II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2562 

To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Alice Paul in recognition of her role in the women’s suffrage movement and in advancing 

equal rights for women. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 15, 2018 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself and Ms. COLLINS) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Alice 

Paul in recognition of her role in the women’s suffrage 

movement and in advancing equal rights for women. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Alice Paul Congres5 sional Gold Medal Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds that— 


amozie on DSK30RV082PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 2562 IS

1 (1) Alice Paul was born on January 11, 1885, 

2 in Mount Laurel, New Jersey and died on July 9, 

3 1977; 

4 (2) Alice Paul dedicated her life to securing suf5 frage and equal rights for all women and, as founder 

6 of the National Woman’s Party, she was instru7 mental in the passage of the 19th Amendment to the 

8 Constitution of the United States; 

9 (3) Alice Paul and the National Woman’s Party 

10 were the first group ever to picket the White House; 

11 (4) while President Woodrow Wilson trumpeted 

12 democracy abroad during World War I, Alice Paul 

13 was dedicated to reminding the President that not 

14 all people in the United States enjoyed democracy; 

15 (5) Alice Paul used nonviolent civil disobedience 

16 to bring attention to the women’s suffrage move17 ment in the United States such as the hunger strike 

18 she undertook when she was sentenced to jail in Oc19 tober 1917, for her demonstrations; 

20 (6) Alice Paul’s courage inspired thousands of 

21 women to join the women’s suffrage movement; 

22 (7) instead of patiently waiting for States to 

23 grant women suffrage, Alice Paul mobilized an en24 tire generation of women to pressure the United 


amozie on DSK30RV082PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 2562 IS

1 States Congress and the President to give all women 

2 in the United States the right to vote; 

3 (8) Alice Paul did not stop her fight after the 

4 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United 

5 States was ratified; 

6 (9) Alice Paul drafted the Equal Rights 

7 Amendment to the Constitution of the United States 

8 in 1923 and fought tirelessly for its passage until 

9 her death 54 years later; 

10 (10) Alice Paul lobbied Congress to include 

11 gender in civil rights bills and was successful in in12 cluding sex discrimination in title VII of the Civil 

13 Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.); 

14 (11) Alice Paul sought equal rights for women 

15 all over the world, not just those in the United 

16 States and, as a means of pursuing this goal, found17 ed the World Party for Equal Rights for Women in 

18 the 1930s; 

19 (12) Alice Paul was instrumental in the place20 ment of a passage on gender equality in the pre21 amble of the United Nations Charter; 

22 (13) few people have played a greater role in 

23 shaping the history of the United States than Alice 

24 Paul; and 


amozie on DSK30RV082PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 2562 IS

1 (14) Alice Paul is an example to all people in 

2 the United States of what one person can do to 

3 make a difference for millions of people. 

4 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

5 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 

6 the House of Representatives and the President pro tem7 pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 

8 for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, 

9 of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration 

10 of Alice Paul, in recognition of her role in the women’s 

11 suffrage movement, and in advancing equal rights for 

12 women. 

13 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 

14 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 

15 of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 

16 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable em17 blems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the 

18 Secretary. 

19 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

20 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

21 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 

22 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at 

23 a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 

24 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, 

25 and the cost of the gold medal. 


amozie on DSK30RV082PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 2562 IS

1 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

2 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medal struck pursuant 

3 to this Act is a national medal for purposes of chapter 

4 51 of title 31, United States Code. 

5 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 

6 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

7 under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 

8 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 

9 SALE. 

10 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 

11 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

12 Public Enterprise Fund, such amounts as may be nec13 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant 

14 to this Act. 

15 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 

16 sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 

17 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 

18 Enterprise Fund. 

Æ 


amozie on DSK30RV082PROD with BILLS