[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 991 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 991
To authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf of the
Congress to Andrew Jackson Higgins (posthumously), and to the D-day
Museum in recognition of the contributions of Higgins Industries and
the more than 30,000 employees of Higgins Industries to the Nation and
to world peace during World War II.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 6, 2001
Ms. Landrieu (for herself, Mr. Breaux, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Durbin, Mr.
Feingold, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Murkowski, and Mr. Sessions) 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 the
Congress to Andrew Jackson Higgins (posthumously), and to the D-day
Museum in recognition of the contributions of Higgins Industries and
the more than 30,000 employees of Higgins Industries to the Nation and
to world peace during World War II.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Andrew Jackson Higgins Gold Medal
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) Andrew Jackson Higgins was born on August 28, 1886, in
Columbus, Nebraska, moved to New Orleans in 1910, and formed
Higgins Industries on September 26, 1930;
(2) Andrew Jackson Higgins designed, engineered, and
produced the ``Eureka'', a unique shallow draft boat, the
design of which evolved during World War II into 2 basic
classes of military craft, high speed PT boats, and types of
Higgins landing craft (LCPs, LCPLs, LCVPs, LCMs and LCSs);
(3) Andrew Jackson Higgins designed, engineered, and
constructed 4 major assembly line plants in New Orleans for
mass production of Higgins landing craft, and other vessels
vital to the Allied Forces' conduct of World War II;
(4) Andrew Jackson Higgins bought the entire 1940
Philippine mahogany crop and other material purely at risk
without a Government contract, anticipating that America would
join World War II and that Higgins Industries would need the
wood to build landing craft, and Higgins also bought steel,
engines, and other material necessary to construct landing
craft;
(5) Andrew Jackson Higgins, through Higgins Industries,
employed a fully integrated assembly line work force, black and
white, male and female, of up to 30,000 during World War II,
with equal pay for equal work;
(6) in 1939, the United States Navy had a total of 18
landing craft in the fleet;
(7) from November 18, 1940, when Higgins Industries was
awarded its first contract for Higgins landing craft until the
conclusion of the war, the employees of Higgins Industries
produced 12,300 Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP's) and
nearly 8,000 other landing craft of all types;
(8) during World War II, Higgins Industries employees
produced 20,094 boats, including landing craft and Patrol
Torpedo boats, and trained 30,000 Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard
personnel on the safe operation of landing craft at the
Higgins' Boat Operators School;
(9) on Thanksgiving Day 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower
stated in an address to the Nation, ``Let us thank God for
Higgins Industries, management, and labor which has given us
the landing boats with which to conduct our campaign.'';
(10) Higgins landing craft, constructed of wood and steel,
transported fully armed troops, light tanks, field artillery,
and other mechanized equipment essential to amphibious
operations;
(11) Higgins landing craft made the amphibious assault on
D-day and the landings at Leyte, North Africa, Guadalcanal,
Sicily, Iwo Jima, Tarawa, Guam, and thousands of less well-
known assaults possible;
(12) Captain R.R.M. Emmett, a commander at the North Africa
amphibious landing, and later commandant of the Great Lakes
Training Station, wrote during the war, ``When the history of
this war is finally written by historians, far enough removed
from its present turmoil and clamor to be cool and impartial, I
predict that they will place Mr. (Andrew Jackson) Higgins very
high on the list of those who deserve the commendation and
gratitude of all citizens.''; and
(13) in 1964, President Dwight D. Eisenhower told historian
Steven Ambrose, ``He (Higgins) is the man who won the war for
us. If Higgins had not developed and produced those landing
craft, we never could have gone in over an open beach. We would
have had to change the entire strategy of the war.''.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--
(1) In general.--The President is authorized, on behalf of
Congress, to award a gold medal of appropriate design to--
(A) the family of Andrew Jackson Higgins, honoring
Andrew Jackson Higgins (posthumously) for his
contributions to the Nation and world peace; and
(B) the D-day Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, for
public display, honoring Andrew Jackson Higgins
(posthumously) and the employees of Higgins Industries
for their contributions to the Nation and world peace.
(2) Modalities.--The modalities of presentation of the
medals under this Act shall be determined by the President,
after consultation with the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, the
Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the
House of Representatives.
(b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (in this Act
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike 2 gold medals with
suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the
Secretary.
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold
medals struck under this Act, 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. 5. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS.
The medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes
of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(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 $60,000 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 4 shall be deposited in the United States
Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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