CAP Congressional Gold Medal

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IMPORTANT UPDATE

On Thursday, May 10, 2012, the Senate Civil Air Patrol Congressional Gold Medal bill (S 418) passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent. The bill, introduced last year by Senator Tom Harkin, had 85 other cosponsors. Thanks to everyone involved, this is a great achievement that all of CAP can take pride in. Special thanks to Senator Tom Harkin and his staff for their concerted efforts to make this happen. We can now turn our focus exclusively on the House!

Status update as of May 9, 2012

Three More Sign On

Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Representatives Raul Labrador (R-ID) and Terry Lee (R-NE) recently signed on to be Congressional Gold Medal cosponsors.  Thanks to the Pennsylvania, Idaho and Nebraska Wings for their continuing efforts to honor our WWII CAP veterans.  This means that Pennsylvania now has both of its Senators, that both Idaho and Nebraska now have 100 percent of their congressional delegations on board and that the Rocky Mountain Region now has four out of its five wings at 100 percent.  What an outstanding achievement for everyone!

After a weeklong work week back in their home states and districts for both chambers we are still waiting to see S 418 fast tracked for a vote. Senators, for the moment, can still sign on to cosponsor this bill (see the list below). Once we know the Senate vote has been scheduled we will let everyone know. In the House we continue to seek cosponsors as it still looks like we will be required to get all 290 cosponsors before the House Financial Services Committee will deal with the bill. We are also looking at whether House rules can be suspended to bring the Senate bill over for a vote.

We are very close to obtaining this important goal. Please continue your efforts with House members who have not yet cosponsored HR 719. If you have questions or need help please contact John Swain – dcoffice.cap@verizon.net, Colonel Joe King – jking@cap.gov or Lt Colonel Jack Faas – jfaas@aol.com.

Cosponsor Results Since Since 3/27/2012

Senators:
Sen McCaskill, Claire (D-MO) - 3/27/2012
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. (D-VT) - 3/27/2012
Sen Udall, Tom (D-NM) - 4/17/2012
Sen Kohl, Herb (D-WI) - 4/24/2012
Sen Toomey, Pat (R-PA) - 5/8/2012

Representatives:
Rep Forbes, J. Randy (R-VA-4) - 3/27/2012
Rep Van Hollen, Chris (D-MD-8) - 3/27/2012
Rep Watt, Melvin L. (D-NC-12) - 4/16/2012
Rep Carson, Andre (D-IN-7) - 4/16/2012
Rep Guthrie, Brett (R-KY-2) - 4/16/2012
Rep Black, Diane (R-TN-6) - 4/16/2012
Rep Moore, Gwen (D-WI-4) - 4/16/2012
Rep Hochul, Kathleen C. (D-NY-26) - 4/17/2012
Rep Herrera Beutler, Jaime (R-WA-3) - 4/17/2012
Rep Canseco, Francisco "Quico" (R-TX-23) - 4/17/2012
Rep Barrow, John (D-GA-12) - 4/25/2012
Rep Posey, Bill (R-FL-15) - 4/25/2012
Rep Higgins, Brian (D-NY-27) - 4/25/2012
Rep Schwartz, Allyson Y. (D-PA-13) - 4/25/2012
Rep Kline, John (R-MN-2) - 4/25/2012
Rep Labrador, Raul R. (R-ID-1) - 5/7/2012
Rep Terry, Lee (R-NE-2) - 5/8/2012

 Bill Status

Senators Who Have Not Yet Cosponsored
Alabama – Richard Shelby
Arizona – Jon Kyl
Arizona – John McCain
Kentucky – Rand Paul
Nevada – Harry Reid
South Carolina – Jim DeMint
South Carolina – Lindsey Graham
South Dakota – John Thune
Utah – Orrin Hatch
Utah – Mike Lee
Virginia – Mark Warner
Virginia – Jim Webb
Vermont – Bernie Sanders
Washington – Maria Cantwell
Washington – Patty Murray

 

Note1: Wings/states highlighted in red have their entire congressional delegation as cosponsors.
Note 2: Nevada had a Senator resign who was replaced by a Representative both were cosponsors so there are still two Members of Congress in the state who have not become cosponsors. The 100 percent is slightly misleading but technically correct.
Note 3: Puerto Rico obtained the cosponsorship of the Virgin Islands

Background
Two bills were introduced in the 112th Congress (in both the House and Senate) to award Civil Air Patrol the CGM in recognition of its World War II members and the service they provided for the nation. CAP’s wartime operations were highly unusual in that they involved civilian volunteers using their own aircraft and money to fly combat, humanitarian and other critical homeland security missions during a critical time of need for the nation.
 
The two bills would award a single gold medal to the CAP.  Donations will pay l for replica medals that will be presented to surviving veterans and families of those who have already passed on.

The effort to obtain cosponsors is critical to the success of these two bills.  Before they will be considered in their respective committees the bills must have 290 House cosponsors and 67 Senate cosponsors.

Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Why is this important now?
Answer: Time is running out for our World War II veterans and their service was highly unusual—volunteer civilians flying combat and humanitarian missions at a time of great need for the nation. They never received the recognition they deserved for the unusual and dangerous missions they performed. Nor did they receive wartime benefits despite being on active duty with the CAP. It is estimated that about 1,500 WWII veterans die every day and we only know of a few surviving CAP veterans. Also, this gives present-day CAP volunteers and missions some much needed visibility within the Executive and Legislative branches of government as well as the public at a time when CAP’s homeland security role is increasing and budgets are becoming very tight.

Question: What is the best way to contact my Member of Congress?
Answer: You can call or visit their Washington and state offices or send an email or letter. It is probably best to make personal contact (call or visit) and to obtain a name and telephone number so that you can follow up on your request. Contact can be made by anyone who is a constituent including CAP members, CAP WWII veterans and anyone else interested (friends, family, community business owners, etc.) in supporting this effort. It is vital that you follow up on your request.

Question: What if I don’t know of any CAP WWII members in the state?
Answer: All of the 48 contiguous states had volunteer citizens in the Civil Air Patrol. They served in their home state and other states. There is a link on this page that lists those CAP WWII veterans (and their current addresses) that we know about. Many of CAP’s WWII records were destroyed in a fire at a military records center in the 1970s. We are now trying to locate surviving WWII members and/or their families to compile a data base. That most current list is on this webpage as a link. Members of Congress should also consider cosponsoring this legislation as a way to should support to their state CAP wings and members.

Question: Some are concerned about the price of the CGM—how much does this cost the government?
Answer: Both bills authorize the government to spend up to $30,000 to strike and design a single gold medal. A Congressional Research Service report (Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2009 by Stephen W. Stathis, November 16, 2009) notes that the cost of issuing a Congressional Gold Medal is actually charged against the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund. Congress established this revolving fund to be available to the Secretary of the Treasury for numismatic operations and programs of the United States Mint without fiscal year limitations. Monies received from the sales of the bronze duplicates are used to support the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund. While the $30,000 cost might seem high to a few legislators it is truly little to be able to honor thousands of civilian volunteers who flew combat and humanitarian missions at a time of great need for our nation. It should also be noted that CAP members on active duty during the war did not receive any benefits after the war despite the great sacrifices they made.

Question: Is it good enough if a Member of Congress or their staff tell me he/she will vote for the bill once it gets to the floor or comes out of a committee?
Answer: This is not overly helpful because each bill requires 2/3 of the members of the House or Senate to sign on to be cosponsors before it will be considered in the relevant committee. While this is a high bar and gaining those many cosponsors is very difficult this is where CAP needs the most help. Without gaining the necessary cosponsors these bills are dead in the water.

Question: Is it enough just to call once?
Answer: Only if the Member of Congress agrees to cosponsor and then actually does cosponsor. It is important to keep calling until he/she agrees and you know that it has happened. You should check the cosponsor list on this website frequently to see if that Member of Congress has actually signed on.

Question: How do Members of Congress cosponsor these bills?
Answer: Members of Congress who want to cosponsor this legislation in the House (HR 719) should contact Todd Ethington (202-225-8045) in Congressman Filner’s office and, in the Senate (S 418), Tom Buttry (202-224-9604) in Senator Harkin’s office.

Question: If I need more information who should I contact?
Answer:  If you have any questions or concerns contact John Swain, CAP's Washington representative, at dcoffice.cap@verizon.net.