The nomination hearing for Dr. James Holsinger, Jr. was held on Thursday, July 12, 2007 in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.  This committee is chaired by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA).  Dr. Holsinger's nomination was left pending in committee.

Also on July 12th, Senator Kennedy filed S 1777, "The Surgeon General Integrity Restoration Act".

This bill would:

• Require a nominee for Surgeon General to be drawn from a list of the nation's most eminent physicians prepared by the Institute of Medicine,
• Give the Office of the Surgeon General budgetary independence bypassing manipulation by political appointees in the Department of Health and Human Services,
• Shed light on any pressure exerted by political appointees to distort scientific findings, and
• Allow the Surgeon General to hire his or her own staff directly, without having to undergo a political litmus test imposed by the Administration.

The filing of legislation by Senator Kennedy to modify the process of selecting the Surgeon General would seem to indicate that Kennedy is unlikely to call a vote on the Holsinger nomination in the immediate future.

If no action is taken on the Holsinger nomination, it may increase the probability of a presidential recess appointment by President George Bush.  The Senate will be recessed from August 1st to September 5th, and the President could fill the currently-vacant Surgeon General position and bypass Senate opposition to his controversial nominee.  President Bush has placed several judges on U.S. courts of appeals via recess appointments when Senate Democrats filibustered their confirmation proceedings.

Equality Texas will keep you apprised of the status of the Holsinger nomination with updates from our Action Center.

If you would like to learn more about ways you can take action, please visit the Equality Texas Action Center.