text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Andrew Jackson Higgins Gold Medal 
  Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds that--
              (1) Andrew Jackson Higgins was born on August 28, 1886, in 
          Columbus, Nebraska, moved to New Orleans in 1910, and formed 
          Higgins Industries on September 26, 1930;
              (2) Andrew Jackson Higgins designed, engineered, and 
          produced the ``Eureka'', a unique shallow draft boat, the 
          design of which evolved during World War II into 2 basic 
          classes of military craft, high speed PT boats, and types of 
          Higgins landing craft (LCPs, LCPLs, LCVPs, LCMs and LCSs);
              (3) Andrew Jackson Higgins designed, engineered, and 
          constructed 4 major assembly line plants in New Orleans for 
          mass production of Higgins landing craft, and other vessels 
          vital to the Allied Forces' conduct of World War II;
              (4) Andrew Jackson Higgins bought the entire 1940 
          Philippine mahogany crop and other material purely at risk 
          without a Government contract, anticipating that America would 
          join World War II and that Higgins Industries would need the 
          wood to build landing craft, and Higgins also bought steel, 
          engines, and other material necessary to construct landing 
          craft;
              (5) Andrew Jackson Higgins, through Higgins Industries, 
          employed a fully integrated assembly line work force, black and 
          white, male and female, of up to 30,000 during World War II, 
          with equal pay for equal work;
              (6) in 1939, the United States Navy had a total of 18 
          landing craft in the fleet;
              (7) from November 18, 1940, when Higgins Industries was 
          awarded its first contract for Higgins landing craft until the 
          conclusion of the war, the employees of Higgins Industries 
          produced 12,300 Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP's) and 
          nearly 8,000 other landing craft of all types;
              (8) during World War II, Higgins Industries employees 
          produced 20,094 boats, including landing craft and Patrol 
          Torpedo boats, and trained 30,000 Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard 
          personnel on the safe operation of landing craft at the 
          Higgins' Boat Operators School;
              (9) on Thanksgiving Day 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower 
          stated in an address to the Nation, ``Let us thank God for 
          Higgins Industries, management, and labor which has given us 
          the landing boats with which to conduct our campaign.'';
              (10) Higgins landing craft, constructed of wood and steel, 
          transported fully armed troops, light tanks, field artillery, 
          and other mechanized equipment essential to amphibious 
          operations;
              (11) Higgins landing craft made the amphibious assault on 
          D-day and the landings at Leyte, North Africa, Guadalcanal, 
          Sicily, Iwo Jima, Tarawa, Guam, and thousands of less well-
          known assaults possible;
              (12) Captain R.R.M. Emmett, a commander at the North Africa 
          amphibious landing, and later commandant of the Great Lakes 
          Training Station, wrote during the war, ``When the history of 
          this war is finally written by historians, far enough removed 
          from its present turmoil and clamor to be cool and impartial, I 
          predict that they will place Mr. (Andrew Jackson) Higgins very 
          high on the list of those who deserve the commendation and 
          gratitude of all citizens.''; and
              (13) in 1964, President Dwight D. Eisenhower told historian 
          Steven Ambrose, ``He (Higgins) is the man who won the war for 
          us. If Higgins had not developed and produced those landing 
          craft, we never could have gone in over an open beach. We would 
          have had to change the entire strategy of the war.''.
  
  SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
  
      (a) Presentation Authorized.--
              (1) In general.--The President is authorized, on behalf of 
          Congress, to award a gold medal of appropriate design to--
                      (A) the family of Andrew Jackson Higgins, honoring 
                  Andrew Jackson Higgins (posthumously) for his 
                  contributions to the Nation and world peace; and
                      (B) the D-day Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, for 
                  public display, honoring Andrew Jackson Higgins 
                  (posthumously) and the employees of Higgins Industries 
                  for their contributions to the Nation and world peace.
              (2) Modalities.--The modalities of presentation of the 
          medals under this Act shall be determined by the President, 
          after consultation with the Speaker of the House of 
          Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, the 
          Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the 
          House of Representatives.
      (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred 
  to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (in this Act 
  referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike 2 gold medals 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 
  medals struck under this Act, 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, and overhead 
  expenses, and the cost of the gold medal.
  
  SEC. 5. 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. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
  
      (a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to be 
  charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund an amount 
  not to exceed $60,000 to pay for the cost of the medals authorized by 
  this Act.
      (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
  bronze medals under section 4 shall be deposited in the United States 
  Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
target: Andrew Jackson Higgins Gold Medal Act - Authorizes the President to present on behalf of Congress a gold medal to: (1) the family of Andrew Jackson Higgins, honoring his contributions to the Nation and world peace; and (2) the D-Day Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, for public display, honoring Higgins and the employees of Higgins Industries for their contributions to the Nation and world peace.Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell bronze duplicates.
feat_title: A bill to authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf of the Congress to Andrew Jackson Higgins (post-humously), and to the D-day Museum in recognition of the contributions of Higgins Industries and the more than 30,000 employees of HIggins Industries to the Nation and to world peace during World War II.