I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1932

To authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf of the Congress

to Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, in recognition of his outstanding

and enduring contributions to civil rights, higher education, the Catholic

Church, the Nation, and the global community.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 25, 1999

Mr. ROEMER (for himself, Mr. KING, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. VISCLOSKY,

Mr. SOUDER, Mrs. NORTHUP, Mr. BLILEY, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. CLAY,

Mr. CUMMINGS, Ms. DANNER, Mr. DELAY, Mr. FROST, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. HOLDEN, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KENNEDY of

Rhode Island, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. LAFALCE, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. MARTINEZ, Mr. MCINNIS, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. PASTOR, Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO ́, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr.

QUINN, Mr. SANDLIN, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr.

UNDERWOOD, Mr. TRAFICANT, Mr. WALSH, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr.

HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. PICKERING, Mr. KIND,

Mr. FOSSELLA, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. WAMP, Mr. GORDON, Mr.

CUNNINGHAM, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. HILL of Indiana, Mr. WYNN, Mr.

MOORE, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. POMEROY, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. DOOLEY of California, Mrs. THURMAN, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. TANNER, Mr. COSTELLO, Mr.

GREEN of Texas, Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon, Mr. BONIOR, Mr. SNYDER, Mr.

WU, Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin, Mr. LARSON, Mr. MALONEY of Connecticut, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. TURNER, Mr. SCOTT, Mrs.

CLAYTON, Mr. HILLIARD, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. ABERCROMBIE,

Mr. HOYER, Mr. SISISKY, Mr. SKELTON, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. DOYLE, Mrs.

CAPPS, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. GILMAN,

and Mr. MASCARA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to

the Committee on Banking and Financial Services

A BILL

To authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf
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of the Congress to Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, in

recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions

to civil rights, higher education, the Catholic Church,

the Nation, and the global community.

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 ‘‘Father Theodore M.

5 Hesburgh Congressional Gold Medal Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 The Congress finds that—

8 (1) Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., has

9 made outstanding and enduring contributions to

10 American society through his activities in civil

11 rights, higher education, the Catholic Church, the

12 Nation, and the global community;

13 (2) Father Hesburgh was a charter member of

14 the United States Commission on Civil Rights from

15 its creation in 1957 and served as chairperson of the

16 Commission from 1969 to 1972;

17 (3) Father Hesburgh was president of the Uni18 versity of Notre Dame from 1952 until 1987, and

19 has been president emeritus since 1987;

20 (4) Father Hesburgh is a national and inter21 national leader in higher education;
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1 (5) Father Hesburgh has been honored with the

2 Elizabeth Ann Seton Award from the National

3 Catholic Education Association and with more than

4 130 honorary degrees;

5 (6) Father Hesburgh served as co-chairperson

6 of the nationally influential Knight Commission on

7 Intercollegiate Athletics and as chairperson, from

8 1994 to 1996, of the Board of Overseers of Harvard

9 University;

10 (7) Father Hesburgh served under President

11 Ford as a member of the Presidential Clemency

12 Board, charged with deciding the fates of persons

13 committing offenses during the Vietnam conflict;

14 (8) Father Hesburgh served as chairman of the

15 board of the Overseas Development Council and in

16 that capacity led fundraising efforts that averted

17 mass starvation in Cambodia in 1979 and 1980;

18 (9) Father Hesburgh served from 1979 to 1981

19 as chairperson of the Select Commission on Immi20 gration and Refugee Policy, which made rec21 ommendations that served as the basis of congres22 sional reform legislation enacted 5 years later;

23 (10) Father Hesburgh served as ambassador to

24 the 1979 United Nations Conference on Science and

25 Technology for Development; and
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1 (11) Father Hesburgh has served the Catholic

2 Church in a variety of capacities, including his serv3 ice from 1956 to 1970 as the permanent Vatican

4 representative to the International Atomic Energy

5 Agency in Vienna and his service as a member of

6 the Holy See’s delegation to the United Nations.

7 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

8 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The President is

9 authorized to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold

10 medal of appropriate design to Father Theodore M.

11 Hesburgh in recognition of his outstanding and enduring

12 contributions to civil rights, higher education, the Catholic

13 Church, the Nation, and the global community.

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

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

16 of the Treasury (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec17 retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems,

18 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec19 retary.

20 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

21 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in

22 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3

23 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at

24 a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor,
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1 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses,

2 and the cost of the gold medal.

3 SEC. 5. NATIONAL MEDALS.

4 The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national

5 medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United

6 States Code.

7 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS

8 OF SALE.

9 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is

10 authorized to be charged against the Numismatic Public

11 Enterprise Fund an amount not to exceed $30,000 to pay

12 for the cost of the medal authorized by this Act.

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

14 sales of duplicate bronze medals under section 4 shall be

15 deposited in the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.

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