[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3557 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.3557

                       One Hundred Sixth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
             the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand


                                 An Act


 
   To authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf of the 
     Congress to John Cardinal O'Connor, Archbishop of New York, in 
   recognition of his accomplishments as a priest, a chaplain, and a 
                              humanitarian.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
        (1) His Eminence John Cardinal O'Connor is a man of deep 
    compassion, great intellect, and tireless devotion to both 
    spiritual guidance and humanitarianism.
        (2) John Joseph O'Connor was born on January 15, 1920, in 
    southwest Philadelphia, the son of Thomas J. O'Connor and Mary 
    Gomple O'Connor.
        (3) John Cardinal O'Connor joined the Navy Chaplains Corps in 
    June 1952 during the Korean Conflict, served with elements of both 
    the Navy and the Marine Corps, and saw combat action in Vietnam. He 
    later served as chaplain of the United States Naval Academy and was 
    appointed as Chief of Chaplains of the Navy with the grade of rear 
    admiral, from which position he retired four years later, in May 
    1979. He was ordained a Bishop by Pope John Paul II on May 27, 
    1979. He then served as Vicar General of the Military Ordinariate 
    (now the Archdiocese for the Military Services) until 1984.
        (4) John Cardinal O'Connor became Bishop of Scranton, 
    Pennsylvania, on May 10, 1983, was named Archbishop of the Catholic 
    Archdiocese of New York on January 31, 1984, and was elevated to 
    the rank of Cardinal by Pope John Paul II on May 25, 1985.
        (5) John Cardinal O'Connor has demonstrated an unwavering 
    commitment to public and parochial school education. He has 
    supported and strengthened Catholic schools in their mission to 
    provide a quality education to students of all races, ethnic 
    backgrounds, and religions in the Archdiocese of New York and 
    throughout the Nation.
        (6) John Cardinal O'Connor has provided comfort and care to the 
    sick, the elderly, and the disabled and provided millions of people 
    with spiritual and emotional support. He lead the effort to open 
    New York State's first AIDS-only unit at St. Claire's Hospital, 
    remaining a frequent visitor and volunteer at the hospital.
        (7) Throughout his life, John Cardinal O'Connor has also served 
    on behalf of the poor and the oppressed, as exemplified by his 
    assistance on behalf of famine victims in Ethiopia and victims in 
    war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina.
        (8) Throughout his career, John Cardinal O'Connor has been a 
    strong advocate of interfaith healing and understanding, 
    particularly among individuals of the Catholic and Jewish faiths, 
    and has played a significant role in helping to establish 
    diplomatic ties between the Vatican and Israel.
        (9) John Cardinal O'Connor took the inspiring words of the 
    Declaration of Independence--``Life, Liberty and the pursuit of 
    Happiness''--and transformed them into a statement of purpose. He 
    has dedicated his life's work to protecting and defending these 
    inalienable rights of all people.
        (10) John Cardinal O'Connor celebrated his 80th birthday on 
    January 15, 2000, and has displayed remarkable courage and the true 
    power of his faith in carrying on his life's work in the face of 
    life-threatening illness.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized to 
present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal of appropriate design 
to John Cardinal O'Connor, Archbishop of New York, in recognition of 
his accomplishments as a priest, a soldier, and a humanitarian.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the presentation 
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter 
in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal 
with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by 
the Secretary.

SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the 
Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal 
struck under section 2 at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the 
medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead 
expenses, and the cost of the gold medal.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.

    The medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes 
of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

SEC. 5. FUNDING AND PROCEEDS OF SALE.

    (a) Authorization.--There is hereby authorized to be charged 
against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund an amount not to 
exceed $30,000 to pay for the cost of the medals authorized by this 
Act.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
bronze medals under section 3 shall be deposited in the United States 
Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.