[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1616 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.1616

                     One Hundred Fifteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
          the third day of January, two thousand and seventeen


                                 An Act


 
 To award the Congressional Gold Medal to Bob Dole, in recognition for 
   his service to the nation as a soldier, legislator, and statesman.

    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 ``Bob Dole Congressional Gold Medal 
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
    Congress finds the following:
        (1) Bob Dole was born on July 22, 1923, in Russell, Kansas.
        (2) Growing up during the Great Depression, Bob Dole learned 
    the values of hard work and discipline, and worked at a local drug 
    store.
        (3) In 1941, Bob Dole enrolled at the University of Kansas as a 
    pre-medical student. During his time at KU he played for the 
    basketball, football, and track teams, and joined the Kappa Sigma 
    Fraternity, from which he would receive the ``Man of the Year'' 
    award in 1970.
        (4) Bob Dole's collegiate studies were interrupted by WWII, and 
    he enlisted in the United States Army. During a military offensive 
    in Italy, he was seriously wounded while trying to save a fellow 
    soldier. Despite his grave injuries, Dole recovered and was awarded 
    two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with an Oak Cluster for his 
    service. He also received an American Campaign Medal, a European-
    African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and a World War II Victory 
    Medal.
        (5) While working on his law degree from Washburn University, 
    Bob Dole was elected into the Kansas House of Representatives, 
    serving from 1951-1953.
        (6) Bob Dole was elected into the U.S. House of Representatives 
    and served two Kansas districts from 1961-1969.
        (7) In 1969, Bob Dole was elected into the U.S. Senate and 
    served until 1996. Over the course of this period, he served as 
    Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chairman of the 
    Finance Committee, Senate Minority Leader, and Senate Majority 
    Leader.
        (8) Bob Dole was known for his ability to work across the aisle 
    and embrace practical bipartisanship on issues such as Social 
    Security.
        (9) Bob Dole has been a life-long advocate for the disabled and 
    was a key figure in the passing of the Americans with Disabilities 
    Act in 1990.
        (10) After his appointment as Majority Leader, Bob Dole set the 
    record as the nation's longest-serving Republican Leader in the 
    Senate.
        (11) Several Presidents of the United States have specially 
    honored Bob Dole for his hard work and leadership in the public 
    sector. This recognition is exemplified by the following:
            (A) President Reagan awarded Bob Dole the Presidential 
        Citizens Medal in 1989 stating, ``Whether on the battlefield or 
        Capitol Hill, Senator Dole has served America heroically. 
        Senate Majority Leader during one of the most productive 
        Congresses of recent time, he has also been a friend to 
        veterans, farmers, and Americans from every walk of life. Bob 
        Dole has stood for integrity, straight talk and achievement 
        throughout his years of distinguished public service.''.
            (B) Upon awarding Bob Dole with the Presidential Medal of 
        Freedom in 1997, President Clinton made the following comments, 
        ``Son of the soil, citizen, soldier and legislator, Bob Dole 
        understands the American people, their struggles, their 
        triumphs and their dreams . . . In times of conflict and 
        crisis, he has worked to keep America united and strong . . . 
        our country is better for his courage, his determination, and 
        his willingness to go the long course to lead America.''.
        (12) After his career in public office, Bob Dole became an 
    active advocate for the public good. He served as National Chairman 
    of the World War II Memorial Campaign, helping raise over $197 
    million to construct the National WWII Memorial, and as Co-Chair of 
    the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, raising over $120 million 
    for the educational needs of the families of victims of 9/11.
        (13) From 1997-2001, Bob Dole served as chairman of the 
    International Commission on Missing Persons in the Former 
    Yugoslavia.
        (14) In 2003, Bob Dole established The Robert J. Dole Institute 
    of Politics at the University of Kansas to encourage bipartisanship 
    in politics.
        (15) Bob Dole is a strong proponent of international justice 
    and, in 2004, received the Golden Medal of Freedom from the 
    President of Kosovo for his support of democracy and freedom in 
    Kosovo.
        (16) In 2007, President George W. Bush appointed Bob Dole to 
    co-chair the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning 
    Wounded Warriors, which inspected the system of medical care 
    received by U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
        (17) Bob Dole was the co-creator of the McGovern-Dole 
    International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, 
    helping combat child hunger and poverty. In 2008, he was co-awarded 
    the World Food Prize for his work with this organization.
        (18) Bob Dole is co-founder of the Bipartisan Policy Center 
    which works to develop policies suitable for bipartisan support.
        (19) Bob Dole is a strong advocate for veterans, having 
    volunteered on a weekly basis for more than a decade on behalf of 
    the Honor Flight Network.
        (20) Bob Dole serves as Finance Chairman of the Campaign for 
    the National Eisenhower Memorial, leading the private fundraising 
    effort to memorialize President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Washington, 
    DC.
        (21) Bob Dole was acknowledged by many organizations for his 
    achievements both inside and outside of politics, including being 
    awarded the ``U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Outstanding Public 
    Service By An Elected Official'', the Gold Good Citizenship Award, 
    the American Patriot Award, the Survivor's Gratitude Award, the 
    U.S. Association of Former Member of Congress Distinguished Service 
    Award, a Distinguished Service Medal, the French Legion of Honor 
    medal, the Horatio Alger Award, the U.S. Defense Department's 
    Distinguished Public Service Award, the National Collegiate 
    Athletic Association's Teddy Roosevelt Award, the Albert Schweitzer 
    Medal ``for outstanding contributions to animal welfare'', the 2004 
    Sylvanus Thayer Award, and honorary degrees from the University of 
    Kansas, Fort Hays State University, and the University of New 
    Hampshire School of Law.
        (22) Throughout his life-long service to our country, Bob Dole 
    has embodied the American spirit of leadership and determination, 
    and serves as one of the most prolific role models both in and 
    outside of politics.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
    (a) Award Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of Representatives 
and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate 
arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of 
appropriate design to Bob Dole, in recognition for his service to the 
nation as a soldier, legislator, and statesman.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the award referred to 
in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in this 
Act 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 under 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 under this Act are national 
medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
    (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of 
title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be 
considered to be numismatic items.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.