Senator Gillibrand Press Release on Passage of Wallenberg Bill
Thursday, July 12, 2012
GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCES CONGRESSIONAL PASSAGE OF BILL TO CONFER A CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL UPON RAOUL WALLENBERG
Friends – please find below the C-SPAN link to SenatorGillibrand's remarks on the floor the day that Congress passed her bi-partisan bill awarding a Gold Medalto Raoul Wallenberg.
July12, 2012 GILLIBRANDANNOUNCES CONGRESSIONAL PASSAGE OF BILL TO CONFER A CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL UPON RAOUL WALLENBERG SenatorPushed for Highest Civilian Award Honoring Wallenberg's Heroic Rescue of Hungarian Jews DuringWWII BillNow Heads to President's Desk Washington,DC– Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announcedthat Congress passed a bill to bestow the Congressional Gold Medal on Raoul Wallenberg, a hero who savedthousands of lives during the Nazi occupation of Hungary during World War II. The bill, which the Senatepassed last night and mirrors Senate legislation introduced by Senator Gillibrand in April, now headsto President Obama's desk for his signature. The House unanimously passed similar legislation in April.
"Raoul Wallenberg's heroic rescue of Hungarian Jews duringone of the darkest hours of human history exemplifies his outstanding spirit, his dedication to humanity,and the responsibility for us all to speak out against atrocities," said SenatorGillibrand. "I am proud that Congress has recognized Raoul Wallenberg's extraordinary and enduringcourage by passing my bi-partisan bill bestowing him with the Congressional Gold Medal."
Wallenberg,a Swedish diplomat posted to Hungary during the Second World War, is credited with saving the lives oftens of thousands of Jews and other innocent people from the Nazis. After Wallenberg was detainedand imprisoned by the Soviet Union, he disappeared and his precise fate remains unknown. For hisextraordinary actions, Wallenberg was made an honorary citizen of the United States in 1981.
TheCongressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award Congress can confer upon an individual.
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The Commission works on a national campaign to highlight the incredible heroism exhibited by Raoul Wallenberg and to award him with a Congressional Gold Medal posthumously.
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112th Congress Public Law 148 RAOUL WALLENBERG CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION ACT CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 158 (2012): Apr. 16, considered and passed House. July 11, considered and passed Senate.
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Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Washington - Legislation to recognize World War II hero Raoul Wallenberg with the country’s highest civilian honor was passed unanimously last night by the senate. The bill, S. 1591, was introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, in an effort to award Wallenberg with a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal, in recognition of his heroic acts during the Holocaust and is expected to be signed by President Obama shortly.
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