[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1266 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1266

     To award a congressional gold medal to Dr. Dorothy Height, in 
          recognition of her many contributions to the Nation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 13, 2003

Mrs. Clinton (for herself, Mr. Levin, Mr. Reid, Mr. Kerry, Ms. Collins, 
 Ms. Landrieu, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Pryor, Mr. 
Corzine, Mr. Lautenberg, and Mr. Hatch) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
                           and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) Dr. Dorothy Irene Height was born on March 24, 1912, to 
        James Edward Height and Fannie (Borroughs) Height in Richmond, 
        Virginia, and was 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) Dr. Height has labored to provide hope for inner-city 
        children and their families, and she is responsible for many of 
        the advances made by women and African Americans over the 
        course of the last 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 subCabinet 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--
                    (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 of all 
                families;
                    (D) the Women's Center for Education and Career 
                Advancement, established to empower minority women in 
                nontraditional careers; and
                    (E) the Bethune Museum and Archives, a museum 
                devoted to the history of African-American women;
            (10) Dr. Height has been at the forefront of AIDS 
        education, both nationally and internationally, and 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, specifically--
                    (A) as president and executive board member of 
                Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Dr. Height left the 
                sorority more efficient and globally focused with a 
                centralized headquarters; and
                    (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) Dr. Height was the only female member of the ``Big 
        Six'' civil rights leaders, which included Whitney Young, A. 
        Phillip Randolph, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 
        James Farmer, and Roy Wilkins, while strategies were developed 
        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--
                    (A) the Spingarn Award, the highest honor bestowed 
                by the National Association for the Advancement of 
                Colored People (NAACP) 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; and
                    (I) the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Freedom Medal, 
                awarded by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt 
                Institute; and
            (14) Dr. Dorothy Height has established a lasting legacy of 
        public service that has been an invaluable contribution to the 
        progress of the Nation.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized to 
present, on behalf of 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 purpose of the presentation referred 
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (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, and 
overhead expenses.

SEC. 4. 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. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--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 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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