A bill to designate the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Columbus, Georgia, as the "Robert S. Poydasheff Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic".
Bill: S.1803 | Sponsor: Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. (D-GA)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill designates the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Columbus, Georgia, as the Robert S. Poydasheff Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic or the Robert S. Poydasheff VA Clinic.

To designate the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of 
 Veterans Affairs in Columbus, Georgia, as the ``Robert S. Poydasheff 
                Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic''.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Former mayor of Columbus, Georgia, Robert S. Poydasheff 
        died on September 24, 2020.
            (2) Robert S. Poydasheff earned a B.A. in political science 
        from the Citadel in 1954, a J.D. from Tulane University Law 
        School in 1957, an M.A. in international relations from the 
        graduate program of Boston University in Berlin, Germany, in 
        1967, and attended the Hague Academy of International Law in 
        the Netherlands in preparation for a military and subsequent 
        civilian career that focused on serving others.
            (3) In 1955, Robert S. Poydasheff was commissioned as a 
        Second Lieutenant in the Infantry Branch of the United States 
        Army and he was reassigned to the Judge Advocate General's 
        Corps.
            (4) Robert S. Poydasheff was a 1976 graduate of the United 
        States Army War College and served a total of 24 years in the 
        Armed Forces, retiring as a Colonel in 1979.
            (5) Colonel Poydasheff was decorated with the Legion of 
        Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star Medal, and 
        the Vietnam Ribbon with Four Battle Stars, and during his 
        military career and because of his expert legal acumen he was 
        assigned to work on the biggest cases of the time in which he 
        served, but during that time he never lost sight of what he 
        considered his primary role, which was to take care of members 
        of the Armed Forces.
            (6) Colonel Poydasheff was appointed as legal counsel to 
        the Secretary of the Army and served the needs of all members 
        of the Armed Forces by helping to shape the policy of the Army.
            (7) In 2012, the Army War College Foundation named Colonel 
        Poydasheff an Outstanding Alumnus in recognition of his wide-
        ranging service to his community after his retirement from 
        active duty in the Armed Forces.
            (8) Colonel Poydasheff served on the City Council for 
        Columbus, Georgia, from 1994 to 2002, helping all citizens of 
        the community he had come to love while concurrently serving 
        Fort Benning and his beloved members of the Armed Forces.
            (9) Colonel Poydasheff was elected mayor of Columbus, 
        Georgia, in 2002, served a four-year term and maintained a 
        focus on community-based programs and strengthening the 
        relationship between the city and Fort Benning.
            (10) During that time he made great contributions to the 
        joint military and civilian communities of Columbus, Georgia, 
        and Fort Benning, appointing first a fellow member of the Armed 
        Forces and later the first African American to the position of 
        city manager, while knowing that doing so would be at his own 
        political peril.
            (11) After his service as mayor of Columbus, Georgia, 
        Colonel Poydasheff found continued success as a practicing 
        lawyer helping countless citizens and members of the Armed 
        Forces living in the city he once led as well as advocating for 
        many members of the Armed Forces in the area.
            (12) The continued interest of Colonel Poydasheff in the 
        betterment of Columbus, Georgia, as well as his contributions 
        to the Veterans Action Committee has a continued impact to this 
        day.
            (13) Colonel Poydasheff served as past president of the 
        Chattahoochee Council Boy Scouts of America, past president of 
        the Chattahoochee Valley Association of the United States Army, 
        past president of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, member of 
        the Board of Directors of the Springer Opera Arts Association, 
        past president of the Ann Elizabeth Shepherd Home, and member 
        of the Kiwanis Club and Columbus Bar Association.

SEC. 2. ROBERT S. POYDASHEFF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CLINIC.

    (a) Designation.--The community-based outpatient clinic of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs located at 6910 River Road, Columbus, 
Georgia, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be known and 
designated as the ``Robert S. Poydasheff Department of Veterans Affairs 
Clinic'' or the ``Robert S. Poydasheff VA Clinic''.
    (b) Reference.--Any reference in any law, regulation, map, 
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the community-
based outpatient clinic referred to in subsection (a) shall be 
considered to be a reference to the Robert S. Poydasheff Department of 
Veterans Affairs Clinic.
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