SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Gerald Brooks Hunt ‘‘Jerry’’ Solomon of
Glens Falls, New York, served in the House of Rep-
resentatives for 10 terms, from January 3, 1979, to
January 3, 1999, and during that service gained a
reputation for being outspoken and tenacious in pre-
senting his views on a wide range of issues.
(2) Congressman Solomon was born in Okee-
chobee, Florida, and grew up there during the Great
Depression before moving to New York in 1945.
(3) Congressman Solomon enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps at the onset of the Ko-
rean War and served in the Marine Corps for 81⁄2
years on active and reserve duty.
(4) Before being elected to Congress in 1978,
Congressman Solomon was a businessman in Glens
Falls, New York.
(5) During his 20-year congressional career,
Congressman Solomon served as the ranking Repub-
lican on the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, where
he was recognized by the veterans community as one
of its strongest advocates. Among his other accom-
plishments for veterans, Congressman Solomon
spearheaded the effort to create the Cabinet-level
Department of Veterans Affairs and successfully led
a 15-year drive to establish the Saratoga National
Cemetery in Saratoga, New York, where he is now
interred.
(6) Congressman Solomon was also recognized
for his efforts to promote pride, patriotism, and vol-
unteerism, and when the Supreme Court ruled that
laws prohibiting the burning of the United States
flag were unconstitutional, Congressman Solomon
was given the assignment to pass a constitutional
amendment to prohibit desecration of the flag. The
Solomon Amendment passed overwhelmingly in the
House, but failed by one vote in the Senate.
(7) As chairman of the Committee on Rules of
the House of Representatives, Congressman Sol-
omon revamped the rules under which the House op-
erates, abolishing proxy voting, opening all meetings
to the media and the public, and making Congress
subject to the same laws that the American people
live under.
(8) During his congressional career, Congress-
man Solomon was the recipient of dozens of major
awards from many national veterans organizations,
including the coveted ‘‘Iron Mike Award’’, presented
to him by the Marine Corps and Marine Corps
League, and the Distinguished Citizen Award, pre-
sented to him by the National Congressional Medal
of Honor Society for his legislative successes on be-
half of the United States military and veterans
issues.
SEC. 2. NAME OF THE NATIONAL CEMETERY IN SARATOGA,
NEW YORK.
(a) NAME.—The national cemetery located in Sara-
toga, New York, shall after the date of the enactment of
this Act be known and designated as the ‘‘Gerald B.H.
Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery’’. Any reference to
such national cemetery in any law, regulation, map, docu-
ment, record, or other paper of the United States shall
be considered to be a reference to the Gerald B.H. Sol-
omon Saratoga National Cemetery.
(b) MEMORIAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall provide for the placement in the national cemetery
referred to in subsection (a) of a suitable memorial to
honor the memory of Gerald B.H. Solomon and his service
to the United States.
Passed the House of Representatives December 4,
2001.
Attest:
Clerk.