U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

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79–010

" ! SENATE 106TH CONGRESS

2d Session

REPORT

2000

106–356

Calendar No. 707

AWARDING A CONGRESSIONAL

GOLD MEDAL TO POPE JOHN PAUL II

R E P O R T

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING,

AND URBAN AFFAIRS

UNITED STATES SENATE

TO ACCOMPANY

S. 2453

JULY 24 (legislative day, JULY 21), 2000.—Ordered to be printed

(II)

COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS

PHIL GRAMM, Texas, Chairman

RICHARD C. SHELBY, Alabama

CONNIE MACK, Florida

ROBERT F. BENNETT, Utah

ROD GRAMS, Minnesota

WAYNE ALLARD, Colorado

MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming

CHUCK HAGEL, Nebraska

RICK SANTORUM, Pennsylvania

JIM BUNNING, Kentucky

MIKE CRAPO, Idaho

PAUL S. SARBANES, Maryland

CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut

JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts

RICHARD H. BRYAN, Nevada

TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota

JACK REED, Rhode Island

CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York

EVAN BAYH, Indiana

JOHN EDWARDS, North Carolina

WAYNE A. ABERNATHY, Staff Director

STEVEN B. HARRIS, Democratic Staff Director and Chief Counsel

MADELYN SIMMONS, Professional Staff

ERIN HANSEN, Democratic Legislative Assistant

GEORGE E. WHITTLE, Editor

(II)

C O N T E N T S

Page

Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1

History of the Legislation ....................................................................................... 1

Purpose and Scope ................................................................................................... 2

Section-by-Section Analysis .................................................................................... 2

Section 1. Findings ........................................................................................... 2

Section 2. Congressional Gold Medal .............................................................. 3

Section 3. Duplicate Medals ............................................................................ 3

Section 4. National Medals .............................................................................. 3

Section 5. Funding and Proceeds of Sale ........................................................ 3

Regulatory Impact Statement ................................................................................. 3

Cost of Legislation ................................................................................................... 3

Changes in Existing Law (Cordon Rule) ................................................................ 4

(III)

Calendar No. 707

106TH CONGRESS REPORT

2d Session " ! SENATE 106–356

AWARDING A CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO POPE

JOHN PAUL II

JULY 24 (legislative day, JULY 21), 2000.—Ordered to be printed

Mr. GRAMM, from the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban

Affairs, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany S. 2453]

The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs to

which was referred the bill (S. 2453) to provide for a gold medal

to be presented on behalf of the Congress to Pope John Paul II,

having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without

amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.

INTRODUCTION

On July 13, 2000, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing,

and Urban Affairs met in legislative session and marked up and

ordered to be reported S. 2453, a bill to provide for the award of

a gold medal on behalf of the Congress to Pope John Paul II without amendment. The Committee’s action was taken by a voice vote.

HISTORY OF THE LEGISLATION

The Act to award a Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of the

Congress to Pope John Paul II in recognition of his outstanding

and enduring contributions to humanity and for other purposes, S.

2453, was introduced on April 13, 2000, by Senator Sam

Brownback. Senators Abraham, Allard, Ashcroft, Bingaman,

Breaux, Bunning, Burns, Campbell, Chafee, Collins, Conrad,

Coverdell, Craig, Crapo, Daschle, DeWine, Durbin, Dodd, Domenici,

Edwards, Enzi, Feinstein, Frist, Fitzgerald, Grams, Grassley,

Gregg, Hagel, Helms, Hollings, Hutchinson, Hutchison, Inhofe,

Inouye, Johnson, Kennedy, Kerrey, Kerry, Landrieu, Leahy,

Lieberman, Levin, Lott, Mack, McCain, McConnell, Mikulski, Moynihan, Murkowski, Murray, Roberts, Roth, Santorum, Schumer,

Sessions, Shelby, Smith of New Hampshire, Smith of Oregon,

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1P.L. 104–52, the Treasury Department Appropriation Act for Fiscal Year 1996 consolidated

the numismatic and circulating coin operations of the United States Mint into one revolving

fund, the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund. This made the Mint’s sole source of funding it’s revenue-generating programs rather than an annual appropriation.

Snowe, Specter, Stevens, Thomas, Torricelli, Voinovich, and Warner were original cosponsors.

S. 2459 has two purposes: first, to strike and present a gold

medal for presentation on behalf of the Congress to Pope John Paul

II, and second, to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal

struck under this Act in an amount sufficient to cover the costs of

the medals and the cost of the gold medal.

There were no Committee hearings held on S. 2453. At the Committee mark up on July 13, no amendments were offered to S.

2453.

PURPOSE AND SCOPE

The bill reported by the Committee authorizes the Secretary to

strike a gold medal for presentation to Pope John Paul II, in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to humanity, and for other purposes. The design of the gold medal shall have

suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by

the Secretary. The Speaker of the House of Representatives and

the President Pro Tempore of the Senate are authorized to award

a gold medal of appropriate design to Pope John Paul II.

Duplicate medals made of bronze will also be struck and sold to

the public at the direction of the Secretary. The price of the bronze

medals shall be sufficient to cover the cost of the bronze medals

(including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead

expenses) and the cost of the gold medal.

The bill authorizes the appropriation of no more than $30,000 to

pay for the cost of the medals struck under this Act. This appropriation is to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.1 Amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze

medals under this Act shall be deposited into the United States

Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Findings

Section 1 provides for Congressional findings. The Congress finds

that Pope John Paul II, having transcended the bounds of religion,

race, and political thought, has been a formidable champion,

uniter, and defender in the world’s struggle for peace and basic

human rights; having witnessed firsthand the inequities and brutal

inhumanity of the tyranny of communism; Pope John Paul II has

remained a tireless crusader against such inequities and inhumanity; the forceful vision and leading example of Pope John Paul

II have become a paradigm of hope for our Nation and our Nation’s

children, while the Pope’s fierce resolve to his ideals continues to

map the way for our ever-changing world; Pope John Paul II has

changed the lives of billions of people across the globe; and it is

only appropriate for Congress to formalize its recognition and appreciation by awarding Pope John Paul II the Congressional Gold

Medal.

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2While there is no statutory definition for ‘‘national medals,’’ the medals honor those events

that have contributed to, and advanced the history of the country, or those persons whose superior deeds and achievements have embellished our history or who are representative of the finest accomplishments in service to the Nation.

Section 2. Congressional Gold Medal

Section 2 provides for the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to award, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal of appropriate design to Pope

John Paul II. This section also provides for the Secretary to include

suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, as the Secretary determines, in the design of the gold medal.

Section 3. Duplicate medals

Section 3 provides for the Secretary, under such regulations as

the Secretary may prescribe, to strike and sell duplicate medals in

bronze of the gold medal authorized by this Act. The price of the

bronze medals will be determined as to be sufficient to cover the

cost of the bronze medals and the gold medal.

Section 4. National medals

Section 4 authorizes that the medals struck under this Act are

national medals for purposes of Chapter 51 of title 31, United

States Code. 2

Section 5. Funding and proceeds of sale

Section 5 authorizes that no more than $30,000 to pay for the

cost of the medals authorized by this Act, shall be charged against

the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund. In addition, the

proceeds from the sale of duplicate bronze medals shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 11(b), of the Standing Rules

of the Senate, the Committee has evaluated the regulatory impact

of the bill and concludes that it will not increase the net regulatory

burden imposed on the Government.

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

U.S. CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, Washington, DC, July 21, 2000.

Hon. PHIL GRAMM,

Chairman, Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs,

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 2453, a bill to authorize the

President to award a gold medal on behalf of Congress to Pope

John Paul II in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to humanity, and for other purposes.

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is John R. Righter.

Sincerely.

STEVEN LIEBERMAN

(For Dan L. Crippen, Director).

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Enclosure.

S. 2453—A bill to authorize the President to award a gold medal

on behalf of Congress to Pope John Paul II in recognition of his

outstanding and enduring contributions to humanity, and for

other purposes

S. 2453 would authorize the President to present a gold medal

to Pope John Paul II, spiritual leader of the Catholic church, on behalf of the Congress. To help recover the costs of the gold medal,

which would be financed from the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise

Fund, S. 2453 would authorize the Mint to strike and sell bronze

duplicates of the medal at a price that covers production costs for

both the medal and the duplicates.

Based on the costs of recent medals produced by the Mint, CBO

estimates that enacting S. 2453 would not significantly affect direct

spending. CBO estimates that the gold medal would cost about

$35,000 to produce over fiscal years 2000 and 2001, including

around $5,000 for the cost of the gold and around $30,000 for the

costs to design, engrave, and manufacture the medal. CBO expects

that the Mint would recoup at least some of its costs by selling

bronze duplicates to the public.

Because the bill would affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures would apply. S. 2453 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform

Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.

The CBO staff contact is John R. Righter. This estimate was approved by Robert A. Sunshine, Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW (CORDON RULE)

In the opinion of the Committee, it is necessary to dispense with

the requirements of paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing

Rules of the Senate in order to expedite the business of the Senate.

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