Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Jerry Lewis VA Clinic Act”.
Jerry Lewis VA Clinic Act
A BILL
To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Redlands, California, as the Jerry Lewis Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic.
Sec. 2 Jerry Lewis Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic
Findings— Congress finds the following:
Former Congressman Jerry Lewis died on July 15, 2021.
He graduated from San Bernadino High School in San Bernadino, California, where he was captain of the swim team and a star basketball player, so much so, the high school retired his jersey.
He earned his B.A. in Government from the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) in 1956.
From 1964 to 1968, he was a member of the San Bernadino City Unified School District Board of Education.
From 1969 to 1978, he was a member of the California State Assembly, where he represented the 73d and 67th district.
As a California Assemblyman, he advocated for policies and programs that would improve Southern California’s air quality.
In 1976, he helped establish the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
In November 1978, Jerry Lewis was elected as a Republican to the 96th United States Congress.
During his 34-year long tenure in Congress, he represented the 37th, 35th, 40th, and 41st Congressional District of California.
In 1994, he was named the Chairman of the VA–HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee.
In the 109th Congress, from 2005 to 2007, he became the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. The first, and still to this date, the only, California Member of Congress to be named Chairman.
Throughout his congressional career, he secured millions of dollars to advance several community projects for Southern California, including the Inland Empire.
The community projects he secured for Inland Empire include the California State San Bernadino, a cancer research center at Loma Linda University Medical Center, Seven Oaks Dam, and so much more.
Although he was an ardent and staunch leader of the Republican party, once becoming the third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, he symbolized a time where Members of Congress could work across the aisle to solve pressing issues throughout the Nation.
He believed in civility and bipartisanship to meet the needs of the American people, specifically on behalf of his California constituents.
He worked tirelessly and helped countless Americans before his retirement in 2012.
He was the pinnacle of a public servant and his unwavering support for the institution will be remembered forever.
Designation— The Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic located in Redlands, California, shall after the date of the enactment of the Act be known and designated as the “Jerry Lewis Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic” or the “Jerry Lewis VA Clinic”.
Reference— Any reference in a law, regulation, map, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the clinic referred to in subsection (b) shall be deemed to be a reference to the Jerry Lewis Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic.