[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 125 (Thursday, September 11, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H8201-H8207]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRUE AMERICAN HEROES ACT OF 2003

  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House 
of September 10, 2003, I call up the bill (H.R. 1538) to posthumously 
award Congressional Gold Medals to government workers and others who 
responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and 
perished and to the people aboard United Airlines Flight 93 who helped 
resist the hijackers and caused the plane to crash, to require the 
Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the Spirit 
of America, recognizing the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and 
for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of H.R. 1538 is as follows:

                               H.R. 1538

       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 ``True American Heroes Act of 
     2003''.

              TITLE I--MEDALS FOR RESPONDERS AND RESISTERS

     SEC. 101. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS FOR GOVERNMENT WORKERS 
                   WHO RESPONDED TO THE ATTACKS ON THE WORLD TRADE 
                   CENTER AND PERISHED.

       (a) Presentation Authorized.--In recognition of the bravery 
     and self-sacrifice of officers, emergency workers, and other 
     employees of State and local government agencies, including 
     the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and of the 
     United States Government and others, who responded to the 
     attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, and 
     perished in the tragic events of September 11, 2001 
     (including those who are missing and presumed dead), the 
     Speaker of the House 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 for each such officer, emergency worker, 
     employee, or other individual to the next of kin or other 
     personal representative of each such officer, emergency 
     worker, employee, or other individual.
       (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation 
     referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 
     shall strike gold medals with suitable emblems, devices, and 
     inscriptions to be determined by the Secretary to be 
     emblematic of the valor and heroism of the men and women 
     honored.
       (c) Determination of Recipients.--The Secretary of the 
     Treasury shall determine the number of medals to be presented 
     under this section and the appropriate recipients of the 
     medals after consulting with appropriate representatives of 
     Federal, State, and local officers and agencies and the Port 
     Authority of New York and New Jersey.
       (d) Duplicative Gold Medals for Departments and Duty 
     Stations.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall strike 
     duplicates in gold of the gold medals struck pursuant to 
     subsection (a) for presentation to each of the following, for 
     permanent display in the respective offices, houses, 
     stations, or places of employment:
       (A) The Governor of the State of New York.
       (B) The Mayor of the City of New York.
       (C) The Commissioner of the New York Police Department, the 
     Commissioner of the New York Fire Department, the head of 
     emergency medical services for the City of New York, and the 
     Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Port Authority of 
     New York and New Jersey.
       (D) Each precinct house, fire house, emergency response 
     station, or other duty station or place of employment to 
     which each person referred to in subsection (a) was assigned 
     on September 11, 2001, for display in each such place in a 
     manner befitting the memory of such persons.
       (e) Duplicate Bronze Medals.--Under such regulations as the 
     Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary may strike and sell 
     duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under 
     subsection (a) at a price sufficient to cover the costs of 
     the bronze medals (including labor, materials, dies, use of 
     machinery,

[[Page H8202]]

     and overhead expenses) and the cost of the gold medal.
       (f) Use of the United States Mint at West Point, New 
     York.--It is the sense of the Congress that the medals 
     authorized under this section should be struck at the United 
     States Mint at West Point, New York, to the greatest 
     extent possible.

     SEC. 102. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS FOR PEOPLE ABOARD UNITED 
                   AIRLINES FLIGHT 93 WHO HELPED RESIST THE 
                   HIJACKERS AND CAUSED THE PLANE TO CRASH.

       (a) Congressional Findings.--The Congress finds as follows:
       (1) On September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93, 
     piloted by Captain James Dahl, departed from Newark 
     International Airport at 8:01 a.m. on its scheduled route to 
     San Francisco, California, with 7 crew members and 38 
     passengers on board.
       (2) Shortly after departure, United Airlines Flight 93 was 
     hijacked by terrorists.
       (3) At 10:37 a.m. United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near 
     Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
       (4) Evidence indicates that people aboard United Airlines 
     Flight 93 learned that other hijacked planes had been used to 
     attack the World Trade Center in New York City and resisted 
     the actions of the hijackers on board.
       (5) The effort to resist the hijackers aboard United 
     Airlines Flight 93 appears to have caused the plane to crash 
     prematurely, potentially saving hundreds or thousands of 
     lives and preventing the destruction of the White House, 
     the Capitol, or another important symbol of freedom and 
     democracy.
       (6) The leaders of the resistance aboard United Airlines 
     Flight 93 demonstrated exceptional bravery, valor, and 
     patriotism, and are worthy of the appreciation of the people 
     of the United States.
       (b) Presentation of Congressional Gold Medals Authorized.--
     In recognition of heroic service to the Nation, the Speaker 
     of the House 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 
     for each passenger or crew member on board United Airlines 
     Flight 93 who is identified by the Attorney General as having 
     aided in the effort to resist the hijackers on board the 
     plane to the next of kin or other personal representative of 
     each such individual.
       (c) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the 
     presentation referred to in subsection (b), the Secretary of 
     the Treasury shall strike gold medals of a single design with 
     suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined 
     by the Secretary.
       (d) Duplicate Medals.--Under such regulations as the 
     Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe, the Secretary may 
     strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medals 
     struck under subsection (b) at a price sufficient to cover 
     the cost of the bronze medals (including labor, materials, 
     dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses) and the cost 
     of the gold medals.

     SEC. 103. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS FOR GOVERNMENT WORKERS 
                   WHO RESPONDED TO THE ATTACKS ON THE PENTAGON 
                   AND PERISHED.

       (a) Presentation Authorized.--In recognition of the bravery 
     and self-sacrifice of officers, emergency workers, and other 
     employees of the United States Government, who responded to 
     the attacks on the Pentagon Washington, D.C. and perished in 
     the tragic events of September 11, 2001 (including those who 
     are missing and presumed dead) the Speaker of the House 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 for each 
     such officer, emergency worker, or employee to the next of 
     kin or other personal representative of each such officer, 
     emergency worker, or employee.
       (b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the 
     presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of 
     the Treasury shall strike gold medals of a single design with 
     suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined 
     by the Secretary.
       (c) Determination of Recipients.--The Secretary of the 
     Treasury shall determine the number of medals to be presented 
     under this section and the appropriate recipients of the 
     medals after consulting with the Secretary of Defense and any 
     other appropriate representative of Federal, State, and local 
     officers and agencies.

     SEC. 104. NATIONAL MEDALS.

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

            TITLE II--SPIRIT OF AMERICA COMMEMORATIVE COINS

     SEC. 201. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds as follows:
       (1) On September 11, 2001, the United States suffered the 
     worst act of terrorism in its history.
       (2) The more than 6,000 people who lost their lives as a 
     result of the terrorist attacks that occurred in New York 
     City, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania on September 11, 
     2001, will not be forgotten.
       (3) Hundreds of emergency personnel responded heroically to 
     the crisis and lost their lives as a result.
       (4) People from everywhere in the United States responded 
     to the crisis with an outpouring of support for the victims 
     of the terrorist attacks and their families.
       (5) The civilized world stands with strength and fortitude 
     in opposition to the cowardly terrorist attacks against the 
     United States that occurred on September 11, 2001.
       (6) It is essential to remember not only the tragedy of the 
     attacks, but also the strength and resolve demonstrated by 
     the people of the United States in the aftermath of the 
     attacks.
       (7) The minting of coins in commemoration of the Spirit of 
     America will pay tribute to the countless heroes who risked 
     their lives during the terrorist attacks and in their 
     aftermath so that others may live and to a united people 
     whose belief in freedom, justice, and democracy has never 
     swayed.

     SEC. 202. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

       (a) Denominations.--In commemoration of the Spirit of 
     America, the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter  in this 
     title referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and 
     issue the following coins:
       (1) $50 gold coins.--Such number of 50 dollar coins as the 
     Secretary determines under subsection (b), which shall--
       (A) weigh 1 ounce;
       (B) have a diameter of 1.287 inches; and
       (C) contain 91.67 percent gold and 8.33 percent alloy.
       (2) $1 silver coins.--Such number of 1 dollar coins as the 
     Secretary determines appropriate to meet demand, which 
     shall--
       (A) weigh 26.73 grams;
       (B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
       (C) contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.
       (3) Half dollar clad coins.--Such number of half dollar 
     coins as the Secretary determines appropriate to meet demand, 
     which shall--
       (A) weigh 11.34 grams;
       (B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and
       (C) be minted to the specifications for half dollar coins 
     contained in section 5112(b) of title 31, United States Code.
       (b) Number of Gold Coins.--
       (1) In general.--The number of gold coins minted and issued 
     under this title shall equal the sum of 25,000 and the number 
     determined under paragraph (2).
       (2) Determination of number.--The Secretary, in 
     consultation with the Attorney General of the United States 
     and the Governors of New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia 
     shall determine the number of innocent individuals confirmed 
     or presumed to have been killed as a result of the terrorist 
     attacks against the United States that occurred on September 
     11, 2001, and shall identify such individuals. The Secretary, 
     under subsection (a)(1), shall mint and issue a number of 50 
     dollar coins equal to the number of such individuals.
       (c) Legal Tender.--The coins minted under this title shall 
     be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of title 31, 
     United States Code.
       (d) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5136 of 
     title 31, United States Code, all coins minted under this 
     title shall be considered to be numismatic items.
       (e) Sources of Bullion.--For the purpose of minting coins 
     under this title, the Secretary may only use metals that are 
     from natural deposits in the United States or any territory 
     or possession of the United States.
       (f) Special Treatment Under Exigent Circumstances.--
       (1) Findings.--The Congress finds as follows:
       (A) The limitations contained in paragraphs (1) and (2)(A) 
     of section 5112(m) of title 31, United States Code, and 
     section 5134(f)(1)(B) of such title have well served, and 
     continue to serve, their purpose of bringing greater 
     stability to the markets for commemorative coins, maximizing 
     demand and participation in such programs, and ensuring that 
     such programs have a broad base of private support and are 
     not used as the primary means of fundraising by organizations 
     that are the recipients of surcharges.
       (B) The shocking circumstances of September 11, 2001, the 
     broad base of public interest in showing the Spirit of 
     America and participating in the raising of funds for the 
     victims of the crimes committed on that date, and the 
     importance of implementing this coin program as quickly as 
     possible, notwithstanding the limitations contained in such 
     paragraphs, justify exempting the coins produced under this 
     title from such limitations.
       (2) Exemption.--Paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 5112(m) 
     of title 31, United States Code, and section 5134(f)(1)(B) of 
     such title shall not apply to coins authorized under this 
     title.

     SEC. 203. DESIGN OF COINS.

       (a) In General.--The design of the coins minted under this 
     title shall be emblematic of the tragic events that occurred 
     at the Pentagon, in New York City, and in Pennsylvania, on 
     September 11, 2001.
       (b) Designation and Inscriptions.--On each coin minted 
     under this title there shall be--
       (1) a designation of the value of the coin;
       (2) an inscription of the date ``September 11, 2001'' (and 
     such coin shall bear no other date); and
       (3) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God We 
     Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E Pluribus 
     Unum''.
       (c) Selection.--The design for the coins minted under this 
     title shall be selected--
       (1) by the Secretary after consultation with the Commission 
     of Fine Arts; and
       (2) reviewed by the citizens advisory committee established 
     under section 5135 of title 31, United States Code.

     SEC. 204. STRIKING AND ISSUANCE OF COINS.

       (a) Quality of Coins.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided under paragraph (2), 
     coins minted under this title shall be issued in uncirculated 
     quality.

[[Page H8203]]

       (2) Gold coins.--50 dollar coins minted under section 
     202(a)(1) shall be issued only in proof quality.
       (b) Mint Facility.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided under paragraph (2), 
     only 1 facility of the United States Mint may be used to 
     strike any particular quality of the coins minted under this 
     title.
       (2) Clad coins.--Any number of facilities of the United 
     States Mint may be used to strike the half dollar coins 
     minted under section 202(a)(3).
       (c) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary--
       (1) shall commence issuing coins minted under this title as 
     soon as possible after the date of the enactment of this Act; 
     and
       (2) shall not issue any coins after the end of the 1-year 
     period beginning on the date such coins are first issued.

     SEC. 205. SALE OF COINS.

       (a) Sale Price.--The coins issued under section 202(a) 
     (other than the 50 dollar gold coins referred to in 
     subsection (d)) shall be sold by the Secretary at a price 
     equal to the sum of--
       (1) the face value of the coins;
       (2) the surcharges required by section 206(a) with respect 
     to such coins; and
       (3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins (including 
     labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses, 
     marketing, and shipping).
       (b) Bulk Sales.--The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the 
     coins issued under section 202(a) at a reasonable discount.
       (c) Prepaid Orders.--The Secretary shall accept prepaid 
     orders received before the issuance of the coins minted under 
     section 202(a). The sale prices with respect to such prepaid 
     orders shall be at a reasonable discount.
       (d) Gold Coins.--Notwithstanding section 204(c)(2), the 
     Secretary shall issue a 50 dollar coin minted under section 
     202(a)(1) for presentation free of charge to the next of kin 
     or personal representative of each individual identified 
     under section 202(b). 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 such gold coins.

     SEC. 206. SURCHARGES ON SALE OF COINS.

       (a) Assessment.--Any sale by the Secretary of a coin minted 
     under this title shall include a surcharge of an amount 
     determined by the Secretary to be sufficient to cover the 
     cost of the gold coins minted under section 202(a)(1) 
     (including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead 
     expenses, and shipping) for presentment in accordance with 
     section 205(d), which charge may not be less than--
       (1) $100 per coin for the 50 dollar gold coins;
       (2) $10 per coin for the 1 dollar coin; and
       (3) $5 per coin for the half dollar coin.
       (b) Distribution of Excess Proceeds.--Any proceeds from the 
     surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of coins 
     issued under this title in excess of the cost of producing 
     all coins issued under this title (including coins issued for 
     individuals identified pursuant to section 202(b)(2)) shall 
     be--
       (1) used to cover the costs incurred in the production of 
     gold medals under title I that have not been recovered from 
     the sale of duplicate bronze medals under such title; and
       (2) with respect to any amount remaining after the costs 
     described in paragraph (1) are covered, transferred to any 
     fund for victims of the tragedies of September 11, 2001, that 
     the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General 
     jointly determine to be appropriate.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Petri). Pursuant to the order of the 
House of Wednesday, September 10, 2003, the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. King) and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) each will 
control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. King).


                             General Leave

  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on this legislation, and to insert extraneous material 
thereon.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, at the outset let me thank the gentlewoman from New York 
(Mrs. Maloney) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) for the 
assistance they have given in formulating this legislation and for the 
efforts they have made in helping to rebuild New York and in all they 
have done since September 11 working together as a united force to 
bring people together and to focus attention on the tremendous heroism 
that was demonstrated on that day in New York, at the Pentagon, and, of 
course, on Flight 93.
  Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this legislation is to commend those who 
died in the line of duty on September 11, 2001. It is almost axiomatic 
today to say that our lives will never be the same since September 11, 
and they have not. But in many ways from the terrible ashes of death 
and destruction that occurred on September 11, our country today is 
stronger than it ever was before. It is stronger morally, it is 
stronger spiritually, it has a great sense of moral clarity and 
resolve.
  One of the reasons for that is at the time of the attack when America 
could have fallen back, when America could have retreated and gone into 
a state of bewilderment, it united immediately and fought back. One of 
the reasons it did that was because the eyes of the country and the 
eyes of the world were on the Twin Towers of New York, they were on the 
Pentagon, and they saw what happened in the fields of Pennsylvania on 
Flight 93, and they saw those in the eye of the storm fought back.
  In New York, we saw the police officers and the firefighters rushing 
into the Twin Towers. Over 343 firefighters were killed, and many 
police officers from the Port Authority were killed. I believe it was 
37. There were 23 police officers from the New York City police 
department, all of whom were killed, all of whom, without any 
hesitation, went into the burning towers to effectuate the largest 
evacuation in history. More than 25,000 people were evacuated that day, 
and it was done because of the incredible heroism of those who answered 
the call, those in the fire department, those in the police department 
and those from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the 
police officers who demonstrated their courage.
  In addition, there were the EMS workers and the construction workers 
who went into the Twin Towers to bring people out; that set the tone 
for our country. That brought us together when the eyes of the world 
were watching. Just suppose if they had been watching and instead of 
seeing firefighters rush into the building, they saw them dispersing. 
Suppose they had seen a state of panic or people being left in those 
buildings to burn while firefighters and police officers stayed below, 
but they did not.
  All of us in New York have suffered the loss of constituents, of 
friends, relatives, neighbors, and in many ways the list is too long to 
begin to enumerate. Certainly in my own community, the Haskell 
brothers, Tom and Tim, were killed. There was Lieutenant John Perry who 
was killed. From the adjoining community of Farmingdale, Pete Ganci was 
the chief of the department, and he was killed. Father Michael Judge, 
the chaplain of the department was killed. Michael Boyle was killed, as 
was David Arce. I can go down the whole list of names of people that we 
knew, people that were friends and neighbors, people who dedicated 
their lives to the police department, to the fire department.
  There was a police captain from the Port Authority, Cathy Mazur, who 
is responsible for saving untold numbers of lives. She was on the main 
floor of the World Trade Center, and when people could not get out, she 
took out her revolver and blew out the windows, and that alone enabled 
hundreds of people to escape. She was later killed.

                              {time}  1030

  But that is typical of the type of courage that was shown that day, 
the type of determination that was shown that day. There were similar 
acts of courage at the Pentagon. God knows there were tremendous acts 
of courage on Flight 93 which, as so many have said, probably saved our 
lives, saved the lives of those in the White House that day by bringing 
that plane down.
  So I believe that it is important that, as a body, Congress speak on 
behalf of the American people to really try to begin a down payment on 
the debt that we owe to all those who gave their lives on September 11. 
In saying that, in no way should we be diminishing those who were not 
part of the uniformed services who were killed that day, men and women 
who went to work, who were doing their job, people at Cantor 
Fitzgerald, all those firms, they were almost wiped out on September 
11, also performed acts of heroism, most of which will never be known 
because it was not recorded, but we know when the World Trade Center 
was attacked back in 1993 how heroic those people had been.
  There is no doubt that it was done again in 2001. We are singling out 
and

[[Page H8204]]

specifying the uniformed services and the rescue workers for what they 
did; but at the same time we are acknowledging the tremendous sacrifice 
of those who were killed just doing their jobs that day and who were 
targeted. They were targeted by Osama bin Laden because they symbolized 
the United States. The people in the World Trade Center symbolized the 
American economy. The people in the Pentagon symbolized the American 
military. They were targeted. These were not accidents that they were 
killed that day. They were killed for a reason. That is why the 
addition of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) to this bill, which 
provides the commemorative coin to everyone who was killed that day, to 
me really brings this together in the unity that our country needs, the 
rescue workers and those who were killed because they were working that 
day; the country working together, Democrats and Republicans, the House 
and hopefully the Senate standing together to acknowledge those who 
paid the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, 2001, and whose memory 
will always be with us.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as coauthor of this legislation, I am pleased to join 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. King) and the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Engel) in support of H.R. 1538, the True American Heroes Act of 
2003. The brave men and women who came to our defense on 9/11 may not 
have been soldiers, but they certainly were heroes. Thousands of New 
York City's fire, police and EMT workers came racing down to the World 
Trade Center to give their all, to rescue the victims of the most 
terrible terrorist attack on America in history. The passengers of 
Flight 93 crashed their plane rather than allow it to slam into another 
building, perhaps the Capitol itself. Rescue workers at the Pentagon 
labored to free their colleagues. These people are true American heroes 
and heroines. They deserve full honors.
  This bill consolidates three proposals for recognizing our heroes, a 
bill authored by myself and the gentleman from New York (Mr. King) to 
present gold medals to emergency rescuers who perished in the World 
Trade Center which first passed the House last December and actually in 
December 2001. This will be the third time this bill has passed this 
House; legislation proposed by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) 
to create a Spirit of America coin; and suggestions that we honor 
rescuers at the Pentagon and the brave people who wrestled Flight 93 to 
the ground in Pennsylvania. They saved an untold number of lives and 
quite possibly the very building in which we are standing.
  More than 2 years after September 11, the shock, pain and trauma of 
that day lingers with my constituents in New York. While we resiliently 
cleaned up the site ahead of schedule, no New Yorker can walk past a 
firehouse or police precinct without an empty feeling in the pit of 
their stomach over the 343 firefighters, 37 Port Authority police 
officers, and 23 New York City police officers who gave their lives to 
save others that day. In my own district, 25 different fire stations 
lost people in the terror attacks. One of these firehouses, the 
Roosevelt Island-based special operations unit, lost 10 men because a 
shift change was in progress when the attacks occurred. Off-duty 
firefighters grabbed their gear and headed to the scene. Only God knows 
how many people owe them their lives. Off-duty personnel dying on the 
job is the ultimate paradox. But such was the valor of September 11.
  When I was at Ground Zero on September 12, I heard estimates from 
State officials that as many as 20,000 people had been killed in the 
World Trade Center. We now know that, thanks to the heroics of the 
rescue workers, the death toll was well below 3,000. From the moment 
the planes struck the towers, from all over the city and surrounding 
areas, rescuers poured out of firehouses and precinct houses to put the 
lives of strangers ahead of their own. They were cops, firemen, EMTs, 
and other public servants. This legislation lets us honor these men and 
women who died so others could live.
  It is true that thousands of families are missing family members 2 
years later, but perhaps the best reason to pass this bill is that tens 
of thousands of families are not. In the past, the Congressional Gold 
Medal has been awarded to honor contributions to America by outstanding 
individuals and groups. Not since Pearl Harbor had America suffered a 
large-scale act of war on its own soil. I consider those who battled 
the flames to save lives to be the first soldiers killed in the war on 
terrorism. I doubt that many in the military would disagree, and I 
think this body needs to honor them appropriately. The True American 
Heroes Act will award Congressional Gold Medals to the brave rescuers 
who perished in the attacks, to the individual precinct houses, 
firehouses and emergency response stations that suffered losses, to the 
offices of the mayor and Governor of New York, and the head of the Port 
Authority which ran the World Trade Center for its 28-year life span. 
For the Port Authority, this is an especially fitting honor. My friend 
Neil Levin was head of the Port Authority. On September 11, Neil was 
among those lost in the attack trying to save others.
  New York City is thankful to all Members of this House for this honor 
and for helping the City of New York recover since the attack. Why are 
these medals important? Let us put ourselves in the place of the men, 
women, and children who lost family members on September 11. They 
learned that something horrible had happened. They turned on the 
television like the rest of us. They watched in horror as the towers 
burned, the people jumped and the buildings collapsed. Then they waited 
and wondered and prayed and wept. As the day turned to night and night 
to morning, they waited for a reassuring call from a familiar voice 
that never came. When the realization finally sank in, they were 
confronted with the articles of continuity that had become in an 
instant artifacts of a life ended in midstream by an act of sheer 
insanity: an empty pair of shoes, a chair at the dinner table, a side 
of the bed. To grasp what that must have felt like even for a moment is 
to get a glimpse of grief in its purest form. We need to give these 
family members, their loved ones and colleagues another artifact of 
that day, one worthy of the rescue workers' courage, sacrifice and 
love, something affirming, something tangible, something precious, 
something gold, the most distinguished honor that can be bestowed by 
this Congress. The U.S. Mint will make bronze reproductions of the 
medals available to all Americans who wish to honor the rescue workers.
  Finally, the bill is much improved, with language provided by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel). This Spirit of America coin is a 
highly appropriate commemorative for this solemn occasion. I thank the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) for his contribution to the 
legislation as well as the gentleman from New York (Mr. King), my 
counterpart on the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary 
Policy, Trade, and Technology. And we thank the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Oxley) for his strong support of this legislation and ranking 
member, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank).
  New York City is thankful to all Members of this House. We thank you 
for responding to the City of New York in its time of greatest need.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I was going to yield time to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen), but he has agreed to 
defer to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), so I will reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
the great State of New York (Mr. Engel).
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding time to me, 
and I thank the gentleman from New Jersey.
  I rise to offer my strong support for H.R. 1538, the True American 
Heroes Act of 2003. I also rise to thank the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. King) and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for their 
leadership on this bill and also my colleague and friend from the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Stearns), who has been a stalwart ally in this effort. Finally, I want 
to thank the House majority and minority leadership for agreeing to 
bringing

[[Page H8205]]

this bill up under unanimous consent and today on September 11. It is 
very fitting that we do this on September 11.
  Today is the second anniversary of the greatest attack on America 
since our Republic was founded. Since that day, Americans have stood 
together, united as we never have before. Thus, it is fitting and 
appropriate that the House takes up this legislation. It provides the 
heroes of that day with a Congressional Gold Medal. It awards these 
medals to government workers and others who responded to the attacks on 
the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and perished and to the people 
aboard United Airlines Flight 93 who helped resist the hijackers and 
caused the plane to crash. This bill is combined with a bill that I had 
that we had a majority of Members of this House cosponsoring which 
requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration 
of the spirit of America, recognizing the tragic events of September 
11, 2001. I am delighted that we have combined these two bills into one 
really very special bill.
  Mr. Speaker, on September 12, 2001, after coming down to Washington 
from New York, I was in New York City on September 11, I spoke on the 
House floor. I would like very much to read what I said that day, 
September 12, one day after the terrible attacks in 2001, because it is 
the way I feel now, and I think it is the way so many of us feel.
  ``Mr. Speaker, I am going to speak from the heart. I have had a very 
tough couple of days. I think America lost our innocence yesterday, and 
I just kept thinking that perhaps this was a bad dream and we would 
somehow wake up and it would not be true, but we all know it is.
  ``Mr. Speaker, I am a New Yorker, born and bred. I love our city. I 
was in New York when this tragedy occurred. I often say to my children 
when we come back to New York, look at the skyline, look at the World 
Trade Center. It is so invigorating. It makes me feel so wonderful just 
to be in this city, the city I love, the city in which I was born.
  ``Mr. Speaker, we New Yorkers are a tough breed; but I have to tell 
my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, this morning at 7 a.m. when I went over the 
George Washington Bridge to come back down here to Washington and I 
took a look at the New York skyline and saw the Twin Towers were not 
there and in its place I saw the smoke and the fire, I really lost it. 
I really lost it.
  ``Mr. Speaker, as much as I have lost it because I do not see the 
towers there, it pales by comparison when I think of the victims, the 
men, women and children who lost their lives; the firemen, the 
policemen who came there to save people's lives and lost their lives.

                              {time}  1045

  ``People who go to work, like millions of people in this great 
country, go to work to earn a living to support their families, they go 
to work and they are killed by lunatics.
  We have some questions to be asked, Mr. Speaker. We have to ask why 
our intelligence failed us, why our security failed us. Congress has to 
get to the bottom of this and ask these questions. Congress will find 
out.
  Let me say to the terrorists and those people in the streets that we 
saw, the Palestinians and others who were dancing in the streets with 
glee, let me say to them and Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban and all 
the people that support terrorism, you have awakened a sleeping giant. 
The United States will not rest until we root out every one of you, 
until we root out the terror and the terrorist cells. We are going to 
rally around our President, as we always have, with bipartisanship. We 
are all one America. God bless this wonderful Nation. God bless 
America.''
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that the vote on this bill today will be 
unanimous, because 2 years later, we in this Congress are just as 
resolute as we were 2 years ago to destroy the scourge of terrorism and 
to honor the brave men, women and children who lost their lives and to 
the people who responded who gave their lives so that others may live.
  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen).
  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me 
time, and I congratulate the gentleman from New York (Mr. King) and his 
colleagues, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) and the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), for their proposal, and I strongly 
support it.
  Mr. Speaker, no words nor any precious medal can capture the grief 
and heartache of September 11 better than the words of the poem ``The 
Names'' by Billy Collins, the Poet Laureate of the United States, who 
gave us this wonderful piece of poetry so eloquently as we met in a 
special session of Congress in New York last year at this very time.

     ``Yesterday, I lay awake in the palm of the night.
     A soft rain stole in, unhelped by any breeze,
     And when I saw the silver glaze on the windows,
     I started with A, with Ackerman, as it happened,
     Then Baxter and Calabro,
     Davis and Eberling, names falling into place
     As droplets fell through the dark.
     Names printed on the ceiling of the night.
     Names slipping around a watery bend.
     Twenty-six willows on the banks of a stream.
     In the morning, I walked out barefoot
     Among thousands of flowers
     Heavy with dew like the eyes of tears,
     And each had a name--
     Fiori inscribed on a yellow petal
     Then Gonzalez and Han, Ishikawa and Jenkins.
     Names written in the air
     And stitched into the cloth of the day.
     A name under a photograph taped to a mailbox.
     Monogram on a torn shirt,
     I see you spelled out on storefront windows
     And on bright unfurled awnings of this city.
     I say the syllables as I turn a corner--
     Kelly and Lee,
     Medina, Nardella, and O'Connor.
     When I peer into the woods,
     I see a thick tangle where letters are hidden
     In a puzzle concocted for children.
     Parker and Quigley in the twigs of an ash,
     Rizzo, Schubert, Torres, and Upton,
     Secrets in boughs of an ancient maple.
     Names written in the pale sky.
     Names rising in the updraft amid buildings.
     Names silent in stone
     Or cried out behind a door.
     Names blown over the earth and out to sea.
     In the evening--weakening light, the last swallows.
     A boy on a lake lifts his oars.
     A woman by a window puts a match to a candle,
     And the names are outlined on the rose clouds--
     Vanacore and Wallace,
     (Let X stand, if it can, for the ones unfound)
     Then Young and Ziminsky, the final jolt of Z.
     Names etched on the head of a pin.
     One name spanning a bridge, another undergoing a tunnel.
     A blue name needled into the skin.
     Names of citizens, workers, mothers and fathers,
     The bright-eyed daughter, the quick son.
     Alphabet of names in a green field.
     Names in the small tracks of birds.
     Names lifted from a hat
     Or balanced on the tip of the tongue.
     Names wheeled into the dim warehouse of memory.
     So many names, there is barely room on the walls of the 
           heart.''

  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Watson).
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, two years ago to the day after the tragic terrorist 
attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 
this date will always be etched in the minds of every American as a new 
day of infamy, when over 3,000 innocent people lost their lives. My 
most heartfelt prayers go out to the victims, survivors, families, 
friends and the representatives who suffered losses on this tragic day.
  The debris has been cleared and buildings repaired, but none of us 
will ever forget the massive loss of lives and the real fear that 
confronted each of us on that fatal day. In particular, my thoughts and 
prayers go out to thousands of our Nation's first responders, our 
firemen and women, emergency medical personnel, our police officers, 
who selflessly put themselves in harm's way, and in numerous instances 
paid the ultimate sacrifice with their own lives.
  Despite these terrible events, we as a Nation must remain strong, and 
we have; we must persevere, and we have; and we must remain resolute in 
our thoughts and actions, that never again will this happen on 
America's soil.

[[Page H8206]]

  The anniversary of September 11 also provides a time for an honest 
assessment of where we stand on our own Homeland Security. Providing 
for the security of our homeland must be the number one priority of 
government today. Despite the steps that have been taken to improve 
homeland security, I believe we must do more. In memory of the 
thousands who perished innocently when they got up that morning, not 
knowing what fate had in store for them, we must concentrate on how we 
protect our borders.
  We currently have 600,000 containers coming into our ports each day, 
but less than 3 percent of the cargo containers entering America's 
ports are ever checked to determine their contents. And, tragically, 
our Nation's first responders still do not have the equipment and 
training they need to respond to another terrorist attack.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that as we memorialize all of these innocent 
Americans, that we pay attention to what their sacrifices mean and 
interpret it as meaning we must concentrate and move ahead.
  Finally, to better protect our people, we must learn everything we 
can about this fatal date of 9/11. So I am looking forward to seeing 
the report that came in on lessons learned.
  We must honor the people who were sacrificed, and we must see and put 
in place those necessary programs and projects, and we must have a 
philosophy that we start here today in memory of our dead to protect 
our own, as we protect others around the globe.
  May God bless their souls. May they all rest in peace.
  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as 
he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble).
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from New York for yielding 
me time.
  Mr. Speaker, today, of course, we commemorate what occurred 2 years 
ago, an event that changed the face of America forever. We are not the 
same country we were then.
  Our country was once referred to as a giant hotel lobby, where you 
come and go at will. Well, giant hotel lobbies that are open, 
notoriously are easy pickings for terrorists, and they were easy 
pickings that day.
  My friends from New York lost many constituents that day, Mr. 
Speaker. I lost, as far as I know, only one. Sandy Bradshaw was a 
flight attendant on the United Airlines flight that ditched in 
Pennsylvania, and I believe that she and her fellow crew members saved 
many lives by having elected to ditch that day.
  Today, at Eastern Randolph High School in Ramseur, North Carolina, my 
district, there is a special event that will commence very shortly in 
honor of Sandy Bradshaw, who was an alumni of that school.
  These people who came calling, and I will have to give the sanitized 
version of how I have referred to them, because I have referred to them 
in language that perhaps would not be acceptable to you, Mr. Speaker, 
or to the House, but, for want of a better word, they are cowardly 
criminals, murderers, who came calling that day. But they have not won. 
We are of strong resolve, and I am confident we will prevail.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from the great State of North 
Carolina for his very moving comments.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to say that the authors of this legislation have 
worked on it for 2 years to create a fitting honor for the heroes of 9/
11. This is actually the third time this legislation has come to the 
floor. We have passed it twice out of the House, and this is the first 
time this extremely worthy issue has been raised.
  In response to the request from Members in the Senate, we have tried 
to be all-inclusive and have broadened the categories of medal 
recipients to include all the police, fire and rescue workers who 
responded to the attacks.
  Mr. Speaker, I feel it is very important that we pass this very 
important legislation today on 9/11, on the anniversary, and move 
forward.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the gentleman for his leadership and 
consistency. The gentleman has stayed on this like a pit bull to get it 
to the floor for the third time. I thank also the chairman of our 
committee, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley) and the ranking member, 
the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank). I hope we will be able to 
pass it for the third time today with his leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me, in conclusion, once again thank the gentlewoman 
from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for the tremendous effort she has made 
over the past 2 years in doing all she can and working with me in a 
bipartisan way to move this legislation forward.
  Let me thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), who is one of 
the first who authored a bill after September 11 commemorating those 
who died on that tragic day, and also has worked so closely with us, 
all of us trying to put egos aside, and we did definitely put partisan 
interests aside to move this forward. I think that really in many ways 
symbolizes the very best of September 11. We realize there is something 
more than our own narrow parochial interests, that there is a larger 
cause.
  So I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) and the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for the way they have 
conducted themselves, for the assistance they have given me and for the 
dedication they have to this matter.
  I also want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Oxley), who 
has been cooperative throughout. I want to thank the majority leader, 
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) and the minority leader, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), for agreeing to bring this 
legislation forward on September 11. To me it is the most fitting day 
of all it could be brought on.

                              {time}  1100

  Also, I would say that as we remember those who died, as we honor 
those who died in the line of duty that day, that we realize that their 
families are still going forward. So as we honor those who died, let us 
not forget those who survived them who still, every day, must confront 
the dilemma of going forward, the emptiness, the sorrow, the tragedy 
that occurred to them on September 11 and will be with them throughout 
the remainder of their lives. We should just try to put ourselves in 
their position, to understand some of the terrible trauma that was 
inflicted on them. In doing that, that should give us more momentum to 
make sure this bill not just passes today, but also to work with the 
Senate to find a way to get it through.
  Mr. Speaker, this is not just passing a bill for the sake of passing 
a bill. I think it is a real duty and obligation on the Congress of the 
United States that we record and let it be known the way we feel and 
the respect and the honor that we have for those who died in the line 
of duty on September 11. And by awarding a Congressional Gold Medal, 
that is the way that we can pay that tribute, not just to them, but to 
history, so that history will record exactly what they did and the 
extent to which we thought about it. And, in doing that, out of that 
twisted steel and burning rubble of the World Trade Center, out of the 
terrible destruction at the Pentagon, and out of the plane that was 
literally obliterated in the fields of Pennsylvania, from those 
horrible moments will come a greater America and a lesson for future 
generations to realize what people should do when confronted by crisis. 
Because all of us in this House, we can all talk a good game, but the 
reality is, no one ever knows what they will do when they are really 
put to the test. On September 11 we had so many hundreds of people, if 
not thousands of people, who were put to the test, and they all passed 
the test. So by them passing that test that day, by them showing the 
courage and determination that they did, that has allowed us to go 
forward as a Nation.
  So let us go forward from this bill today, standing together behind 
our President, behind the united leadership of the House and the 
Senate, committed to America. We can have partisan differences, we can 
have differences on tactics, but we should never, ever again disagree 
on the overriding goal of America destroying the forces of 
international terrorism, protecting our borders, and doing all we can 
to ensure that a September 11 will

[[Page H8207]]

never again occur, and that these men and women did not die in vain.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Petri). All time for debate has expired.
  Pursuant to the order of the House of Wednesday, September 10, 2003, 
the bill is considered read for amendment, and the previous question is 
ordered.
  The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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