[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1821 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1821
To award a congressional gold medal to Dr. Dorothy Height in
recognition of her many contributions to the Nation.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 11, 2003
Ms. Watson (for herself, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Alexander,
Mr. Allen, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Baca, Mr. Baker, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Ballance,
Mr. Becerra, Mr. Bell, Mr. Bereuter, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Berman, Mr.
Berry, Mrs. Biggert, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Bishop of New York, Mr.
Blumenauer, Mrs. Bono, Mr. Boswell, Mr. Boyd, Mr. Brady of
Pennsylvania, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr.
Camp, Mrs. Capito, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Cardoza,
Mr. Carson of Oklahoma, Ms. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Case, Mrs.
Christensen, Mr. Clay, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Cooper, Mr.
Costello, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Crane, Mr. Crowley, Mrs. Cubin, Mr. Cummings,
Mr. Cunningham, Mr. Davis of Alabama, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Davis
of Florida, Mrs. Jo Ann Davis of Virginia, Mr. Davis of Tennessee, Mrs.
Davis of California, Mr. DeFazio, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Delahunt, Ms.
DeLauro, Mr. Deutsch, Mr. Dicks, Mr. Dingell, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Dooley
of California, Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Dreier, Mr. Duncan, Ms.
Dunn, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Emanuel, Mrs. Emerson, Mr. Engel, Ms. Eshoo, Mr.
Etheridge, Mr. Evans, Mr. Everett, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Farr, Mr.
Fattah, Mr. Filner, Mr. Ford, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Frost,
Mr. Gephardt, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Gordon, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr.
Grijalva, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Gutknecht, Mr. Hall, Ms. Harman, Ms. Hart,
Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Hefley, Mr. Herger, Mr. Hill, Mr. Hinchey,
Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Hoeffel, Mr. Holden, Mr. Holt, Mr. Honda, Ms. Hooley
of Oregon, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Hyde, Mr. Inslee, Mr. Israel, Mr. Issa, Mr.
Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Jefferson, Ms. Eddie
Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mrs. Johnson of Connecticut, Mrs. Jones of
Ohio, Mr. Jones of North Carolina, Mr. Kanjorski, Ms. Kaptur, Mrs.
Kelly, Mr. Kennedy of Rhode Island, Mr. Kildee, Ms. Kilpatrick, Mr.
Kind, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Kleczka, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Lampson, Mr. Langevin,
Mr. LaHood, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. LaTourette, Ms.
Lee, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lewis of California, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr.
Lipinski, Ms. Lofgren, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Lucas of Kentucky, Mr. Lynch,
Ms. Majette, Mrs. Maloney, Mr. Markey, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Matheson, Mr.
Matsui, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Ms. McCarthy of Missouri, Ms.
McCollum, Mr. McCrery, Mr. McDermott, Mr. McGovern, Mr. McNulty, Mr.
Meehan, Mr. Meeks of New York, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Mica, Ms. Millender-
McDonald, Mr. Miller of North Carolina, Mr. George Miller of
California, Mr. Mollohan, Mr. Moore, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. Murtha,
Mr. Nadler, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Neal of Massachusetts, Ms. Norton, Mr.
Oberstar, Mr. Obey, Mr. Olver, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Owens, Mr. Pallone, Mr.
Pascrell, Mr. Pastor, Mr. Payne, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Peterson of Minnesota,
Mr. Petri, Mr. Pickering, Mr. Pombo, Mr. Pomeroy, Mr. Portman, Mr.
Price of North Carolina, Mr. Rahall, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Reyes, Mr.
Rodriguez, Mr. Rogers of Michigan, Mr. Rohrabacher, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen,
Mr. Ross, Mr. Rothman, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Royce, Mr. Rush, Mr. Ryan
of Wisconsin, Mr. Sabo, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California, Ms. Loretta
Sanchez of California, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Sandlin, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr.
Schiff, Mr. Schrock, Mr. Scott of Georgia, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr.
Serrano, Mr. Shays, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Shimkus, Mr. Shuster, Mr. Simmons,
Mr. Skelton, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Smith of
Texas, Mr. Smith of Michigan, Mr. Snyder, Ms. Solis, Mr. Spratt, Mr.
Stark, Mr. Stenholm, Mr. Strickland, Mr. Stupak, Mr. Tanner, Mrs.
Tauscher, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Thompson of California, Mr.
Tierney, Mr. Towns, Mr. Turner of Texas, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr.
Udall of New Mexico, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Visclosky, Mr.
Walden of Oregon, Mr. Wamp, Ms. Waters, Mr. Watt, Mr. Waxman, Mr.
Weiner, Mr. Weldon of Pennsylvania, Mr. Weller, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Wilson
of South Carolina, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Wu, Mr. Wynn, and Mr. Young of
Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To award a congressional gold medal to Dr. Dorothy Height in
recognition of her many contributions to the Nation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Dr. Dorothy Irene Height was born March 24, 1912, to
James Edward Height and Fannie (Borroughs) Height in Richmond,
Virginia and raised in Rankin, Pennsylvania.
(2) Dr. Height is recognized as one of the preeminent
social and civil rights activists of her time, particularly in
the struggle for equality, social justice, and human rights for
all peoples.
(3) Beginning as a civil rights advocate in the 1930s, she
soon gained prominence through her tireless efforts to promote
interracial schooling, to register and educate voters, and to
increase the visibility and status of women in our society.
(4) She has labored to provide hope for inner-city children
and their families, and she can claim responsibility for many
of the advances made by women and African-Americans over the
course of this century.
(5) Her public career spans over 65 years.
(6) Dr. Height was a valued consultant on human and civil
rights issues to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and she
encouraged President Eisenhower to desegregate the Nation's
schools and President Johnson to appoint African-American women
to sub-Cabinet posts.
(7) Dr. Height has been President of the National Council
of Negro Women (NCNW) since 1957, a position to which she was
appointed upon the retirement of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, one
of the most influential African-American women in United States
history.
(8) The National Council of Negro Women is currently the
umbrella organization for 250 local groups and 38 national
groups engaged in economic development and women's issues.
(9) Under Dr. Height's leadership, the National Council of
Negro Women implemented a number of new and innovative programs
and initiatives, including the following:
(A) Operation Woman Power, a project to expand
business ownership by women and to provide funds for
vocational training.
(B) Leadership training for African-American women
in the rural South.
(C) The Black Family Reunion, a nationwide annual
gathering to encourage, renew and celebrate the concept
of not only the Black family but all families.
(D) The Women's Center for Education and Career
Advancement to empower minority women in nontraditional
careers.
(E) The Bethune Museum and Archives, a museum
devoted to African-American women's history.
(10) Dr. Height has been at the forefront of AIDS
education, both nationally and internationally; under her
direction, the National Council of Negro Women established
offices in West Africa and South Africa and worked to improve
the conditions of women in the developing world.
(11) Dr. Height has been central in the success of 2 other
influential women's organizations, as follows:
(A) As president and executive board member of
Delta Sigma Theta, Dr. Height left the sorority more
efficient and globally focused with a centralized
headquarters.
(B) Her work with the Young Women's Christian
Association (YWCA) led to its integration and more
active participation in the civil rights movement.
(12) As a member of the ``Big Six'' civil rights leaders
with Whitney Young, A. Phillip Randolph, Martin Luther King,
Jr., James Farmer, and Roy Wilkins, Dr. Height was the only
female at the table when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
and others made plans for the civil rights movement.
(13) Dr. Height is the recipient of many awards and
accolades for her efforts on behalf of women's rights,
including the following:
(A) The Spingarn Award, the NAACP's highest honor
for civil rights contributions.
(B) The Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by
President Clinton.
(C) The John F. Kennedy Memorial Award from the
National Council of Jewish Women.
(D) The Ministerial Interfaith Association Award
for her contributions to interfaith, interracial, and
ecumenical movements for over 30 years;
(E) The Lovejoy Award, the highest recognition by
the Grand Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks of the World for outstanding contributions to
human relations.
(F) The Ladies Home Journal Woman of the Year Award
in recognition for her work for human rights.
(G) The William L. Dawson Award presented by the
Congressional Black Caucus for decades of public
service to people of color and particularly women.
(H) The Citizens Medal Award for distinguished
service presented by President Reagan.
(I) The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Freedom Medal
awarded by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt
Institute.
(14) Dr. Dorothy Height has established a lasting legacy of
public service that has been an invaluable contribution to the
progress of this Nation.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall make
appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of the
Congress, to Dr. Dorothy Irene Height a gold medal of appropriate
design in recognition of her many contributions to the Nation.
(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 medals
struck under section 2 at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the
medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses.
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. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--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 medal
authorized under section 2.
(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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