[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2453 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2453

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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 13, 2000

  Mr. Brownback (for himself, Mr. Abraham Mr. Akaka, Mr. Allard, Mr. 
    Ashcroft, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Breaux, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Burns, Mr. 
 Campbell, Mr. L. Chafee, Ms. Collins, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Coverdell, Mr. 
 Craig, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Daschle, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Dodd, Mr. 
    Domenici, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Enzi, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Frist, Mr. 
 Fitzgerald, Mr. Grams, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Helms, 
 Mr. Hollings, Mr. Hutchinson, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Inouye, 
  Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kerrey, Mr. Kerry, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. 
 Leahy, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lott, Mr. Mack, Mr. McCain, Mr. 
McConnell, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Moynihan, Mr. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. 
Roberts, Mr. Roth, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Shelby, 
    Mr. Smith of New Hampshire, Mr. Smith of Oregon, Ms. Snowe, Mr. 
 Specter, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Torricelli, Mr. Voinovich, and 
  Mr. Warner) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
    referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) 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.
            (2) 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.
            (3) 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.
            (4) Pope John Paul II has changed the lives of billions of 
        people across the globe.
            (5) It is only appropriate for Congress to formalize its 
        recognition and appreciation by awarding Pope John Paul II the 
        Congressional Gold Medal.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House and the 
President pro tempore of the Senate are authorized to award to Pope 
John Paul II, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal of appropriate design 
honoring Pope John Paul II in recognition of his outstanding and 
enduring contributions to humanity.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award 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.

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

SEC. 4. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS.

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

SEC. 5. FUNDING.

    (a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is 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.
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