Senate Passes Bill To Honor Dalai Lama With Medal

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent passed S. 2784 calling for the award of a Congressional gold medal to the 14th Dalai Lama in recognition of his contributions to peace, non-violence, human rights, and religious understanding. The bill had broad bipartisan support, with 73 co-sponsors. An identical bill, H.R. 4562, is pending in the House of Representatives. A release on the bill from Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office, one of the bill’s primary sponsors, points out that under Congressional rules, Congressional Gold Medals require the support of at least two-thirds of the Members of both the Senate and House before they can be signed into law by the President.