H.R. 750: To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Stewart Lee Udall in recognition of his contributions to the ...

HR 750 IH

To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Stewart Lee Udall in recognition of his contributions to the Nation as hero for the environment, a champion for conservation, a civil right activist, a Native American crusader, and an advocate for the arts.

February 15, 2013

Mr. THOMPSON of California (for himself and Mr. GOSAR) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services

To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Stewart Lee Udall in recognition of his contributions to the Nation as hero for the environment, a champion for conservation, a civil right activist, a Native American crusader, and an advocate for the arts.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds the following:

(1) Stewart Lee Udall was born to former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Levi Stewart Udall and Louise Lee Udall on January 31, 1920, in Saint Johns, Arizona.

(2) Stewart Lee Udall began serving his country in 1942 when he joined the United States Army Air Corps (predecessor of the United States Air Force) during World War II, serving as an enlisted B-24 waist gunner in Italy. He flew more than 50 missions over Western Europe over 4 years, receiving the Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters.

(3) After coming home from war, Stewart Lee Udall returned to the University of Arizona where he received a bachelors and law degree and was admitted to the Arizona State Bar. After graduating from law school, he began his own private practice and eventually established the law firm of Udall and Udall with his brother Morris K. Udall.

(4) Stewart Lee Udall’s first elected office was as a member of the Amphitheater School Board (1951), where he participated in desegregating the Amphitheater School District before the United States Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.

(5) Beginning in 1954, Stewart Lee Udall was elected to serve 4 terms as United States Representative from Arizona’s second district.

(6) Upon the 1960 Presidential election, President Kennedy appointed Stewart Lee Udall as Secretary of the Interior. He maintained this position for 8 years, where his accomplishments under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson made him a hero for the environmental and conservation communities.

(7) Among the legislative accomplishments during his cabinet career, Stewart Lee Udall helped guide numerous landmark environmental measures through Congress, including the Wilderness Act of 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, the National Trail System Act of 1968, the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, the Clear Air Act, the Water Quality Act of 1965, and the Clean Water Restoration Act of 1966.

(8) Stewart Lee Udall was a coauthor of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. This legislation created several new social programs that helped promote the health, education, and general welfare of the impoverished. Some of the programs remaining today include Head Start and the Job Corps.

(9) As Secretary of the Interior during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, Stewart Lee Udall expanded the National Park Service by presiding over the acquisition of 3.85 million acres of new holdings, including 4 national parks (Canyonlands in Utah, Redwood in California, North Cascades in Washington State, and Guadalupe Mountains in Texas), 6 national monuments, 9 national recreation areas, 20 historic sites, 50 wildlife refuges, and 8 national seashores.

(10) Stewart Lee Udall established the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation to coordinate all Federal outdoor programs.

(11) In September 1966, as Secretary of the Interior, Stewart Lee Udall announced the creation of Project EROS, which led the United States to state of the art science and technology that includes Landsat, the longest running enterprise for acquisition of satellite imagery. Project EROS began as a revolutionary program that utilized Earth-orbiting satellites that map the planet to gather data about the Earth’s natural resources along with changes in weather and climate.

(12) During his tenure as Secretary of the Interior, Stewart Lee Udall also became a champion of the arts, convincing President Kennedy to invite the renowned poet Robert Frost to speak at his inauguration and setting in motion initiatives that led to the creation of the Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap Farm Park, the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities, and the revived Ford’s Theatre.

(13) While Stewart Lee Udall was Secretary of the Interior, he continued to fight against segregation when he threatened to refuse the all-White Washington Redskins access to the new stadium located in Washington, DC, of which he was the Federal landlord.

(14) After he left Federal Government service, Stewart Lee Udall continued helping the American people by becoming a crusader for victims of radiation exposure (particularly Native Americans) resulting from the Federal Government’s Cold War nuclear programs. He helped to pass the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act in 1990, which was signed by President George Bush.

(15) Stewart Lee Udall was a prolific writer, penning countless articles, essays, and op-eds. He also co-authored 9 books, and wrote 9 of his own, including the seminal title in the conservation movement, ‘The Quiet Crisis’.

(16) Among his many honors, Stewart Lee Udall was a recipient of the Ansel Adams Award, the Wilderness Society’s highest conservation award, the Common Cause Public Service Achievement Award for his lifelong protection of the environment and the defense of American citizens who were victims of nuclear weapons testing, and the United Nations Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement.

(17) Until his passing in 2010, Stewart Lee Udall continued his devotion to public service as an author, historian, scholar, lecturer, environmental activist, lawyer, and citizen of the outdoors.

SEC. 2. 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 Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to honor Stewart Lee Udall in recognition of his contributions to the Nation as hero for the environment, a champion for conservation, a civil right activist, a Native American crusader, and an advocate for the arts.

(b) Design and Striking- For purposes of the presentation 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. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 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. 4. 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.

SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

(a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts- There is authorized to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant to this Act.

(b) Proceeds of Sale- Amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 3 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

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