[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1027 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1027

    To provide for the award of a gold medal on behalf of Congress 
 posthumously to Father Mychal Judge, O.F.M., beloved Chaplain of the 
   Fire Department of New York who passed away as the first recorded 
victim of the September 11, 2001, attacks in recognition of his example 
 to the Nation of selfless dedication to duty and compassion for one's 
                            fellow citizens.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 10, 2011

  Mr. Weiner (for himself, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Bishop of New York, Mr. 
 Crowley, Mr. Engel, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Israel, Mr. King of 
  New York, Mrs. Lowey, Mrs. Maloney, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Mr. 
 Meeks, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Owens, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Tonko, Ms. 
 Slaughter, Ms. Hayworth, Mr. Gibson, Mr. Grimm, Mr. Hanna, Mr. Towns, 
  Ms. Velazquez, and Ms. Clarke of New York) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To provide for the award of a gold medal on behalf of Congress 
 posthumously to Father Mychal Judge, O.F.M., beloved Chaplain of the 
   Fire Department of New York who passed away as the first recorded 
victim of the September 11, 2001, attacks in recognition of his example 
 to the Nation of selfless dedication to duty and compassion for one's 
                            fellow citizens.

    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 ``Father Mychal Judge, O.F.M., 
Congressional Gold Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Father Mychal Judge, O.F.M., beloved Chaplain of the 
        Fire Department of New York passed away as the first recorded 
        victim of the September 11, 2001, after courageously rushing to 
        the World Trade Center to support, console, and administer last 
        rites to the victims of the attacks.
            (2) A native of Brooklyn, New York, Judge was born on May 
        11, 1933, to Irish Catholic immigrants from County Leitrim.
            (3) After his father died of a long illness when Judge was 
        6 years old, Judge took odd jobs and shined shoes at Penn 
        Station to help support his mother and 2 sisters.
            (4) Responding to his strong spiritual calling, Judge 
        entered the Franciscans in 1954.
            (5) He trained at 4 seminaries in New York, New Jersey, New 
        Hampshire, and the District of Columbia and was ordained a 
        Priest of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor in 1961.
            (6) From 1961 to 1986, Father Judge served at St. Anthony's 
        Shrine in Boston, Massachusetts, St. Joseph's in East 
        Rutherford, New Jersey, Sacred Heart in Rochelle Park, New 
        Jersey, Siena College in Loudonville, New York, and as pastor 
        at St. Joseph's in West Milford, New Jersey.
            (7) In 1986, Father Judge was assigned to the Monastery of 
        St. Francis of Assisi Church on West 31st Street, New York, 
        where he served until his death in 2001.
            (8) Known for his tremendous capacity for compassion, Judge 
        was beloved by the firefighters and by the city he served.
            (9) Judge would daily send notes or make telephone calls to 
        recognize birthdays, anniversaries, and other significant dates 
        in the lives of the people he knew.
            (10) In 1994, Father Mychal Judge, O.F.M., was named as one 
        of the chaplains for the New York Fire Department serving the 
        boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island.
            (11) Father Judge was also well known for ministering to 
        those often alienated by the Church, including the homeless, 
        immigrants, recovering alcoholics, gays and lesbians, and 
        people with AIDS.
            (12) In the early 1980s, Judge was also one of the first 
        clergymen to minister to gay men with AIDS, their partners, and 
        their families.
            (13) Father Mychal Judge's funeral was held on September 
        15, 2001.
            (14) Cardinal Edward Egan presided over a Mass of 3,000 
        people, including city officials, President Bill Clinton, and 
        Secretary Hillary Clinton, who called Judge a ``bearer of 
        light'' and noted his death as a special loss.

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 presentation, on behalf of the 
Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to the next of kin or 
personal representative of Father Mychal Judge, O.F.M., in recognition 
of his example to the Nation of selfless dedication to duty and 
compassion for one's fellow citizens.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the presentation 
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions to 
be determined by the Secretary.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    Under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may 
prescribe, the Secretary may strike duplicate medals in bronze of the 
gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 and sell such duplicate medals 
at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the duplicate medals 
(including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses) 
and the cost of the gold medal.

SEC. 5. NATIONAL MEDALS.

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

SEC. 6. FUNDING.

    (a) Authorization of Charges.--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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