Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Al Green joined President Bush, House and Senate Leaders, and Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Michael DeBakey.  According to the Congressional Research Service, only approximately 300 individuals, on 147 separate occasions, have had the unique and prestigious honor of being awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.    

“The most meaningful measure of life is not how long one lives but rather what one does with the time God gives.  Dr. DeBakey’s living had made it possible for others to have better lives.” Rep. Green said.  “He has promulgated over 1,600 publications and operated on more than 60,000 patients.  He has either established or helped to establish the field of stroke surgery, the coronary bypass procedure, the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, the National Library of Medicine, the multiple transplantation procedure, and healthcare systems around the world.”

Congressman Green was the chief House sponsor of H.R. 1154, the bill to award our nation’s highest civilian honor to world-renowned heart surgeon and living medical legend, Dr. Michael DeBakey.  Congressman Green worked with Texas Representatives Michael Burgess and John Culberson to secure the 290 co-sponsors necessary to move H.R. 1154 to a vote in the House of Representatives.  This legislation passed the House on September 17, 2007 with 313 bi-partisan co-sponsors. 
 
“I worked with Congressman Green, Congressman Burgess, and our Texas delegation to pass legislation to award Dr. DeBakey the Congressional Gold medal,” said Sen. Hutchison.  “Dr. DeBakey is a legend in the field of medicine.  He is one of the most accomplished and innovative surgeons in our nation’s history.”

Following passage of H.R. 1154, Congressman Green engineered the successful passage of the Senate version of the bill, S. 474, sponsored by Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, in the House, which paved the way for the President to sign the bill into law on October 16, 2007.

“I would like to thank Senator Hutchison for her leadership and Representatives Burgess and Culberson for their assistance in passing the legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Michael DeBakey,” Rep. Green said.  “Dr. DeBakey’s life proves that not only can one person impact the world, but he can also change the world for the good of all.  If we did not have the Congressional Gold Medal, we would have to create one for Dr. Michael DeBakey for his lifetime of remarkable achievements and exceptional service.”