Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress <<NOTE: Pope John Paul II Congressional Gold Medal Act. 31 USC 5111 note.>> assembled,
This Act may be cited as the ``Pope John Paul II Congressional Gold Medal Act''.
The Congress finds that Pope John Paul II-- (1) is the spiritual leader of more than one billion Catholic Christians around the world and millions of Catholic Christians in America and has led the Catholic Church into its third millennium; (2) is recognized in the United States and abroad as a preeminent moral authority; (3) has dedicated his Pontificate to the freedom and dignity of every individual human being and tirelessly traveled to the far reaches of the globe as an exemplar of faith; (4) has brought hope to millions of people all over the world oppressed by poverty, hunger, illness, and despair; (5) transcending temporal politics, has used his moral authority to hasten the fall of godless totalitarian regimes, symbolized in the collapse of the Berlin wall; (6) has promoted the inner peace of man as well as peace among mankind through his faith-inspired defense of justice; and (7) has thrown open the doors of the Catholic Church, reconciling differences within Christendom as well as reaching out to the world's other great religions.
(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 Pope John Paul II in recognition of his many and enduring contributions to peace and religious understanding. (b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose 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.
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, and at a price sufficient to cover the costs thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold medal.
The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is hereby authorized to be charged against the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund an amount not to exceed $30,000 to pay for the cost of the medal authorized by this Act. (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sales of duplicate bronze medals under section 4 shall be deposited in the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.
Approved July 27, 2000.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 3544: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 146 (2000): May 23, considered and passed House. July 13, considered and passed Senate.
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