[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1174 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1174
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Norman Christopher Francis,
in recognition of his contributions to the United States through his
lifelong dedication to education, justice, and public service.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 24, 2023
Mr. Carter of Louisiana (for himself, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Strickland, Mr.
Horsford, Mr. Neguse, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr.
Davis of Illinois, Mr. Ivey, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Ms.
Crockett, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Foushee, Ms. Adams, Mr. Thompson of
Mississippi, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Davis of North
Carolina, Mrs. McBath, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Meeks, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Payne,
Ms. Brown, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Ms. Waters, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr.
Veasey, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Bowman, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Garcia of
Illinois, Mr. Soto, and Ms. Williams of Georgia) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial
Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Norman Christopher Francis,
in recognition of his contributions to the United States through his
lifelong dedication to education, justice, and public service.
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 ``Dr. Norman C. Francis Congressional
Gold Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Dr. Norman Christopher Francis was born in Lafayette,
LA, on March 20, 1931, to Joseph A. Francis and Mabel F.
Francis. His parents were a barber and a homemaker, and he had
a Catholic education at St. Paul Catholic elementary and
secondary schools in Lafayette.
(2) After graduation, Francis attended Xavier University of
Louisiana in New Orleans, where he graduated with a Bachelor of
Science degree.
(3) An honor student all four years at Xavier University of
Louisiana, young Norman Francis conducted his work scholarship
repairing damaged books in the university library. In his
senior year, he was elected student body president.
(4) From 1952-1955, Francis attended Loyola University Law
School in New Orleans, where he earned his Juris Doctorate. He
made history as the first Black graduate of Loyola University
Law School in 1955.
(5) Upon graduation he married the late Mrs. Blanche
Macdonald, but then was drafted into the United States Army's
Third Armored Division, where he earned the rank of corporal
specialist four. After a two-year tour of duty, Francis left
the Army in 1957 and began his civilian career.
(6) Upon his return from the military, he joined the U.S.
Attorney's Office and worked to help integrate Federal
agencies.
(7) Dr. Francis used his law degree to represent civil
rights activists as a young lawyer. One of his clients was
Xavier student body president, Rudolph Lombard, who had been
arrested for attempting to integrate the lunch counter at
McCrory's on Canal Street in New Orleans.
(8) As Dean of Men at Xavier University of Louisiana in
1961, he showed his moral courage and vision by housing the
Freedom Riders in the historic St. Michael's dormitory when the
rest of New Orleans establishments had closed their doors to
them or openly threatened their safety.
(9) In 1963, he became Director of Student Personnel
Services and one year later (1964) he was promoted to Assistant
to the President. In 1967, he became Executive Vice President.
(10) In 1967, Dr. Francis joined the brotherhood of Alpha
Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Sigma Lambda chapter.
(11) On the day of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther
King, April 4, 1968, at the age of 37, Dr. Francis accepted the
position as President of Xavier University of Louisiana, the
Nation's only historically Black and Catholic university, and
his alma mater. He broke barriers on that day by becoming the
first African-American lay person to serve in that position.
(12) His tenure as President lasted from 1968-2015, and he
is one of the longest-sitting university presidents in the
Nation's history. Over that 49-year term, Dr. Francis steered
the university to grow both in size and dimension.
(13) Dr. Francis was President of Xavier University of
Louisiana during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, and
while at the helm of the school, he more than tripled its
enrollment, expanded course offerings, and transformed the
campus grounds into an ``Emerald City'' of colorful green
roofs. During his tenure, Xavier awarded more doctorate
pharmacy degrees to Black Americans and sent more Black
graduates to medical school than any other U.S. university.
(14) Dr. Francis cofounded the Liberty Bank of New Orleans,
one of the largest Black-owned banks in the country. Dr.
Francis has served as its Chairman since the Bank's inception
in 1972 working to improve access to financial institutions for
Black Americans.
(15) Francis has served in an advisory role to eight U.S.
presidential administrations--not only on education issues, but
civil rights as well--in addition to serving on 54 boards and
commissions. In 1983, Francis helped compile and release the
report ``A Nation at Risk'' during his service on the National
Commission on Excellence in Education. The report was a
landmark piece that summarized racism and classism with the
school system and called for comprehensive education reform.
(16) He co-chaired the Louisiana Recovery Authority after
Hurricane Katrina, playing a vital role in helping the people
of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast rebuild their lives in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
(17) In 2006, then-President George W. Bush presented him
with the Nation's highest civil award, the Presidential Medal
of Freedom in recognition of his, ``deep intellect, compassion
and character.''.
(18) In 2009, he was named one of ``America's Best
Leaders'' by U.S. News Media Group and the Center for Public
Leadership (CPL) at Harvard Kennedy's School of Government.
(19) He has received 40 honorary degrees from other
universities, and at least 20 major awards in recognition of
his leadership in higher education as well as his unselfish
service to New Orleans and to the Nation.
(20) Francis' civic endeavors include service as Chair of
the Louisiana Recovery Authority, past Chair of the Louisiana
Disaster Recovery Foundation, past Chair of the Southern
Education Foundation, Chairman of the Board of Liberty Bank and
Trust and a member of the Times-Picayune Advisory Board.
Previously he has been Chairman of the New Orleans Aviation
Board, the Metropolitan Area Committee Education Fund and the
Board of Directors of PBS-affiliate WLAE-TV.
(21) Dr. Francis has been involved at the national level as
past Chairman of the Boards of the Educational Testing Service,
the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the
College Board, the Southern Education Foundation and the
American Association of Higher Education. He was also member
president of the UNCF, a member of the Board of Trustees of
Catholic University, and Chairman of SACS, the southern
regional accrediting agency for more than 11,000 institutions
in eleven States.
(22) A man of enduring determination, vision, faith, and
strength, Dr. Norman C. Francis has forever changed the lives
and landscape of the communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, and
all of America. We are forever grateful for his service and are
proud to present him with the distinguished recognition of a
Congressional Gold Medal.
SEC. 3. 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 Dr. Norman C. Francis, in
recognition of his contributions to the United States.
(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.
The design shall bear an image of, and inscription of the name of, Dr.
Norman C. Francis.
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold
medal struck pursuant to section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the
cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses.
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.
(a) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to 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. 6. 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
under this Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate
bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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