order of the World Wars. 

CHARLIE’s family should be very proud of CHARLIE NORWOOD. As CHARLIE NORWOOD was slowly struggling with the 

disease that took his life, he had to look back on his life and 

realize that he helped an awful lot of people in a very positive way. We will miss him. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to 

the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings). 

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I thank the gentleman for 

yielding. 

Mr. Speaker, today I mournfully lost not only a colleague 

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spired us who had the privilege of serving with him. He was 

known and was well-documented as a principled lawmaker 

who was absolutely committed to his values and to his work 

in this people’s House. He was never afraid to stand up for 

his convictions. 

But, Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak on a personal note, 

because CHARLIE and I were elected in 1994, and I see several of my colleagues here that are going to speak after me. 

My wife Claire and his wife Gloria became friends during the 

orientation. And while my wife doesn’t come back here as 

often as Gloria was here with CHARLIE, whenever she came 

back we always made it a point as often as we could to get 

together with the NORWOODs and have dinner. CHARLIE

loved to try a lot of different venues: He was a steak man, 

and we ate steak. He liked Italian food, and we found several 

Italian places where we ate. He took me to a Korean restaurant. He liked Korean food after being in Asia. And we 

had great conversations. We talked about the patients’ bill of 

rights; we disagreed. We talked about OSHA; we agreed. 

And so he and Gloria became good friends of Claire’s and 

mine, and he even hosted my brother and I down at the 

Master’s one year. My older brother and CHARLIE shared the 

same birth date, so they had a bond right off the bat. 

If there is one legacy I think that CHARLIE will leave with 

all of us, it is the bulldoggedness and the determination with 

which he pursued legislation. But if there is one other legacy 

that will be left, it is the way he displayed the courage to 

fight this disease that he had. And I truly think, Mr. Speaker, that any lesser man would not have lasted as long as he 

did with the disease that he had. 

CHARLIE will be very, very much missed, and our prayers 

go out to Gloria and the family. 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how 

much time do we have left. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Frank of Massachusetts). 

The gentleman from Georgia has 121⁄2 minutes, and the 

other gentleman from Georgia has 8 minutes. 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance 

of my time. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I thank the Speaker. And I would 

ask the gentleman, we have numerous speakers, if there is 

a possibility of yielding time at some point, we would request 

it. 

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[ 25 ] 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I would be pleased to do so. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I thank the gentleman. 

At this point I would yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 

Missouri (Mr. Blunt). 

Mr. BLUNT. I thank all of my colleagues for the comments 

they have made today. The job of the whip in the House is 

supposed to be the job of organizing the Members, and many 

people think it is the job of convincing Members they should 

do something they don’t really want to do. I will tell you that 

the Member that it would have been the most impossible to 

convince to do anything he didn’t want to do was CHARLIE

NORWOOD. He was here to do what he thought was the right 

thing to do. It wasn’t always what I thought was the right 

thing, but it was what he thought was the right thing and 

he was going to do it. The toughness, the courage, the determination of CHARLIE NORWOOD was extraordinary among an 

extraordinary group of people. Just this struggle that we 

have witnessed with CHARLIE’s health, a struggle that he 

faced uncomplainingly as he sat day after day over in that 

corner recovering from massive surgery, but, as Chairman 

Barton showed in the letter he got in recent days, never giving up on the job he was doing for the people he served. 

The people that sent him here should be proud, the people 

who worked with him should be proud. The people of the 

United States would be proud if they knew the great and 

tireless job that CHARLIE NORWOOD did for them every day. 

And I am honored to have had a chance to serve with him 

and call him my friend. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble). 

Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, thank you, sir. 

I represent Pinehurst, NC, the golf capital of America. 

When I would say that CHARLIE took great umbrage, it was 

because he was from Augusta. 

On one occasion, CHARLIE overheard someone ask me to 

describe my district. I replied, ‘‘I represent High Point, the 

furniture capital of the world; I represent one of the finest 

zoos in the country near Asheboro.’’ And knowing that CHARLIE was listening, I said very condescendingly, ‘‘And, of 

course, the golf capital of America in Pinehurst.’’ 

CHARLIE jumped up from his chair—this is the sanitized 

version. He said, ‘‘Now, you son of a gun, I will let you have 

the furniture and zoo, but you ain’t taking golf.’’ 

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[ 26 ] 

I told that story, Mr. Speaker, to the Southern Pines North 

Carolina Rotary Club, and within 1 week that story was personally delivered to Doc NORWOOD. And CHARLIE said to me, 

‘‘Howard, don’t ever talk about anybody. It will come back to 

bite you.’’ 

CHARLIE NORWOOD, as has been said many times on this 

floor today, was one great guy, one great Congressman who 

will be sorely missed. 

CHARLIE, I won’t even say Pinehurst is the greatest golf 

capital of the world at least for a day or two in remembrance 

of you. 

My condolences to Gloria and the entire Norwood family. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert). 

Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, it was truly an honor to 

know CHARLIE NORWOOD; I admired and respected him. And 

shortly after I got here to this body I was told by another 

Member from Georgia who was sitting by CHARLIE when I 

was up speaking and CHARLIE said, ‘‘Who is that guy? I like 

him.’’ Well, the feeling was more than mutual. 

CHARLIE NORWOOD, what was not to like? His dogged determination—some would say he was stubborn as a mule. 

But I think CHARLIE might more elegantly say he was persistent until it almost ceased to be a virtue. But with CHARLIE, it was a virtue. 

Now, some gave him bad press, along with some others of 

us who worked together on the Voting Rights Act. Some 

falsely claimed that CHARLIE and others of us were trying to 

restrict the usage of the Voting Rights Act when a clear indication, everything CHARLIE did, everything we worked on, 

everything we talked about behind the scenes was, by golly, 

the Voting Rights Act has done good for the places it has 

been applied. It needs to be applied in every district in 

America until racial disparity has disappeared. 

And although we lost on the floor temporarily, I do believe 

there is Scripture to support people in heaven to know what 

is going on here on Earth. They rejoice over one soul’s salvation, they know that it isn’t over yet. As a matter of equal 

protection, I think we eventually will get it extended to every 

district where there is racial disparity. 

To Gloria, to the Norwood family, all we can say through 

the Speaker is, thank you for sharing this wonderful gift 

with us. And to God on high, thank you for sharing this gift 

with this House of Representatives. 

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[ 27 ] 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

1 minute to the gentlelady from North Carolina (Mrs. 

Myrick). 

Mrs. MYRICK. I thank the gentleman for yielding. 

Mr. Speaker, as you have heard some of my other colleagues say, there was a group of us who came in in 1995 

together with CHARLIE and got to know him very well and 

consider him a dear friend. 

You have heard all the words, ‘‘perseverance’’ and 

‘‘doggedness’’ and ‘‘determination’’ and ‘‘stubborn’’ and all 

those other things that describe CHARLIE, but there are also 

some other words that describe CHARLIE, and these are 

‘‘loyal’’ and ‘‘friend,’’ because he was a friend to all. 

Gloria and CHARLIE and I became very good friends early 

on. You could always count on him. There was never any 

question, if you needed CHARLIE, he was there if he believed 

in what you were doing; if he didn’t, he would always forthrightly tell you. 

He also displayed that big word ‘‘courage,’’ because we saw 

what he went through as he spent his last 3 years here, and 

he was always doing his job for his people. The other thing 

about CHARLIE was integrity. I think you have to look long 

and far to find someone who had more integrity than CHARLIE NORWOOD; if he gave you his word, he gave you his word. 

All of our blessings go to Gloria and his family. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Shadegg). 

Mr. SHADEGG. I thank the gentleman for yielding. 

Mr. Speaker, I rise to mourn the loss of my friend, CHARLIE NORWOOD, and to pay tribute to him and his record, and 

to extend my sympathies to his wife and his family. 

CHARLIE NORWOOD was an extraordinary human, an extraordinary soldier, and an extraordinary U.S. Congressman, 

and the Nation is better for his service. 

You have heard it said here, over and over and over again, 

that he was passionate, that he was a fighter for the cause, 

whether that was in Vietnam, whether that was in his chosen field, dentistry, or whether that was here in the U.S. 

Congress. 

I worked closely with CHARLIE on the patients’ bill of 

rights. I believed deeply, as CHARLIE did, that individual 

human beings, patients, were being injured by the practices 

of managed care companies around the country, and that we 

needed to do something about that. CHARLIE injected himself 

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in that fight with the kind of passion that CHARLIE brought 

to every fight. And I worked shoulder to shoulder with CHARLIE in that fight, and Dr. Tom Coburn, and learned what a 

great individual and what an inspiring principled human 

being he was. 

But the best thing about CHARLIE was the twinkle in his 

eye. When CHARLIE got into a fight, he would literally light 

up, and light the room with a twinkle of being able to press 

forward with his fight and his belief and his passion. 

We will all miss him. I consider it a privilege to have 

known him. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

1 minute to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker). 

Mr. WICKER. I thank the gentleman for yielding. 

Mr. Speaker, CHARLIE NORWOOD and I were elected together in 1994, as were the two previous speakers. And we 

were part of that history-making, majority-making 73-Member class who came to office in 1995. 

It didn’t take us long to realize that CHARLIE NORWOOD

was one of the wisest and steadiest and most dependable 

Members of that class. He was a conservative, and never 

wavered from that philosophy. He was trustworthy, as Mrs. 

Myrick said. 

He was a competitor. When CHARLIE NORWOOD waged battle on this floor on your side, you knew you had a capable 

comrade at arms. And if he was on the other side, when it 

was over, you knew you had been in a fight. I remember at 

the end of the debate on the patients’ bill of rights, right 

along the rail back here, CHARLIE NORWOOD and Tom 

Coburn embracing after the debate like athletes after a great 

contest. 

Whatever he did, CHARLIE NORWOOD did it cheerfully, and 

that is one of the main things I will remember about CHARLIE. He was a patriot in every sense of the word. He was a 

credit to this House of Representatives. I am proud to have 

called him my colleague and my friend. 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, how much time does 

the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) have? 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 30 seconds remaining. 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

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mous consent to let the gentleman from Georgia in turn control that 6 minutes and yield to other Members. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Georgia? 

There was no objection. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Georgia 

(Mr. Deal) now has 61⁄2 minutes. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for his courtesy. 

I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield). 

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, all of us join in wishing 

our condolences to CHARLIE’s wife Gloria and his entire family. 

Those of us who were elected in 1994 and had the opportunity to know CHARLIE, to work with CHARLIE, and for me 

personally I had the opportunity to sit next to him on the 

Energy and Commerce Committee for about 8 years, CHARLIE was many things. He was a soldier in Vietnam, he was 

a businessman, he was a dentist, he was a great U.S. Congressman. He also was a Sunday School teacher at Trinity 

on the Hill Methodist Church in Augusta, GA. And I know 

that church meant a lot to him because he is asking for donations to that church as a memorial. 

Recently I attended a church service in a Methodist church 

in Kentucky, and the title of the sermon was ‘‘You Can’t 

Make a Success of Life Without Making a Gift of It.’’ And 

when I think of CHARLIE NORWOOD, that is really what I 

think about: He made a gift of his life. We will miss him. He 

has made a tremendous impact on all of us. We wish his 

family the very best. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter). 

Mr. CARTER. I thank you for yielding. 

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about my friend, CHARLIE

NORWOOD. I have prepared remarks, but I would really like 

to just relate like others have. 

The first time I ran into CHARLIE I was a new freshman 

in this body. He sat behind me. And when you are brand 

new here, you are listening and you are trying to figure out 

what is going on. And when CHARLIE NORWOOD opened his 

mouth, he was saying things sometimes that others were 

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not, and stood his ground to those things, even though they 

might be in conflict with both the other side and his party, 

both. CHARLIE had a way of standing up for his principles. 

I also want to talk about Gloria, because Gloria took my 

wife under her wing and was kind to her. And I can tell you 

for this last year and a half, literally every week that I have 

served in this Congress, my wife has asked about CHARLIE’s 

health because she fell in love with Gloria Norwood. 

Everyone in this House sends out their hearts to Gloria at 

the loss of her beloved husband. We were proud to serve 

with him. He was a great American. 

Today I rise to honor my friend and colleague Mr. CHARLIE

NORWOOD from northeastern Georgia who passed away yesterday morning. As a man of strong character and unwavering convictions, his passing is surely a saddening loss to the 

American people. 

CHARLIE NORWOOD served as a brave soldier during Vietnam as part of the Army Dental Corps in the 173d Airborne 

Brigade. He was honored for his courageous service with the 

Combat Medical Badge and two Bronze Stars. 

Elected to Congress in 1994, CHARLIE was the first Republican to represent his northeastern Georgia district since Reconstruction. During his time in Congress he was known for 

his endless fight for the patients’ bill of rights and his fight 

for stricter immigration policies. 

CHARLIE bravely battled cancer and lung disease, and in 

his final days he returned to Augusta to be with his family. 

The Norwood family will be in my thoughts and prayers. 

Please join me, Mr. Speaker, in expressing our deep appreciation for the lifetime of service by CHARLIE NORWOOD and 

extending our sympathies to his wife, Gloria Wilkinson Norwood, and their family. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

1 minute to one of our colleagues from Iowa (Mr. King). 

Mr. KING of Iowa. I thank the gentleman for yielding. 

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in profound sorrow and gratitude for the life of CHARLIE NORWOOD. I believe I had known 

CHARLIE long before I came here to meet him in person. I got 

to know him through C–SPAN and through the media. When 

I met him personally, he had matched up identically with 

the person that I saw through the television screen. CHARLIE

had that light within him, as John Shadegg said. 

I look back at a time when CHARLIE was not feeling well. 

He came here whenever it was physically possible for him to 

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do that, and I remember a day when he looked poor, but 

when he spoke in that microphone right there, that light 

came back on again and the real CHARLIE NORWOOD again 

blessed this Chamber with his presence. 

America will always be grateful. Gloria, Marilyn and I 

want you to know that you and your family are in our prayers. We will always look over to this place on this floor 

where CHARLIE always sat and recognize that as CHARLIE’s 

seat in the People’s Chamber. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer). 

Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express deep sorrow at 

the passing of our friend and colleague, CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

While most of us hope to make a difference in this world, 

CHARLIE NORWOOD certainly did that. He also made a difference in the lives of those who were fortunate enough to 

have known him. 

CHARLIE was steadfast and did what he thought was right. 

He was an immovable object in the defense of principle, and 

when met with irresistible force, it wasn’t likely that CHARLIE was the one who was moved. 

During the development of the Medicare prescription drug 

benefit, I worked closely with CHARLIE and several of my colleagues to see if there was an alternative plan and how we 

were going to work this out. CHARLIE’s contributions were insightful, they were valuable, and added considerably to the 

worth of our final product. During that process, he was constantly mindful of two things, and that was the need to help 

seniors who had no drug coverage and the need to be wise 

stewards for taxpayers. 

Coming to Congress with a medical background, CHARLIE

provided a point of view that enhanced any debate he entered. While witnesses before him at the Health Subcommittee may have cringed at times under his questioning, 

the responses that were drawn out always added an important dimension to our debates. 

CHARLIE will be sorely missed: in Congress, in the Health 

Subcommittee, but more importantly in all our lives. I give 

my deepest sympathies to his wife, Gloria, his sons Charles 

and Carlton, and his constituents. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 

1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham). 

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[ 32 ] 

Mr. LATHAM. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I 

thank the Speaker for this chance to say just a few words 

about my dear friend and classmate, CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

To Gloria, to the family, we extend our most sincere, deepest condolences. Kathy and I will keep you in our prayers. 

I just want to tell one short story about CHARLIE. When we 

came into Congress together back in 1994 and we had the 

Contract With America, the first 100 days, one of the very 

first votes that we had was H.R. 1. That was an amendment 

to the Constitution to balance the budget. I was standing 

right back here at the voting machine beside CHARLIE NORWOOD. I voted ‘‘yes.’’ CHARLIE put his card in, he voted ‘‘yes,’’ 

and he turned to me and said, ‘‘You know what. That’s what 

I ran on. I can go home now. I’ve done my job. I’ve kept my 

promise.’’ 

That’s what CHARLIE NORWOOD was all about. I just want 

to say, CHARLIE, you’re home now, the Augusta, the Georgia 

that you love, and our thoughts and prayers will always be 

with you and the great honor that you have given all of us 

here to serve with you in this great body. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. I would say to my colleague, Mr. 

Lewis, I am prepared to close if you would like to. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis). 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, CHARLIE NORWOOD, 

the man from Georgia, not just a citizen of Georgia, not just 

a citizen of the American South, but a citizen of the world, 

a man who fought the good fight, who kept the faith. He was 

a good and decent man, and we will never ever forget his 

lasting contribution. 

We pray for his family, for the people of his congressional 

district, and we pray for his soul. 

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to 

thank my colleague, Mr. Lewis, for his graciousness, for his 

assistance in bringing this resolution to the floor, and to express my appreciation to all of our colleagues who have spoken here today. Their eloquence, I hope, conveys to Gloria 

and to the family the esteem with which we held CHARLIE

NORWOOD. Truly the gentleman from Georgia and the blue 

seersucker suit is going to really be missed here, but his legacy will live on. 

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It is the responsibility of each of us to make sure that we 

have the same degree of commitment and passion as CHARLIE NORWOOD did. He set a great example we will all endeavor to follow. 

Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today 

in sadness to note the recent passing of a dear friend and 

colleague, CHARLIE NORWOOD. I want to extend to his wife 

Gloria and her sons, and their family, my deepest sympathy 

for their loss. 

I know how much CHARLIE loved his wife Gloria and his 

family. 

I join my colleagues today on the floor of the House to 

honor his service in the House of Representatives, and to 

honor his memory. 

CHARLIE and I came to Washington with the class of 1994. 

We were elected to Congress in the same year and we came 

with the class that was going to change the way Washington 

operates. 

In the seven terms that I have served with CHARLIE, I 

gained a lasting friendship and respect for him. 

CHARLIE certainly made an impact on the House of Representatives. He always fought for the causes for which he 

believed, and many times we were on the same side. 

In the last year of his service, as he was battling illness, 

he always had a smile for me when I would speak to him. 

And I know that he had a smile for anyone who came to say 

hello. 

As a man of faith, I know that CHARLIE is in heaven. But 

for those of us who had the privilege to know him, we will 

miss him until we meet again. 

He was an outstanding Congressman, and he will be 

missed. 

Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, it is with sorrow, yet fondness, that I speak on the passing of our colleague and friend, 

CHARLIE NORWOOD. While in Congress, his dedication to 

Georgians, to patient advocacy, to business ownership and 

property rights, and to veterans are legendary. 

Prior to his service in the House of Representatives, CHARLIE served his country as a captain in the U.S. Army Dental 

Corps in Vietnam, and he contributed to his community as 

a dentist, business owner, and active worshipper in his 

Methodist Church. 

I first learned about CHARLIE in 1994 when he was running for his Georgia district. Struck by his pluckiness and 

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quiet steadfast determination even then, I decided to campaign for him in his district-to-be, and met his wife Gloria. 

And when he was elected, he immediately became a player 

in health care legislation, not waiting to reach the echelons 

of seniority to make real contributions. 

Through all his trials, CHARLIE NORWOOD had a sparkle, 

an ingenuity of how to get things accomplished. His passion 

would at times translate into defiance at another Member. In 

particular, I recall such a moment at the Energy and Commerce markup on July 27, 2006 of H.R. 4157, the Better 

Health Information System Act of 2006, or ‘‘Health IT’’ bill. 

Another Member, Representative Markey, was offering some 

language that would have the effect of governing relations 

between health care providers and their patients. Well, 

CHARLIE took great exception to this, and rather angrily 

erupted to Representative Markey that his profession has engaged in the highest ethical standards of patient privacy 

since the inception of dentistry, and therefore ‘‘I don’t need 

you to legislate my professional ethics.’’ 

In the past couple of years, CHARLIE would ride in his 

scooter to the Energy and Commerce Committee on which 

we served together, and to the floor, for debate and hearings 

and votes. And notwithstanding his ailing health, I was always touched by his continued friendly, high spirits. CHARLIE, I am honored to have known you. Rest in peace. 

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution honoring the life of our friend and a great Member 

of this body, CHARLIE NORWOOD, who passed away after an 

8-year battle with a chronic lung disease, and then lung cancer. 

Elected in 1994, CHARLIE was a passionate public servant 

who will be remembered for his dedication to health care 

issues and his commitment to patients’ rights. A dentist by 

training, he had the unique perspective of understanding 

how health policy impacted him as a practitioner as well as 

his patients. His experiences were a driving force in his passionate advocacy for a patients’ bill of rights, and he helped 

lead the effort to pass that legislation. 

CHARLIE also served his country in the Army for 3 years, 

and was a veteran of the Vietnam war. I had the privilege 

of getting to know CHARLIE when our offices were next door 

to each other in the Rayburn Building and enjoyed our 

friendly visits and candid conversations. He instantly gained 

my respect as a hard-working and eager gentleman willing 

to work across party lines in search of compromise. 

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Mr. Speaker, while CHARLIE’s presence will be missed, his 

valiant spirit will live on and I am grateful for the opportunity to have served with him in this Chamber. I send my 

condolences and best wishes to his family, and join my colleagues in supporting this resolution. 

Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply saddened at the 

loss of a great American. CHARLIE NORWOOD was an honored 

Member of this House of Representatives and will be deeply 

missed. His work for patient and individual rights showed 

his intense compassion for the American people. 

Congressman NORWOOD was someone who lived the American dream. He went to college, became a dentist, fought for 

his country in Vietnam, and was a loving husband, father 

and grandfather. He served his district, State and country 

with distinction in the U.S. Congress. 

CHARLIE worked to leave the world a better place than it 

was given to him, and I can say that, because of his service 

to our country and work for health care issues, he did just 

that. 

Congressman CHARLIE NORWOOD was taken from this 

Earth too soon. My wife Diana and I extend our deepest 

sympathy to Gloria and the entire Norwood family at this 

difficult time. 

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise with a heavy 

heart today to remember a friend, and colleague—Representative CHARLIE NORWOOD of Georgia, who passed away yesterday, at his home in Augusta, GA. 

CHARLIE and I came into Congress as part of the ‘‘Republican Revolution’’ in 1994. We shared a common vision with 

the rest of our classmates of what the Federal Government 

should be and how it should act. CHARLIE worked diligently 

to attain this vision while serving his constituents. 

During this sorrowful time my thoughts and prayers go 

out to his family, friends, staff and loved ones. It was an 

honor serving with CHARLIE, and he will be sorely missed. 

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay 

tribute to a great American and a Member of this House. 

CHARLES NORWOOD was a veteran, dentist, small business 

owner, and Member of Congress from Georgia. 

Congressman NORWOOD, who died on Wednesday, February 14, 2007, was a respected Member of this body and respected by all who knew him. His presence will be greatly 

missed and we all mourn his loss and extend our sincerest 

condolences to his family and friends. 

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CHARLES NORWOOD was born July 27, 1941, in Valdosta, 

GA. ‘‘CHARLIE’’ as he was known, attended school in Valdosta 

throughout his first year of high school when his family 

moved to Tennessee, where he graduated in 1959 from 

Baylor Military High School in Chattanooga. He received his 

B.A. from Georgia Southern University in 1964 and a doctorate in dental surgery from Georgetown University Dental 

School in 1967 where he was elected president of the Dental 

School student body during his senior year. 

After completing dental school, CHARLIE NORWOOD enlisted in the U.S. Army, and was commissioned a captain in 

the U.S. Army Dental Corps from 1967 to 1969. He was first 

assigned to the Army Dental Corps at Sandia Army Base in 

Albuquerque, NM. In 1968, he was transferred to the Medical Battalion of the 173d Airborne Brigade in Vietnam. 

While in the Dental Corps, CHARLIE pioneered dental practices that became standard procedure after the Vietnam war. 

In addition to assisting the soldiers, he also provided some 

of the first field-based dental treatment of military guard 

dogs. For his distinguished service to our Nation, CHARLIE

received the Combat Medical Badge and two Bronze Stars. 

He was discharged in 1969 after which he entered the private practice of dentistry in Augusta, GA. For many years, 

‘‘Doc NORWOOD’’ provided great service to all his patients. 

In 1994, CHARLIE NORWOOD was elected to represent the 

10th Congressional District of Georgia in the historic 104th 

Congress. We were classmates because that same year I was 

elected to represent the citizens of the Eighteenth Congressional District of Texas. CHARLIE represented his district so 

well that he was reelected by his constituents six times and 

always by substantial margins. 

In Congress, CHARLIE NORWOOD was a strong proponent 

for health care reform. He introduced legislation calling for 

a patients’ bill of rights. He also championed more and better health care for veterans. In addition to his work in health 

care reform, NORWOOD introduced legislation and worked on 

various other public policy issues. 

Throughout his congressional career, CHARLIE NORWOOD

served on the Energy and Commerce Committee and the 

Education and the Workforce Committee. He was vice chairman of the Subcommittee on Health from 2001 to 2004 and 

a member of the Energy and Power Subcommittee from 1995 

to 2000. 

Mr. Speaker, a dear colleague has fallen but he will not be 

forgotten. We are all saddened by our loss but we are happy 

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to have served with him. Our prayers and condolences are 

with his family and loved ones. CHARLIE NORWOOD—Vietnam veteran, dentist, small business owner, and Member of 

Congress—was a good Representative, a good legislator, and 

a good man. He will be missed. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time has expired. 

Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the 

resolution. 

There was no objection. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution. 

The resolution was agreed to. 

A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. 

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the U.S. 

Congress, it is with great sadness that I rise today to recognize the passing of my esteemed colleague and friend, the 

Honorable CHARLES WHITLOW NORWOOD, JR. of Georgia’s 

10th Congressional District. 

Yesterday we lost an inspiring public servant to complications from his 8-year battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. All who knew him and worked with him recognized and 

appreciated his hard work. Throughout his seven terms in 

Congress, CHARLIE served on the Education and the Workforce Committee as chairman of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. He also served on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, which included two terms as vice chairman of the Subcommittee on Health. Fueled by a sincere interest in helping others, his colleagues knew he was not 

working for himself but for the people. 

CHARLIE is well known for introducing the first comprehensive managed health care reform legislation to Congress in 1995. He truly left his mark in legislation with reforms on patient’s rights, education, private property rights, 

telecommunications, and environmental regulations. 

CHARLIE was dedicated to public service throughout his entire life, not only as a Member of Congress, but also as a 

dentist, a Vietnam veteran, a small businessman, and a man 

of great faith. He and wife were active in their local United 

Methodist Church, as well as members of the Augusta Opera 

Society and Augusta Symphony Guild. In every aspect of his 

life, he was recognized with countless awards and honors 

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which illustrate how his contributions to his community were 

limitless. 

We have not lost a colleague—we have lost a good friend. 

The Honorable CHARLIE NORWOOD is survived by his wife 

Gloria, sons Charles and Carlton Norwood, and four grandchildren, all of Augusta. We will continue to hear of his service well into the future as CHARLIE’s legacy will, without a 

doubt, live on. 

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the U.S. Congress, I am proud 

to honor the life of the Honorable CHARLES WHITLOW NORWOOD, JR. and his living legacy. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sadness that I mourn the loss of my friend and colleague, Congressman CHARLIE NORWOOD. CHARLIE was a tenacious 

fighter in Congress who would not back down from his beliefs. More important than his work in the House of Representatives, he was a dedicated husband, loving father of 

two sons and a grandfather of four. 

CHARLIE served his country proudly in Vietnam and was 

a decorated veteran. Upon his return to the States, he practiced dentistry and helped countless Georgians. In 1994, he 

brought his compassion and conservative values to Washington. I soon learned that CHARLIE NORWOOD was a man of 

impressive character and conviction, with a Southern charm 

and heart of gold. 

CHARLIE NORWOOD was a fervent believer in tackling the 

problem of illegal immigration, and I enjoyed working with 

him to pass immigration reform. CHARLIE made a valuable 

contribution to the House’s immigration bill in the 109th 

Congress by including parts of his CLEAR Act, H.R. 842, in 

the legislation. I shared his belief that we should direct local 

law enforcement to help us apprehend the illegal immigrants 

in this country who are criminals. 

CHARLIE courageously battled cancer for a number of 

years, and he was an inspiration to many, including his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I am pleased that I had 

the opportunity to work with CHARLIE, and my wife Cheryl 

and I extend our deepest sympathies to Gloria Norwood and 

their entire family. 

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my fellow 

colleagues in mourning the passing of Congressman CHARLIE

NORWOOD. My friend and the Honorable Representative for 

the people of the Ninth District of Georgia passed away on 

Tuesday after his long battle with lung disease and cancer. 

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This Chamber, and the State of Georgia has lost a friend and 

one of our most capable and dedicated Members. Even before 

CHARLIE came to Congress in the election of 1994, he was a 

courageous individual and public servant. The former Army 

dentist was a decorated officer serving in Vietnam, having 

been awarded the Combat Medical Badge and two Bronze 

Stars for his service. 

Words cannot fully express the sorrow that is felt by those 

who have known and loved CHARLIE. My heart goes out to 

CHARLIE’s wife, Gloria, their two sons, Charles and Carlton, 

and their four grandchildren. I also will be keeping CHARLIE’s staff in my thoughts and prayers, as I had the pleasure 

of working with Dr. NORWOOD on a variety of issues, and his 

staff was always a delight to work with. I can only imagine 

how tough it is for them, and all of CHARLIE’s family and 

friends right now during this difficult time. I will be keeping 

CHARLIE’s memory in my thoughts and prayers. He was always a dear friend of mine, someone who I looked to for his 

opinion and judgment. 

CHARLIE is now leaving us for a better place, but he leaves 

behind a lasting legacy, and shoes that can never be filled. 

We have lost a hero and a champion. God bless. 

Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in mourning the passing of CHARLIE NORWOOD. As 

a Member of Congress from the neighboring State of South 

Carolina, I was fortunate enough to serve with CHARLIE and 

see firsthand his dedication to public service. Coming to Congress with a medical background, CHARLIE championed 

issues regarding a patients’ bill of rights which was designed 

to give people better access to health care. As a decorated 

Vietnam veteran, CHARLIE was a fighter. He fought for 12 

years as a Member of Congress on behalf of his constituents. 

I worked with CHARLIE on a number of issues including education, military, and veterans’ issues. As Subcommittee 

chairman of Health on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I 

had the pleasure of participating in a town hall meeting with 

the veterans from his district. 

Diagnosed with cancer in 2006, CHARLIE continued to 

serve the people of Georgia bravely and honorably in the 

House of Representatives despite his ill health. He fought to 

the end, and in his final days, he returned home to be with 

his family. 

CHARLIE will be sorely missed, but his legacy will never be 

forgotten. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Gloria 

and his two children during this sad time. 

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Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that 

I rise today to honor the memory of former Georgia Congressman CHARLIE NORWOOD and his lifetime of dedication 

to the people of Georgia and the United States. I was deeply 

saddened to learn our colleague passed away earlier this 

week. We have not only lost a wonderful friend, but an individual who during his lifetime made countless contributions 

toward the betterment of our Nation. 

CHARLIE, a native of Valdosta, GA, began his career of 

service by volunteering for the U.S. Army, serving as captain 

in the Dental Corps. He served in Vietnam, where he distinguished himself under combat conditions, and he was awarded the Combat Medical Badge and two Bronze Stars. Immediately after his discharge, CHARLIE opened his dental practice in Augusta. He was highly involved in many professional 

organizations, serving as president of both the Eastern District Dental Society and the Georgia Dental Association. 

In 1994, CHARLIE was elected to represent the 10th District of Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Throughout his six terms, CHARLIE was a champion of patients’ rights, introducing his patients’ bill of rights. He also 

fought for health care reform for military retirees and veterans. CHARLIE also served with distinction as a member of 

the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Education 

and the Workforce Committee. 

We are privileged to have known and worked with such a 

passionate and loyal individual. CHARLIE will be greatly 

missed and always remembered. Madam Speaker, I ask my 

colleagues to join me in remembering a dedicated statesman. 

Dr. NORWOOD will be deeply missed by his family—his wife, 

Gloria Wilkinson Norwood, and his sons, Charles Norwood 

and Carlton Norwood—as well as the countless friends he 

leaves behind. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all 

at this difficult time. 

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, this week our country lost a 

fine American with the death of Congressman CHARLIE NORWOOD. Congressman NORWOOD was a tireless advocate for 

his district and the State of Georgia and an icon in the field 

of health care. His dogged determination to improve life for 

the average family and improving health care in this country 

for the patient that confronted overwhelming bureaucracy, 

increasing costs, and diminishing access was a hallmark of 

this great man’s career of public service. 

Before I was elected to Congress and during one trip to 

Washington where I met with my Chamber of Commerce as 

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a private physician, I was asked which Member of Congress 

I would most like to meet. I responded that I would most like 

to meet with CHARLIE NORWOOD. To my surprise, they were 

able to set up a meeting for me with Congressman NORWOOD. Now at the time, I was a constituent of Majority 

Leader Dick Armey who represented the 26th District before 

he retired and I succeeded him here in the House of Representatives. At that time, the Majority Leader was basically 

playing traffic cop to one of CHARLIE’s many bold health care 

initiatives. Unfortunately, when Congressman NORWOOD figured out I wasn’t visiting him as an emissary of Congressman Armey he listened to my gushing praise and then quickly exited the meeting graciously. It was 6 years later that I 

would have the chance to meet again with Congressman 

NORWOOD, this time as a freshman Member of the U.S. 

House of Representatives. The first question he asked me 

then was, ‘‘are you with me or against me,’’ then referring 

to his long battle for the patients’ bill of rights. 

Well, I’ve been with CHARLIE ever since. During my early 

tenure in office, he was a gracious mentor and even more so 

when I joined him as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee during the 109th Congress. CHARLIE’s 

strong defense of medical providers and patients, his tough 

stances on border security and national security, defined a 

man dedicated to his country. Even during his failing health, 

Congressman NORWOOD was as persistent as he ever was. 

My thoughts and prayers are with Gloria and his family. 

America lost a great man. I lost a friend and a mentor. 

CHARLIE, we won’t forget you. 

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sorrow 

that I rise to remember the life of CHARLIE NORWOOD. I 

know CHARLIE had an impact on everyone that he came into 

contact with and we are all grieving the loss. 

I had the privilege of serving with CHARLIE on the Energy 

and Commerce Committee. CHARLIE loved a robust discussion of the issues. He loved the ability to debate an idea and 

he loved espousing his conservative beliefs. When his microphone went on in committee, you could see the gleam in his 

eye as he readied for a hearty exchange. His love of engaging 

the issues was appreciated by all his colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee. 

CHARLIE was a man of deep conviction and integrity. He 

will be deeply missed, not only by this body but also by his 

constituents and his family. 

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Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating 

the life and accomplishments of Congressman CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

ADJOURNMENT 

Mr. DELAHUNT. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do 

now adjourn. 

The motion was agreed to. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 

159, the House stands adjourned until 10 a.m. today, as a 

further mark of respect to the memory of the late Honorable 

CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

Thereupon (at 12 o’clock and 1 minute a.m.), pursuant to 

House Resolution 159, the House adjourned as a further 

mark of respect to the memory of the late Honorable CHARLIE NORWOOD until today, Thursday, February 15, 2007, at 

10 a.m. 

THURSDAY, February 15, 2007 

The House met at 10 a.m. 

The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered 

the following prayer: 

God, ever mindful of those who place their trust in You, 

You bless our comings and our goings, for You are ‘‘God with 

us’’ and guide every step of the way. 

Today we ask Your blessing upon Lorraine Miller and Dan 

Beard as they enter this Chamber to be sworn in as officers 

of the House of Representatives. May they faithfully fulfill 

the duties that are about to be laid upon them and serve this 

noble institution and its Members with diligence, prudence 

and right judgment. May they be welcomed with sincerity 

and gratitude. 

Today, Lord, we also pray for the Honorable CHARLIE NORWOOD, who will be carried from Your Church here on Earth 

and laid to rest. May the modest smile on his face come to 

full expression as he hears You say, ‘‘Well done, my good and 

faithful servant. Come, enter the joy of your Master.’’ 

Grant his family and friends the consolation that comes 

from faith. May he and all those who serve and love others 

and work in public service through Your mercy rest in peace. 

Amen. 

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APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE COMMITTEE TO ATTEND 

FUNERAL OF THE LATE HONORABLE CHARLIE NORWOOD 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 

159, and the order of the House of January 4, 2007, the 

Chair announces the Speaker’s appointment of the following 

Members of the House to the committee to attend the funeral of the late Honorable CHARLIE NORWOOD: 

The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Lewis 

The gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Boehner 

The gentleman from Missouri, Mr. Blunt 

The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Bishop 

The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Deal 

The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Kingston 

The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Linder 

The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Gingrey 

The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Marshall 

The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Scott 

The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Barrow 

The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Price 

The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Westmoreland 

The gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Johnson 

The gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr. Sensenbrenner 

The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Barton 

The gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Coble 

The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Gene Green 

The gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Hoekstra 

The gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Manzullo 

The gentleman from California, Mr. McKeon 

The gentleman from Florida, Mr. Mica 

The gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Frelinghuysen 

The gentleman from Washington, Mr. Hastings 

The gentleman from Illinois, Mr. LaHood 

The gentleman from Iowa, Mr. Latham 

The gentlewoman from North Carolina, Mrs. Myrick 

The gentleman from Arizona, Mr. Shadegg 

The gentleman from Kansas, Mr. Tiahrt 

The gentleman from Mississippi, Mr. Wicker 

The gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Aderholt 

The gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Pitts 

The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Sessions 

The gentlewoman from California, Mrs. Capps 

The gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Hayes 

The gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Tancredo 

The gentleman from Nebraska, Mr. Terry 

The gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Brown 

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[ 44 ] 

The gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Pence 

The gentleman from Florida, Mr. Putnam 

The gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Shuster 

The gentleman from Florida, Mr. Miller 

The gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson 

The gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Sullivan 

The gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Barrett 

The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Burgess 

The gentleman from Iowa, Mr. King 

The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Neugebauer 

The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Conaway 

The gentleman from Texas, Mr. Gohmert 

The gentlewoman from Ohio, Mrs. Schmidt 

The gentleman from California, Mr. Bilbray 

TUESDAY, March 6, 2007 

CHARLIE W. NORWOOD LIVING ORGAN DONATION ACT 

Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 

and pass the bill (H.R. 710) to amend the National Organ 

Transplant Act to clarify that kidney paired donation does 

not involve the transfer of a human organ for valuable consideration, as amended. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

H.R. 710 

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 ‘‘Charlie W. Norwood Living Organ Donation 

Act’’. 

SEC. 2. NATIONAL ORGAN TRANSPLANT ACT; AMENDMENT REGARDING PAIRED DONATION OF HUMAN KIDNEYS. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 301(a) of the National Organ Transplant Act (42 

U.S.C. 274e(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘The preceding sentence does not apply with respect to the paired donation of human 

kidneys.’’. 

(b) DEFINITION.—Section 301(c) of the National Organ Transplant Act (42 

U.S.C. 274e(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(4) The term ‘paired donation of human kidneys’ means the donation and 

receipt of human kidneys under the following circumstances: 

‘‘(A) An individual (referred to in this paragraph as the ‘first donor’) desires to make a living donation of a kidney specifically to a particular patient (referred to in this paragraph as the ‘first patient’), but such donor is 

biologically incompatible as a donor for such patient. 

‘‘(B) A second individual (referred to in this paragraph as the ‘second 

donor’) desires to make a living donation of a kidney specifically to a second 

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[ 45 ] 

particular patient (referred to in this paragraph as the ‘second patient’), but 

such donor is biologically incompatible as a donor for such patient. 

‘‘(C) Subject to subparagraph (D), the first donor is biologically compatible 

as a donor of a kidney for the second patient, and the second donor is biologically compatible as a donor of a kidney for the first patient. 

‘‘(D) If there is any additional donor-patient pair as described in subparagraph (A) or (B), each donor in the group of donor-patient pairs is biologically compatible as a donor of a kidney for a patient in such group. 

‘‘(E) All donors and patients in the group of donor-patient pairs (whether 

two pairs or more than two pairs) enter into a single agreement to donate 

and receive such kidneys, respectively, according to such biological compatibility in the group. 

‘‘(F) Other than as described in subparagraph (E), no valuable consideration is knowingly acquired, received, or otherwise transferred with respect 

to the kidneys referred to in such subparagraph.’’. 

SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THE MEDICARE PHYSICIAN 

ASSISTANCE AND QUALITY INITIATIVE FUND. 

Section 1848(l)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–4(l)(2)) is 

amended— 

(1) in subparagraph (A), by adding at the end the following: ‘‘In addition, 

there shall be available to the Fund for expenditures during 2009 an 

amount equal to $30,000,000 and for expenditures during or after 2013 an 

amount equal to $470,000,000.’’; and 

(2) in subparagraph (B)— 

(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘furnished during 2008’’; 

(B) by striking ‘‘specified in subparagraph (A)’’ and inserting ‘‘specified in 

the first sentence of subparagraph (A)’’; and 

(C) by inserting after ‘‘furnished during 2008’’ the following: ‘‘and for the 

obligation of the entire first amount specified in the second sentence of such 

subparagraph for payment with respect to physicians’ services furnished 

during 2009 and of the entire second amount so specified for payment with 

respect to physicians’ services furnished on or after January 1, 2013’’. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee) and the gentleman 

from Texas (Mr. Barton) each will control 20 minutes. 

The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington. 

Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 

I may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 

710, a bill originally introduced by Representative NORWOOD

of Georgia, only for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Washington? 

There was no objection. 

Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 

may consume. 

Mr. Speaker, we are here today to pass the Charlie W. 

Norwood Living Kidney Organ Donation Clarification Act. 

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We do so both to honor Dr. NORWOOD, who provided such 

great service to his district and to the country for many 

years; of course, Dr. NORWOOD did so as the result of being 

a recipient of lung transplants himself; but also to honor the 

thousands of Americans who are today waiting for kidney 

transplants. This bill, we believe, will be a great step forward to hasten the day when those folks can potentially 

have kidney transplants. 

It is a fitting tribute to Dr. NORWOOD for his tireless efforts to improve our Nation’s health and his great work in 

fighting as a patient’s advocate. 

Second, I would like to thank the staff of both of the committees, as well as Dr. NORWOOD’s office and personal staff, 

for their work to make this bill a reality. 

This legislation would allow a procedure commonly known 

as paired donation to be legal, to make that clear, and to 

provide hope to patients waiting for kidney transplants. 

Paired organ donation will make it possible for thousands of 

people who wish to donate a kidney to a spouse, a family 

member or a friend but find that they are medically incompatible to still become living kidney donors. 

This is very important, because, as of February 23, we had 

over 70,000 patients who are now on the waiting list for a 

kidney transplant, and yet we performed only 16,500 kidney 

transplants in 2005, of which only 6,500 were living kidney 

donors. H.R. 710 will take a significant step toward reducing 

the number of patients on the waiting list and giving many 

more the hope that their wait will not be endless. 

Further, this bill is supported by numerous medical organizations, including the United Network for Organ Sharing, 

the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the American 

Society of Transplantation, the National Kidney Foundation 

and the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology. 

I have sort of a local person who gives me advice about 

this, Dr. Connie Davis, who is a transplant expert, a physician, and she says that this bill is a huge step forward for 

the transplant community as clinical efforts in the direction 

of paired donation have been severely hampered by concerns 

over the legal status of such activity. 

I believe it is imperative that we make it clear that there 

is no intent by Congress to bar this procedure. It is my hope 

that the Senate will act quickly on this. Simply put, we want 

this legislation to save lives immediately. 

So, for the 70,000 patients waiting for lifesaving kidney 

transplants, with time spent on costly and often arduous diVerDate jan 13 2004 14:30 May 29, 2007 Jkt 033500 PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\NORWOOD\33500.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
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alysis treatment, their time on the waiting list can be significantly shortened with passage and implementation of this 

bill. 

It is an honor to stand here working for the name of Dr. 

CHARLIE NORWOOD. I want to thank all those who have 

worked on this bill, and I hope very shortly we can have this 

on the President’s desk and help those 70,000 people to a 

healthy future and great productive years, just like Dr. NORWOOD had in the U.S. Congress. 

I submit for the Record a statement from Dr. NORWOOD in 

support of this legislation. 

STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE CHARLIE NORWOOD

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 710, the Living Kidney Organ Donation Clarification Act. This bill will explicitly state that Americans in 

need of a kidney will have a greater chance of receiving one through the 

process of paired donation. 

Over 70,000 Americans are currently in need of a kidney transplant. As 

a result of significant demand and limited supply, most transplantees wait 

for over 4 years before receiving a kidney. Four years for their lives to be 

saved or lost. 

During this time, if their kidneys fail, end stage renal disease can set in. 

These patients must undergo dialysis. While dialysis extends patients’ lives, 

their condition often prevents them from being fully engaged in their community and career. Dialysis is life-extending, but not life-bettering. 

Sadly, in many cases, this is where patients lose their battle. In 2004 

alone, 3,823 transplant candidates died awaiting a kidney. As our population ages, that figure is going to increase. 

Mr. Speaker, medical science has enabled us to perform more successful 

organ transplants than ever before. These transplants give patients a new 

lease on life. Many Members in this body or their loved ones have been 

touched by the lifesaving gift of organ donation, myself included. 

Kidney transplants from living donors tend to be highly successful, but in 

many cases, those who want to give a kidney to a loved one feel they cannot 

help because they are not biologically compatible with the patient in need. 

H.R. 710 is very simple. It clarifies that paired donation is legal under 

the National Organ Transplant Act. As a result, a pair consisting of a kidney transplant candidate and an incompatible living donor can be matched 

with another such incompatible pair to enable two transplants that otherwise would not occur. 

Remember those 3,823 souls and ask yourself—could you justify not allowing a process of simply cross-matching to save their lives? 

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation in memory 

of those who have died waiting for a kidney as well as the thousands of 

Americans who are seeking a transplant or trying to become a living donor 

to save a loved ones’ life. 

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. 

Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 

time as I may consume. 

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Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank Chairman Dingell and 

Subcommittee Chairman Pallone and Ranking Member Deal 

and Congressman Inslee for expediting consideration of this 

specific piece of legislation. 

As I have pointed out earlier on the House floor after notification of Congressman NORWOOD’s passing, he wrote me a 

letter the last day he was in Washington before he flew 

home to Georgia, and this particular piece of legislation was 

the primary issue in that letter. It is very, very heartwarming, and I am very grateful that the majority would 

move this piece of legislation as quickly as they have done. 

I want to thank them sincerely for doing that. 

As has been pointed out, this piece of legislation will be 

called the Charlie Norwood Living Kidney Organ Donation 

Clarification Act, and it is in honor of Congressman NORWOOD, the late Congressman from the 10th District of Georgia. 

There are over 78,000 Americans who need kidney transplants. The average wait is over 4 years. Paired donation can 

create greater access to kidney transplants. A paired donation consists of a transplant candidate and an incompatible 

living donor who are matched with another similar pair so 

as to enable two transplants that would otherwise not occur. 

The legislation before us today clarifies the ability to perform paired transplantations through the National Organ 

Transplant Act, or NOTA. This legislation clarifies that 

paired donations are not considered a valuable consideration. 

This legislation has received the strong support of all the 

major transplant organizations, including the United Network for Organ Sharing, the American Society of Transplantation, the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, 

the National Kidney Foundation, the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology, the Cedars Sinai Health Systems, Johns 

Hopkins, and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. 

As a consequence of the legislation that Congressman 

NORWOOD and Congressman Inslee have crafted, we assume 

that at least an additional 2,000 organ transplants a year 

will occur. That is truly a gift of living that will keep on giving for many, many years to come. 

This legislation, unfortunately, will be the last of many 

great pieces of legislation that Congressman NORWOOD

helped to pass when he was a colleague of ours in this body. 

He was a true statesman and sincerely a warm, personal 

friend of mine. I will miss him greatly. 

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Before I yield back, I want to tell a story about CHARLIE

and then read something into the Record. 

Congressman NORWOOD always considered himself to be 

very prepared. He was always ready for almost any contingency. 

The night that we voted the Medicare Modernization Act 

part D prescription drug benefit on this floor will be a time 

that will long be remembered because it was such a close 

vote and it took so long to get it passed. CHARLIE and myself 

and three other members of the Energy and Commerce Committee on the Republican side had been a part of a group to 

craft an alternative program for the part D prescription drug 

benefit. Some of our alternative program was in the final legislation, but not all of it. As a consequence, CHARLIE was listed as a ‘‘lean no.’’ He was in reality a ‘‘hard no,’’ but he listed 

himself as a ‘‘lean no.’’ 

As we all know, when the climactic vote occurred, there 

weren’t enough yeses on the board to pass it. So I went to 

one of the senior leaders of the majority party, I am not 

going to say which one, but I went to one of the senior leaders and I said, ‘‘I think we can get CHARLIE NORWOOD to 

vote for this bill.’’ They said, ‘‘No, you’re not going to get 

CHARLIE to vote for the bill.’’ I said, ‘‘I think we can, if you’ll 

talk to him.’’ 

So I went to CHARLIE and I said, ‘‘Would you talk?’’ CHARLIE said, ‘‘I don’t want to talk to anybody. I’m going to vote 

against the bill.’’ 

I went back and forth. I finally arranged a meeting back 

in the Republican Cloakroom where CHARLIE would discuss 

this particular piece of legislation. 

Now, he had been a no, no, no, no, no for the last 2 weeks. 

So when I finally got the two parties together, NORWOOD immediately pulled out a list from his pocket. Now, he is deceased, so whatever the statute of limitations is has expired. 

And this Congressman, who had been a lean no, lean no, 

lean no, had a list of 10 things, 10, that if the senior leadership on the Republican side would consider, he would consider voting for the bill. Ten. 

Obviously, that discussion didn’t go too far, so he ended up 

voting no. But he was prepared, and he had a list of things. 

Now, in that same sense of being prepared, Mr. Inslee has 

already put into the Record a statement on this bill by Congressman NORWOOD. Isn’t that amazing? I am going to read 

another one into the Record. This is the floor statement in 

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support of this bill by the late Congressman CHARLIE NORWOOD of the 10th District of Georgia. 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also offer a sincere thank you to Ranking 

Member Barton, Chairman Dingell and Mr. Inslee for all of their help moving this bill. Committee staff, including Katherine Martin, John Ford and 

Peter Goodloe should be acknowledged for their aid as well. A special thank 

you to Nick Shipley with Mr. Inslee’s office who worked with J.P. from my 

staff from day one as a tireless advocate to get this bill into law. 

It has been said that common sense is the knack of seeing things as they 

are and doing things as they ought to be done. Well, let me tell you how 

things were being done. For years, people missed or were delayed in an opportunity to have a life-saving kidney transplant simply because a member 

of the executive branch couldn’t grasp the true intent of the National Organ 

Transplant Act’s valuable consideration clause. The valuable consideration 

clause was meant to outlaw the buying and selling of organs, which everyone agrees is proper. 

Now, there are two types of transplant donors, living and cadaveric, or deceased. As a lung transplant recipient, I benefited from the latter, but in 

the case of the first, a friend or a relative wanting to spare their loved ones 

from death or dialysis graciously offers to give up one of their kidneys. Regardless of the method, both patient and donor must be biologically compatible. 

In recent years doctors discovered that by using the simple database 

methods that we use in our everyday lives and business, a paired donation 

could take place with these living donors. 

In the process of a kidney paired donor transplant, a pair consisting of 

a kidney transplant candidate and an incompatible living donor is matched 

with another such incompatible pair to enable two transplants that otherwise would not occur. 

Now, I’m just an old country dentist, but isn’t this just common sense? 

I want to give to someone, but I’m not compatible, but I can give to another 

patient. Their willing, yet also incompatible, friend can give to my loved one. 

As a result, two people live; two more slots are opened on the list for even 

more transplants to take place. Common sense, Mr. Speaker. 

However, instead of every single transplant center undertaking this commonsense approach, some folks were denied the chance to be cross-matched 

and, instead, their loved one suffered and even died while awaiting a transplant. 

Seventy-three thousand six hundred fifty-two. That is roughly the number, Mr. Speaker, of people waiting for a kidney transplant. I can’t imagine 

looking at any of those people and telling them ‘‘I am sorry, some bureaucrat 10 years ago inspired fear around the simple process to save you today, 

so you will have to languish on the list and hope for the best.’’ 

I will tell you what: That is hogwash. Times have changed. Paired donation is saving lives today and will save even more once we get this bill done. 

H.R. 710 has the support of every major transplant organization, from the 

United Network for Organ Sharing, who will manage the national list, to 

the surgeons who will perform the transplants, to the patient advocates to 

the hospitals. 

In fact, a study published in the Journal of Transplantation predicts a 14- 

percent increase in the live kidney donor transplants performed each year 

if paired donation were allowed. Moreover, for each patient who receives a 

kidney, Medicare will save $220,000 in dialysis costs. 

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In fact, Johns Hopkins just did a five-way paired donation where five people were saved instead of being put on the waiting list. Now imagine the 

good a national list will do. Thousands will be saved through simple common sense. Paired donation is the way things ought to be done. 

How often can we stand in this well on this floor and know what we are 

doing will save the Government money, improve patient quality of life and 

save lives? Not too often, Mr. Speaker. I can testify to that. 

What the bureaucracy has failed to correct, this Congress will now step 

up and take care of, unfortunately for all of those who have not been able 

to benefit, not a minute too soon. 

I yield back the balance of my time. 

That is the floor statement of the late Congressman NORWOOD on a bill that, at the time he prepared this, he wasn’t 

sure would get to the floor. 

Yet because of his tenacity and preparedness and the willingness of Mr. Dingell and Mr. Inslee and Mr. Pallone and 

Speaker Pelosi, the bill is on the floor. I would urge all of 

my colleagues to support this bill. I do intend to ask for a 

rollcall vote and let us leave a living legacy of life for the late 

Congressman CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. 

Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Barton for 

reading Dr. NORWOOD’s eloquent statement into the Record. 

I want to note that kidney donation is not just for the recipients. It is for their families and the places they work, and 

even the U.S. Congress. The reason we had the benefit of Dr. 

NORWOOD’s wisdom for years in the U.S. Congress was because of a lung transplant. I want to note that what we are 

doing today is not only helping those 70,000 people, but also 

their families and workplaces and the whole U.S. economy. 

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. 

Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to 

the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal), the ranking member 

of the Health Subcommittee. 

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking 

member for yielding me this time. 

I too wish to express appreciation to the sponsor and all 

of those who have made it possible to bring this bill to the 

floor today. It is certainly altogether fitting and proper that 

we name this bill after the late CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

This bill does two very important things that CHARLIE

really believed in. The first is he believed in organ transplant. As Mr. Inslee alluded, he was the recipient of a lung 

transplant that extended his life. He believed in organ transplants. 

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The second thing that it does is something that he really 

believed in as well, and that is overcoming bureaucratic red 

tape that made no common sense. And that is what this bill 

does. Pairing of donations for kidneys makes all of the common sense in the world. It will save lives and money. Certainly in the tradition of CHARLIE NORWOOD, it will perpetuate the importance of organ donations and do so in the 

memory and in the honor of a great Member of this body. 

Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I would yield to the dean of the 

House whose leadership helped bring this bill to the floor 

today, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), for such 

time as he may consume. 

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues have said 

strongly why this is a good piece of legislation and why it 

should be enacted. I strongly support it, and I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 710, the Charlie W. Norwood Living 

Organ Donation Act. I am delighted that the Commerce 

Committee could report this good piece of legislation to the 

House floor, and I am pleased by the consequences of it because we will achieve more help to those in need of organ donation, something which is of great importance to the country and to those who are in such grave and serious need. 

CHARLIE NORWOOD wanted this bill very badly. It is a good 

bill. We are delighted that we could bring to the House floor 

a good bill which not only does good but which honors its author, CHARLIE NORWOOD, by carrying forward his goals, his 

purposes, and his intentions with regard to helping his fellow Americans. I am delighted we can do this for CHARLIE

NORWOOD who was a valuable member of the committee and 

who will indeed be missed by his colleagues in Congress on 

both sides of the aisle. 

I have a longer statement which will appear in the Record 

which I believe sets forth some of the things already said by 

my colleagues. I thank my good friend, the manager of the 

bill on this side, and the former chairman of the committee, 

the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton), my dear friend, for 

their leadership on this matter. 

I rise in strong support of H.R. 710, the ‘‘Charlie W. Norwood Living Organ Donation Act.’’ 

Representative CHARLIE NORWOOD was a dear friend and 

colleague of mine. Beginning in 1995, CHARLIE served the 

people of the 10th District of Georgia admirably and honorably in the House of Representatives. Sadly, CHARLIE lost his 

long battle with cancer on February 13, 2007, but he shall 

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not be forgotten and we will pass this legislation in his 

honor. 

H.R. 710 would modify the National Organ Transplant Act 

(NOTA) to clarify that ‘‘paired’’ kidney donations do not violate a clause of the act regarding ‘‘valuable consideration,’’ 

which outlaws the buying or selling of kidneys and other organs. 

A ‘‘paired’’ donation occurs when a donor who is willing to 

give a kidney to a family member or friend, but is biologically incompatible, donates to another patient who also 

has an incompatible donor. By cross-matching two or more 

incompatible donor-recipient pairs, more patients can receive 

kidneys and more donors can give them. 

Currently, an estimated 6,000 individuals nationwide have 

offered kidneys to family members and friends, only to have 

the donation rejected because they are incompatible. Many 

providers will not perform paired donations, however, for 

fear of violating NOTA. If paired donations were allowed, a 

study published in the Journal of Transplantation by Johns 

Hopkins Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology predicts that there would be a 14-percent increase in 

the number of live kidney donor transplants performed each 

year. 

The controversy over paired organ donation began with an 

interpretation by the Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS) stating that paired donation MAY be in violation of NOTA’s valuable consideration clause. The clause 

was intended to outlaw the buying or selling of transplantable human organs. This stigma against paired donation elicits concern within some areas of the transplant community, 

which desperately wants clear legislative guidance on this 

issue. 

This legislation is supported by leading organ donation 

and organ transplant organizations such as the National 

Kidney Foundation, the American Society of Transplantation, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, the Organization for Transplant Professionals, and the United Network 

for Organ Sharing (UNOS). 

Paired transplantation is a way to solve the dilemma faced 

by people who want to become living organ donors for a family member or friend, but are unable to do so because they 

are biologically incompatible. And one of the added benefits 

of this bill is that it produces savings. Since Dr. NORWOOD

was dedicated to making sure that physicians were treated 

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right and paid properly, we will be using this savings to do 

just that. 

I would like to sincerely thank Representatives NORWOOD

and Inslee for their leadership, dedication, and diligent work 

on this important legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to 

join me in strong support of H.R. 710, the ‘‘Charlie W. Norwood Living Organ Donation Act.’’ 

Mr. BARTON of Texas. Before I yield to Dr. Gingrey, I 

want to thank the gentleman from Michigan for his excellent 

leadership and his willingness to expedite this process. It is 

because of John Dingell that this bill is on the floor this 

afternoon. We on the minority are very appreciative of that. 

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 

Georgia (Mr. Gingrey). 

Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member 

for recognizing me, and I have a longer speech that I want 

to submit for the Record. I think my staff must have been 

looking over the ranking member’s shoulder when they wrote 

it. He has already said those nice things about our good 

friend, CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

I was touched, though, in the letter that he received and 

read, the phrases ‘‘hogwash’’ and an ‘‘old country dentist.’’ I 

was sitting here thinking, I can see CHARLIE saying those 

things on this floor. That is the way he was and that is the 

way we remember him. He wasn’t an old country dentist, let 

me assure you. He was a prosperous dentist in Augusta, GA, 

a population of 130,000, the home of the Masters; but that 

was CHARLIE. 

Let me join Joe Barton, the ranking member, in thanking 

Chairman Dingell. I mentioned this bill to the chairman last 

week, and he looked at me and said, ‘‘Doc,’’ and he had a little mist of tear in his eye, he said, ‘‘Don’t worry about this; 

we are going to do this.’’ And I knew then that the chairman 

and Representative Inslee and others were fully supportive 

of what CHARLIE was trying to do. 

If he was thinking just of himself, Mr. Speaker, this bill 

probably would say the Living Lung Organ Donation Act, 

which also would be possible; but that wasn’t CHARLIE. He 

was thinking about those 70,000 other people who are waiting for a kidney. 

CHARLIE himself had to wait a long time to get that lung. 

Too long, we think. I don’t know if it would have saved his 

life if he would have had an opportunity for a paired living 

lung donor, but he was thinking of others who were sufVerDate jan 13 2004 14:30 May 29, 2007 Jkt 033500 PO 00000 Frm 00064 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\NORWOOD\33500.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
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fering, and as others have said, to bring a commonsense solution to problem solving in a bipartisan way. They described 

CHARLIE as a dog that has got ahold of a bone and won’t let 

it go. Well, we can say to CHARLIE today, as part of our legacy to him, that he has succeeded. 

Mr. Speaker, let’s support this bill as a legacy and tribute 

to the great Member, CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

Mr. Speaker, this legislation honors a dear friend and 

former colleague in this body, the late Congressman CHARLIE

NORWOOD. CHARLIE worked tirelessly as an advocate for patients across our Nation, and this bill is a fitting tribute to 

the tremendous impact he’s made on health care in America. 

Mr. Speaker, in this country, there are more than 74,000 

men, women and children on the waiting list for a kidney 

transplant. Unfortunately, if the current trend of kidney 

transplants continues, only about half of these candidates 

will ever receive a life-saving transplant. Tragically, in 2004, 

nearly 4,000 listed patients died while awaiting a kidney. 

One way for individuals to avoid the kidney transplant 

waiting list altogether is to find a living donor, like a friend 

or family member who is willing to selflessly donate a kidney 

to save a loved one. The limitation on this compassion is that 

only compatible matches can donate kidneys; if your friends 

and family are not a match, they can’t be your donor. 

But those of us who knew CHARLIE know that he was an 

excellent problem solver, always turning challenges into opportunities. With the limited donor options individuals face 

within their community of family and friends, patient advocates and health care providers have pushed for living organ 

donors. CHARLIE was convinced of the unlimited potential 

that could be realized when the pool of living donors would 

be expanded beyond one’s immediate family and friends. In 

fact, there have been success stories of hospitals doing just 

this—finding pairs of living kidney donors who aren’t 

matches for their own loved ones, but are matches for someone else’s loved one. 

Unfortunately, due to conflicting interpretations of the National Organ Transplant Act, hospitals across the country 

are hesitant to make this type of procedure a rule—and this 

is where the Charlie Norwood Living Kidney Organ Donation Act will create miracles. 

H.R. 710 would clarify in statute that this type of paired 

living kidney donation would be allowed under Federal law. 

This will alleviate the concerns of hospitals and health care 

providers that want to give all kidney patients the hope that 

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transplants represent but ambiguity in law currently prevents. 

Mr. Speaker this is a win-win situation. More patients 

would benefit from a kidney transplant, thereby reducing the 

number of individuals on the waiting list. In turn, more 

Americans—both on the waiting list and off—will have that 

miraculous second chance at life. 

Mr. Speaker, passing this legislation will be a lasting tribute to CHARLIE NORWOOD’s selfless efforts to help those in 

need. While we all wish our friend’s lung transplant had 

saved his life, we can honor him by giving Americans across 

our Nation greater access to the potential miracle of an 

organ donation. 

Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 

time. 

Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to 

another distinguished member of the Georgia delegation, 

Congressman John Linder. 

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 

yielding me this time. 

I rise in support of the underlying legislation, and in support of the memory and legacy of its author, my friend and 

colleague, CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

Many people may remember the story of Nicholas Greene, 

the 17-year-old boy who was killed during a family vacation 

in Italy. The tragic and sudden loss of this young boy was 

turned into a story of hope and love when his parents generously donated his organs. Out of his tragic death sprang life, 

as seven people received Nicholas’ heart, liver, kidneys, corneas, and pancreatic cells. 

If there is one lesson we can take from Nicholas’ great gift 

to the world and from the strong humanitarian legacy of 

CHARLIE NORWOOD, it is that we must support life whenever 

we have that opportunity. 

H.R. 710 specifically excludes kidney-paired donations 

from the National Organ Transplant Act’s valuable consideration clause. The valuable consideration clause has a noble 

purpose, which is to keep people from buying and selling 

human organs. In the case of kidney-paired donation, which 

is held to the highest of medical ethical standards, that purpose is obstructing the ability to save lives. By supporting 

this bill, we can give countless people a better chance for 

survival. 

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Let me be clear: paired-organ donation does not constitute 

the buying or selling of organs. If we believe as much, then 

we accept the idea that the gift of life has a monetary value. 

CHARLIE vehemently opposed this concept, and so should we. 

Thousands of people die each year waiting on a transplant 

list, praying for the right match for a kidney. Paired donations will significantly increase the number of available kidneys each year, allowing even more people to live productive, 

healthy lives. 

H.R. 710 honors the memory of our friend CHARLIE NORWOOD; it honors the memory of Nicholas Greene and his family; and it honors all those Americans who have lost their 

lives while waiting on a transplant list. As such, I urge all 

of my colleagues to join me in passing this critically important vehicle for giving the gift of life to others. 

Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to make a 

point. I think this is a great bipartisan success, to try to improve organ donation prospects for these 70,000 Americans. 

But we have more work to do. This bill is not the end of our 

efforts. I worked for 2 years with Mike Bilirakis, a great Republican, to try to have people in hospitals work with families on transplant donation issues. We need to fund that bill, 

and I hope we can have a bipartisan effort to do that. 

We have work to do to fund immunosuppressant drugs. 

Right now, we are not funding the drugs that donees need 

to suppress the immunological response to donation. 

So I hope we can continue to work in a bipartisan fashion 

to help these 70,000 Americans. We will remember CHARLIE

NORWOOD’s efforts in this regard and on future successes. 

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. 

Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 21⁄2 minutes 

to another distinguished member of the Georgia delegation, 

Jack Kingston from Savannah. 

Mr. KINGSTON. Thank you, Mr. Barton, and I thank Dr. 

Burgess for letting a noncommittee member go first. I appreciate the courtesy; and I wanted to thank Mr. Inslee for his 

help on this bill and all of the work and leadership by both 

parties on this. 

If CHARLIE NORWOOD were here today, he would be sitting 

there and he would be embarrassed. He would be deflecting 

all of these sweet things that are being said about him. But 

if this bill was controversial and was having a tough fight, 

CHARLIE NORWOOD would be right in the middle of it and 

pushing it along and making sure it got done and standing 

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up for the folks outside the 70,000-plus folks who are in line 

for an organ transplant right now. That is who he always answered to. 

I remember the Norwood-Dingell bill on the patients’ bill 

of rights, how he did not appreciate the leadership in our 

party’s position on it, so he went out and found alternative 

ways to get it done. And in that case, he cobbled together a 

bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans to push his 

patients’ bill of rights because CHARLIE NORWOOD was a 

fighter, and he was always a fighter for a good cause. So it 

is fitting and proper for him to be recognized in this bill. 

A couple of weeks ago I was at the University of Georgia, 

which is located in Athens, my hometown, and in CHARLIE

NORWOOD’s district. And I met with Dr. Steve Stice. He told 

me he is doing a lot of work on stem cells, and he casually 

mentioned that the University of Georgia had cloned about 

50 cattle and sheep. I could not believe they had cloned that 

many. 

But as I listened to him and all of the technological breakthroughs that are happening in the world of science and 

medicine today, I think we have not even scratched the surface of what lies out there in organ transplants. There will 

be medical revolutions in the years to come because of the 

technology that is out there. 

So our laws and what we are doing today is keeping the 

law current with the technology and with the science. That 

is why it is a good thing to do this. Think about Floyd 

Spence, our colleague from South Carolina, who had a lung 

transplant for 12 years, and our brave CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

Think about what they do; they educate the rest of us. 

Our day in office for all of us will end. Either politically 

or biologically or for whatever reason, but what a great thing 

it is to have that service time in the House be used to hold 

a baton high that you can pass on to the next generation and 

have true national impact. That is what we are doing here 

today. 

Mr. BARTON of Texas. How much time do I have remaining? 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas 

has 11⁄2 minutes remaining. 

Mr. BARTON of Texas. I, unfortunately, can only yield 1 

minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), a member of the committee. 

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Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Barton for the 

time, and I thank Chairman Dingell for bringing this bill to 

the floor. This is a wonderful legacy for CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

CHARLIE was all about clarification and common sense. We 

miss him on the committee. Personally, he was my mentor 

and had seen me through many issues on the committee. But 

I can think of no more fitting way to close out the legacy of 

CHARLIE NORWOOD than with this act that brings clarification to Federal law and allows paired donations to proceed 

apace. 

CHARLIE NORWOOD, from life hereafter, has reached back 

to this House and delivered one last dose of common sense. 

Thank you, CHARLIE. 

Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, could I ask unanimous consent for 3 additional minutes to tell one last CHARLIE NORWOOD story. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas? 

There was no objection. 

Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, before I close, since 

we have painted CHARLIE NORWOOD to be such a saint today, 

I have got to kind of get a little bit truer picture of him. 

In the Energy Policy Act debate of 2005, there was a provision in the bill that was not controversial in the overall part 

of the bill, but it was very controversial in certain areas of 

the country. One of those areas was in CHARLIE’s area of the 

Southeast. 

I had been working with him all through the debate to try 

to get him to help me forge a compromise on this particular 

issue, and he agreed that the compromise was the best public policy, but it wasn’t the policy that his region supported. 

So he was in a difficult position of agreeing with me, the 

chairman, on what the good public policy was, but knowing 

that was not a vote that he would be supporting in talking 

for his region. 

I went round and round with him about how to convince 

him to support this particular item in the bill, and he just 

flat couldn’t do it. But I finally got him to agree that, at the 

critical moment, he would not be there to vote against it. In 

other words, he would be absent, meeting a constituent or 

something, and he just couldn’t be there. He and I agreed on 

this, and our staffs had worked it out so that when the time 

came to vote, Mr. NORWOOD would not vote ‘‘no,’’ which 

would make me happy, but he wouldn’t vote ‘‘yes’’ either, 

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which would have made me even happier. He just wouldn’t 

vote. 

So, sure enough, the critical moment came, and the vote 

occurred. True to his word, CHARLIE NORWOOD was not 

around, but as soon as I gaveled the vote, he burst into the 

room, ‘‘Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman, could I be recorded?’’ 

I said, ‘‘no, the vote has already expired.’’ He said, ‘‘what 

kind of hogwash is this’’ and just raised holy cane, purely for 

theatrical purposes, but you know, the point had been made. 

So his constituency felt justified in his support, and I felt 

justified in that he didn’t vote against me, and yet he had 

upstaged his chairman, but in some cases, that was CHARLIE

NORWOOD. 

We rise in support of this bill. It does save money. It saves 

$30 million or $40 million the first year and I think $400 

million to $500 million over the 10-year scoring period. So we 

are going to work with the majority to find a way to put 

these savings to use so, once again, Congressman NORWOOD

not only is doing a good thing, providing a gift to the living, 

but this piece of legislation, if it becomes law, will also save 

the taxpayers money. 

I would strongly urge a ‘‘yes’’ vote on this bill. 

MONDAY, March 26, 2007 

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 

carry on a tradition started by the late Congressman CHARLIE NORWOOD, whose death this year was a great loss to 

Georgia and the U.S. House of Representatives. Each year on 

the eve of the Masters Golf Tournament in his hometown of 

Augusta, GA, Congressman NORWOOD would honor a golfer 

of great acclaim before his colleagues in the House. 

This year, that tribute belongs to Gary Player, a world-renowned golfer whose accomplishments extend far beyond the 

links. In April, Mr. Player will tee up at the Augusta National for the Masters Tournament for the 50th consecutive 

year, a remarkable achievement of longevity in any career. 

Few events in sports compare to the grace and beauty of the 

Masters Tournament, and for a half century, Mr. Player has 

played an important role in one of the most cherished and 

most watched sporting events in the world. 

Gary Player’s record is the envy of countless golfers. It includes 159 victories worldwide. He holds nine major championships including: three Masters, three British Opens, two 

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U.S. Opens and one PGA Championship. In addition, he has 

won the World Match Play Championship four times. 

Outside the game of golf, Mr. Player has dedicated his life 

to family—he is celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary 

this year—and to serving the underprivileged. 

In 1983, he established the Gary Player Foundation to address the education crisis in South Africa. The Player family 

started the Blair Atholl School—complete with a primary 

school of 400 students, a pre-elementary school for 75, a community resource center and a sports complex. The foundation 

ensures high-quality education, a nutritional feeding scheme 

and basic medical care for each child. 

Besides his foundation, Gary Player hosts the annual Nelson Mandela Invitational Golf Tournament, one of the largest charity events in South Africa. To recognize his many 

achievements, Gary Player was awarded an Honorary Doctor 

of Laws from the Saint Andrews University in 1995. 

Gary Player has lived an incredible life and he doesn’t 

take those blessings for granted. He has said, ‘‘I have been 

so lucky with golf, with my family, with my health. I am 

truly thankful.’’ Let us wish him continued luck and thanks 

for his accomplishments on and off the course. Mr. Player, 

good luck in Augusta. 

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Proceedings in the Senate 

THURSDAY, February 8, 2007 

Mr. ISAKSON. I rise for a moment to ask all Members of 

the Senate to join me in expressing their concern, their 

hopes, and their prayers for Congressman CHARLIE NORWOOD. Congressman NORWOOD, of Georgia, yesterday notified the House and the Senate that he would be returning 

to his home in Augusta. 

A little over 2 years ago, CHARLIE had a lung transplant 

to try to correct a degenerative disease which he had with 

him throughout his life. That transplant was successful and 

he returned to the House of Representatives and, as he always did, he represented the State of Georgia with courage, 

with dignity, and with tenacity. 

Unfortunately, last year, cancer occurred in the lung and 

successfully was removed by surgery. But it has reappeared 

now in his liver. CHARLIE is fighting for his life. 

His lovely wife Gloria is in Augusta with him, and his 

countless thousands of friends are there. But in this business 

that we go through in this Senate, there is always a time 

that all of us should reflect on the blessings we have, and 

that is the blessing of life. I pray now that the good Lord will 

look after CHARLIE and give him as much of that life as He 

possibly can. 

I think it is also appropriate that we reflect a minute on 

how important his service in the Congress has been. We all 

know that domestically health care, affordability of health 

insurance, and the importance of the doctor-patient relationship are the concerns the American people look to us to help 

solve. CHARLIE NORWOOD and his cosponsorship of NorwoodDingell laid a platform for which one day many of those 

problems will be solved. He has fought tenaciously for better 

health care, for better patient-doctor relationships, and a 

better relationship between the Federal Government and the 

providers of lifesaving health care around the country. 

At this moment, while a champion of health care is in dire 

straits himself, I hope all Members will join me and pray 

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that his recovery will be fast and swift and that God puts 

His blessed hand on his shoulder. 

I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum. 

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, in that remaining 1 

minute 55 seconds [of allotted time], I will very quickly say 

a word of commendation about a good friend of mine, a good 

friend of all Members of Congress, who is now serving in the 

other body, Congressman CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

Congressman NORWOOD has been in a severe battle for his 

life for the last 3 years, and he is having a tough time. He 

has made a decision to now go back to Augusta, GA, and 

spend the rest of his time with his family. 

And, boy, what a great warrior CHARLIE NORWOOD has 

been. It was my privilege to be elected to Congress with Congressman NORWOOD in 1994. He is an avowed conservative. 

He does not back away from any of his positions in supporting conservative values. He is a strong supporter of our 

men and women who wear the uniform of the United States. 

He is a Vietnam veteran. He is a very professional dentist. 

And he is one of the greatest guys I have ever had the privilege of being associated with. 

As CHARLIE and his wife Gloria return to Augusta to 

spend the rest of his time there, I want to say it has been 

a privilege to know him. It has been a privilege to serve with 

him. I hope to have the opportunity to spend some more time 

with him in the next several weeks, months, whatever it 

may be. 

But he is a great trooper. He is a great American. And I 

hope all Members of this body, as well as all Americans, will 

keep Congressman NORWOOD and his wife Gloria in their 

thoughts and prayers. 

Mr. President, I yield back the remainder of my time. 

TUESDAY, February 13, 2007 

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 

that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 

79, which was submitted earlier today. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution. 

The assistant legislative clerk read as follows: 

A resolution (S. Res. 79) relative to the death of Representative CHARLES

W. NORWOOD, JR., of Georgia. 

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Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable CHARLES W. NORWOOD, JR., late a Representative from the State of Georgia. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to the House 

of Representatives and transmit an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the 

deceased. 

Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns or recesses today, it stand adjourned or recessed as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased Representative. 

There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider 

the resolution. 

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 

that the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider 

be laid upon the table. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? 

Without objection, it is so ordered. 

The resolution (S. Res. 79) was agreed to. 

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 

that Senator Chambliss and I, from Georgia, be recognized 

for a few minutes to pay tribute to Representative NORWOOD. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. 

The Senator from Georgia. 

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, first of all, I thank Leader 

Reid and Leader McConnell for bringing this resolution forward in a very timely fashion. We learned during the lunch 

hour today that Representative CHARLIE NORWOOD of Georgia passed away, a victim of cancer. 

CHARLIE had been fighting that disease valiantly for over 

3 years, having a lung transplant, and, unfortunately—after 

the transplant’s success for a year and CHARLIE doing well— 

cancer occurred in one lung and then transferred to his liver. 

His wife Gloria has been an absolutely wonderful human 

being, seeing to it that CHARLIE continued to do his work in 

the House of Representatives, even though suffering greatly 

from the effects of the cancer that reoccurred. 

CHARLIE NORWOOD was elected in 1994 and was a classmate and fellow Representative with many of us here—Senator Coburn, Senator Graham, Senator Lincoln, Senator 

Chambliss, and myself. 

On behalf of all of us who have had the chance to serve 

with CHARLIE NORWOOD, we today pay tribute to his life, the 

great accomplishments he made on behalf of his district, and 

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his untiring effort to bring about quality, affordable health 

care within the reach of every single American. 

He will be remembered for many things: his tenacity, his 

great sense of humor, his commitment to his district, and to 

his people. But from a political standpoint and a service 

standpoint, he will be remembered for Norwood-Dingell, the 

legislation that laid the groundwork for reforms in health 

care that even go on at this day. 

So as a Member of the Senate from Georgia, as a personal 

friend of CHARLIE NORWOOD and his beautiful wife Gloria, 

and as one who is so thankful for the contributions he made 

to my State, to me as an individual, and to this body, I pay 

tribute to CHARLIE NORWOOD and pass on the sympathy and 

the condolences of my family to his wife Gloria and his many 

friends. 

And again, I repeat my thanks to Senator McConnell and 

Senator Reid for their timely recognition of the passing of 

CHARLIE NORWOOD. 

It is my pleasure now to, with unanimous consent, recognize Senator Chambliss from Georgia. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. McCaskill). The Senator 

from Georgia is recognized. 

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Madam President, I thank my friend 

and colleague from Georgia for those very generous and kind 

words about our mutual friend. 

I rise today to pay tribute to a guy who has been a great 

inspiration not just for the last 3 years when he has so 

bravely fought the deadly disease that ultimately got him— 

cancer—but CHARLIE NORWOOD and I were elected to Congress together in 1994. 

CHARLIE was one of those individuals who came to Congress for the right reason; that is, to make this country a 

better place to live for our generation as well as for future 

generations. 

CHARLIE worked every single day to make sure he could 

personally do everything he could as a Member of the House 

of Representatives to make this country better. 

CHARLIE grew up a Valdosta Wildcat. Now, to people in 

this body that may not mean a whole lot, but to anybody 

who lives in our great State, growing up a Valdosta Wildcat 

and playing for the Wildcat football team is a very special 

asset. 

Valdosta is a very unique town down in my part of the 

State, down in the very southern part of our State. The footVerDate jan 13 2004 14:30 May 29, 2007 Jkt 033500 PO 00000 Frm 00076 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\NORWOOD\33500.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
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ball lore of Valdosta is second to no other community in the 

country. 

CHARLIE loved his Valdosta Wildcats. He and I used to sit 

on the floor of the House every now and then, particularly 

during football season, and talk about his days of growing 

up. My hometown of Moultrie is the biggest football rival of 

Valdosta. 

CHARLIE loved life. He loved things like football. He also 

loved his family. He was the proud husband of Gloria Norwood, who is one more great lady, and he had two sons and 

several grandchildren. 

CHARLIE used to take his grandchildren to Atlanta every 

year at Thanksgiving, used to take the girls. He would let 

those girls have the run of a very nice hotel in Atlanta to do 

whatever they wanted, including CHARLIE NORWOOD, a 

mean, gruff, old dentist from Augusta, GA, sitting down in 

the afternoon and having tea with his granddaughters. He 

was, indeed, a very special person, a guy who loved his country, loved his State, loved his family, and really cared about 

what is best for America. 

One anecdote about CHARLIE I will never forget. He and I 

became good friends during the 1994 campaign. We both 

signed the Contract With America. We ran on the Contract 

With America. One provision in there was requiring an 

amendment to the Constitution calling for the Federal budget to be balanced. CHARLIE and I both felt very strongly 

about that. We were sitting on the floor of the House of Representatives one night together, as we were debating and 

voting on the amendment to the Constitution calling for a 

balanced budget, and as the numbers in favor of the bill 

grew and grew, the roar within the Chamber itself got louder 

and louder. It took 397 votes to reach the point where the 

balanced budget amendment would pass, and when it hit 

350, the roar got louder. It hit 360. Finally, it hit 397. CHARLIE looked over at me and said: ‘‘Sax, that is why we came 

here.’’ He was that kind of person who truly cared about his 

country and the principles for which he stood. 

He was a man who will truly be missed, as my colleague, 

Senator Isakson, said, for his ideas on health care. He truly 

believed that every person who received health care treatment in this country ought to have the ability to look their 

physician in the eye and make sure they had the right to 

choose the physician from whom they were receiving medical 

services. It is only fitting that CHARLIE’s patients’ bill of 

rights was reintroduced in the House in the last several 

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days. I look forward, hopefully, to Congressman Dingell taking up that bill and debating that bill. It was a controversial 

bill then. It will be controversial again. But just because 

CHARLIE NORWOOD felt so strongly about it, I am hopeful we 

will see some movement on that bill. 

As I wind down, I have such fond memories about CHARLIE

from a personal standpoint. But most significantly, the great 

memories I will always have about CHARLIE NORWOOD are 

about his commitment to America, his commitment to freedom, his commitment to the men and women who wear the 

uniform of the United States, of which he was one—he was 

a veteran of Vietnam—and about the great spirit CHARLIE

NORWOOD always brought to every issue on the floor of the 

House of Representatives. He was a great American. He was 

a great Member of the House of Representatives. He was a 

great colleague. He was a great friend who will be missed. 

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. 

WEDNESDAY, February 14, 2007 

Mr. COBURN. Madam President, I want to take a few 

minutes first to talk about someone who was a very dear 

friend whom I think was emblematic of what our forefathers 

thought about when they thought about a U.S. Congressman. His name was CHARLIE NORWOOD. He died yesterday. 

CHARLIE was a ‘‘tell it like it is’’ guy. His motivations were 

always altruistic. They were never self-centered. 

He had never been in politics. He was a dentist, and he 

got fed up. He came here and had a tremendous impact in 

terms of his voice of common sense, reason, and compassion. 

The House of Representatives is going to miss that voice, but 

more important, the American people are going to miss one 

of the few voices of common sense that we have in Congress 

today. He leaves a wife, Gloria, and two sons, all supportive 

of his sacrifice to serve here. 

There are a lot of stories told about CHARLIE. I won’t go 

into that. He was always fun to be around. He was always 

invigorating. And he never quit believing in this wonderful 

thing we call the American dream. 

He fought hard for what he thought was right on immigration. He recognized that if we build a wall, it is not to keep 

people in; that the opportunities here are so great, what has 

been created by our Founders and grew through the years is 

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so tremendous, that we ought to continue to take advantage 

of it. 

What I really liked about him was that he was a true citizen legislator. He abandoned his practice and his easy life 

and came to do the hard work of representing the people of 

Georgia with common sense and down-home, plain family 

values. He will be sorely missed. But he leaves a legacy, a 

legacy to everybody who is out there today who thinks we 

need to change the Congress of the United States. The legacy 

he leaves is this: If you are willing to sacrifice and get into 

the fray, you can come here and make a difference. That is 

what he proved. His life was not that of a career politician— 

although that is a wonderful service, and we have dedicated 

people throughout both Houses of Congress who have dedicated their lives to public service. But he brought a freshness 

and he brought ideas because his experience was what everybody else in the country was experiencing, not what is experienced among the political elite in this country. 

The challenge that CHARLIE leaves for all of us who are 

not in Congress, who do not like things the way they are, is 

to actually get involved. That legacy will live on for a long 

time—I know in his district in Georgia, and also through the 

State of Georgia—but also for those of us who will continue 

to remember him and the sacrifices he made. 

Mr. GRAHAM. Madam President, I wanted to take this 

opportunity to say a few words about my close friend and 

colleague who passed away yesterday, Congressman CHARLIE

NORWOOD. 

There is no doubt that with the death of CHARLIE NORWOOD the State of Georgia has lost one of her favorite sons. 

We were elected to serve in the House of Representatives the 

same year and represented adjoining districts in Georgia and 

South Carolina. 

CHARLIE was a dear friend of mine. 

I have never met anyone in politics with more passion 

about what they believe than CHARLIE NORWOOD. He was a 

great Representative for the people of the 10th District of 

Georgia, and in his years of service he made a real difference 

in the Congress. 

There is no doubt CHARLIE’s leadership, his wisdom, and 

his wit will be sorely missed. 

Now is the time to keep CHARLIE’s family in our prayers. 

But we should also celebrate a life well-lived. Knowing 

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CHARLIE NORWOOD like I do, I am confident he would not 

have wanted it any other way. 

THURSDAY, February 15, 2007 

Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I want to speak briefly 

on one other issue aside from the war effort, as that is the 

one that really needs to, and does, occupy our time. But a 

good friend of mine has just recently passed away, Congressman CHARLIE NORWOOD. CHARLIE and I came in together in 

the House of Representatives in the 1994 election cycle. He 

recently passed away due to complications in his liver from 

a long battle that he had with pulmonary fibrosis and the 

difficulties that he had. 

His legislative accomplishments are significant, and those 

are in the Record and well known. What I want to talk about 

is the person because he was a beautiful man. He served in 

Vietnam as a dentist. He had this beautiful, folksy way of 

presenting a tough topic. He would boil down the essence of 

a difficult topic in a folksy sentence or two, and you would 

listen to it and you would say: You know, I think that is 

about accurate. 

He could take difficult things and boil them down. He 

cared a lot about health care issues, and he worked a lot on 

health care issues. What I remember is a kindly gentleman 

who was very active and involved in the issues of the day 

and who cared about other people. He taught Adult Sunday 

School classes. He worked as a small businessman. He was 

a dedicated public servant, even as he felt that the Government had grown too big and was taking over too much authority. 

It reminds me that, as we leave these places—and we all 

will—when you look back on it, there is a legislative career, 

and there are a number of legislative items that each of us 

is associated with, and the cares and concerns and the passions that we have of the day, but there is also a person who 

is there, and the soul and the character of that individual. 

In this case, Dr. CHARLIE NORWOOD had a beautiful soul. He 

was someone who touched people in a positive way. I am not 

sure you can say a lot more at the end of our days than that. 

Congressman NORWOOD is survived by his wife Gloria, 

sons Charles and Carlton Norwood, and grandchildren, all of 

Augusta. 

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During his life, NORWOOD has served as a Member of Congress, longtime patients’ and individual rights champion, 

dentist, Vietnam veteran, and small businessman. 

NORWOOD, a seven-term Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2007, served most of east Georgia 

at some point during his congressional career due to redistricting in 1996, 2002, and 2006. He won re-election every 

year since 1998 by landslide margins, and was elected to the 

110th Congress in November by a 68-percent margin. His 

10th District seat will be filled in a special election to be 

scheduled by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. 

NORWOOD achieved national recognition after introducing 

the first comprehensive managed health care reform legislation to Congress in 1995, which subsequently passed the 

House of Representatives in both 1999 and 2001. NORWOOD’s 

patients’ bill of rights legislation became a key issue in the 

2000 Presidential election, and will likely be revived in the 

110th Congress. 

NORWOOD was instrumental in health care reform for military retirees and veterans as well as patients-at-large. The 

former Army dentist was co-author of the Keep Our Promises to Military Retirees Act in 1999, which provided fully 

funded health care for life for the Nation’s military retirees. 

The majority of the bill was enacted as part of the Defense 

Authorization Act of 2000. 

In addition to his longtime national advocacy for patients, 

NORWOOD succeeded in passing reforms across a broad range 

of public policy areas, spanning education, private property 

rights, telecommunications, and environmental regulations. 

NORWOOD is further recognized as the father of the Nation’s current Class A broadcast television service, by authoring and passing into law the Community Broadcasting Protection Act in 1998. 

In congressional oversight action, NORWOOD played a key 

role in the 1996–1998 Teamster’s investigation, the 1998– 

2002 investigations of theft and fraud at the U.S. Department of Education, and the impeachment of former President 

Bill Clinton in 1998. 

NORWOOD received a bachelor’s degree from Georgia 

Southern University in Statesboro in 1964, and a doctorate 

in dental surgery from Georgetown University Dental School 

in Washington, DC, in 1967, where he was elected president 

of the Dental School student body in his senior year. He 

married the former Gloria Wilkinson of Valdosta in 1962 

while attending Georgia Southern. 

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After dental school, he volunteered for the U.S. Army and 

served as a captain in the Dental Corps from 1967 to 1969, 

beginning with an assignment to the U.S. Army Dental 

Corps at Sandia Army Base in Albuquerque, NM. In 1968 he 

was transferred to the Medical Battalion of the 173d Airborne Brigade in Vietnam, and served a combat tour at Quin 

Nyon, Quang Khe, and LZ English at Bon Son. In recognition of his service under combat conditions, he was awarded 

the Combat Medical Badge and two Bronze Stars. 

After Vietnam, he was assigned to the Dental Corps at 

Fort Gordon, GA, where he served until his discharge in 

1969. NORWOOD was awarded the Association of the United 

States Army Cocklin Award in 1998, and was inducted into 

the Association’s Audie Murphy Society in 1999. He remained a lifelong member of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Military Order of the World 

Wars. 

Dr. NORWOOD began private practice dentistry in Augusta 

immediately after his discharge. During his dental career, he 

served as president of the Georgia Dental Association and 

was a delegate to the American Dental Association. 

In addition to his dental practice, NORWOOD also founded 

Northwoods Nursery in Evans, providing trees and shrubs to 

wholesale outlets throughout the Central Savannah River 

area, and Augusta Dental Laboratory, which manufactured 

dental devices for patients. 

He became a stalwart supporter of small business and 

property rights interests in Congress, receiving the 1995 

Fighting Frosh Award of the United States Business and Industrial Council, the Guardian of Senior’s Rights Award of 

the 60 Plus Association, the Friend of the Family Award of 

the Christian Coalition, the Friend of the Taxpayer Award of 

Americans for Tax Reform, the Guardian of Small Business 

Award of the National Federation of Independent Business, 

the Spirit of Enterprise Award of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Thomas Jefferson Award of the U.S. Food Service 

Council, the Champion of Property Rights Award of the 

League of Private Property Owners, the Taxpayer’s Hero 

Award of the Council for Citizens Against Government 

Waste, and the Taxpayer’s Friend Award of National Taxpayers Union. 

Dr. NORWOOD and his wife Gloria were longtime members 

of and taught Adult Sunday School at Trinity on the Hill 

United Methodist Church in Augusta. He was also a past 

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board member of the Augusta Opera Society and a member 

of the Augusta Symphony Guild. 

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33500.002
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In Memory Of 

The Honorable 

Charles W. Norwood, Jr. 

July 27, 1941 

February 13, 2007 

Funeral Service 

Thursday, February 15, 2007 

2:00 P.M. 

First Baptist Church of Augusta 

Dr. Steve Dodson 

Officiating 

If so desired memorial contributions may be made to Trinity on the Hill 

United Methodist Church, 1330 Monte Sano Ave., Augusta, GA 30904 or 

INOVA Health System Foundation, 8110 Gatehouse Rd., Suite 200 E, Falls 

Church, VA 22042 

Family 

Wife 

Gloria W. Norwood 

Sons 

Charles W. Norwood III and Denise D. Norwood 

Klaris Carlton W. Norwood and Paige W. Norwood 

Grandchildren 

Kristen E. Norwood 

Klaris Carlton W. Norwood, Jr. 

Aubrey W. Williams 

Kendall P. Williams 

Æ