[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.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
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