[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 311 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 311

   To posthumously award a Congressional gold medal to Alice Paul in 
    recognition of her role in the women's suffrage movement and in 
                   advancing equal rights for women.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 25, 2005

  Mr. Baca (for himself, Mr. McDermott, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of 
Texas, Mr. Evans, Mr. George Miller of California, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. 
   Carson, and Ms. DeLauro) introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To posthumously award a Congressional gold medal to Alice Paul in 
    recognition of her role in the women's suffrage movement and in 
                   advancing equal rights for women.

    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 ``Alice Paul Congressional Gold Medal 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Alice Paul was born on January, 11, 1885, in Moorestown 
        New Jersey, and died on July 9, 1977.
            (2) Alice Paul dedicated her life to securing suffrage and 
        equal rights for all women and, as founder of the National 
        Woman's Party, she was instrumental in the passage of the 19th 
        Amendment to the United States Constitution.
            (3) Alice Paul and the National Woman's Party were the 
        first group ever to picket the White House.
            (4) While President Woodrow Wilson trumpeted America's 
        values of democracy abroad during World War I, Alice Paul was 
        dedicated to reminding the President that not all Americans 
        enjoyed democracy at home.
            (5) Alice Paul used nonviolent civil disobedience to bring 
        national attention to the women's suffrage movement, such as 
        the 3-week hunger strike she undertook when she was sentenced 
        to jail in October, 1917, for her demonstrations.
            (6) Alice Paul's courage inspired thousands of women to 
        join the women's suffrage movement.
            (7) Instead of patiently waiting for States to grant women 
        suffrage, Alice Paul mobilized an entire generation of women to 
        pressure the United States Congress and the President to give 
        all women in America the right to vote.
            (8) Alice Paul did not stop her fight after the 19th 
        Amendment was ratified; she drafted the Equal Rights Amendment 
        to the United States Constitution in 1923 and fought tirelessly 
        for its passage until her death 54 years later.
            (9) Alice Paul lobbied Congress to include gender in civil 
        rights bills and was successful in including sex discrimination 
        in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
            (10) Alice Paul sought equal rights for women all over the 
        world, not just Americans and, as a means of pursuing this 
        goal, founded the World Party for Equal Rights for Women in the 
        1930's.
            (11) Alice Paul was instrumental in the placement of a 
        passage on gender equality in the preamble of the United 
        Nations Charter.
            (12) Few people have played a greater role in shaping the 
        history of the United States than Alice Paul.
            (13) Alice Paul is an example to all Americans of what one 
        person can do to make a difference for millions of people.

SEC. 3. 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 posthumous presentation, on behalf of 
the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of 
Alice Paul, in recognition of her role in the women's suffrage movement 
and in advancing equal rights for women.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes 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. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medal struck pursuant to section 3 under such regulations as the 
Secretary may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the cost 
thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold medal.

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    (a) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to this Act are 
national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States 
Code.
    (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 of title 31, 
United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be 
considered to be numismatic items.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

    (a) Authority to Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to be 
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, such 
amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck 
pursuant to this Act.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the 
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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