[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5283 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5283
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Robert M. Gates, in recognition
of his service to the United States as an intelligence professional,
Secretary of Defense, and educator and leader for young people of the
United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 25, 2024
Mr. Moran (for himself, Mr. Carper, Mr. Thune, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Wicker,
Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Romney, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Young,
Mr. King, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Britt, Mrs.
Hyde-Smith, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Capito, Ms. Ernst,
and Mrs. Murray) 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 Robert M. Gates, in recognition
of his service to the United States as an intelligence professional,
Secretary of Defense, and educator and leader for young people of the
United States.
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 ``Robert M. Gates Congressional Gold
Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Robert ``Bob'' M. Gates was born on September 25, 1943,
in Wichita, Kansas. He stated in 2007, ``Kansas imparts to its
children three characteristics that have been a source of
strength to me over the years: a rejection of cynicism, and
enduring optimism and idealism.''.
(2) Bob Gates joined the Boy Scouts of America and attained
the rank of Eagle Scout.
(3) Graduating from Wichita East High School, Bob Gates
matriculated at the College of William & Mary before completing
graduate studies at Indiana University and a doctorate at
Georgetown University.
(4) Bob Gates was recruited to the Central Intelligence
Agency in 1966, beginning a life of continuous public service
for the next 27 years. In this span, Bob Gates worked for 6
Presidents of both parties and 8 Directors of Central
Intelligence.
(5) In January 1967, Bob Gates took leave from the Central
Intelligence Agency and was commissioned as a second lieutenant
in the United States Air Force, serving for 1 year as an
intelligence officer at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
(6) Returning to the Central Intelligence Agency in January
1968, Bob Gates began his career as an analyst specializing in
the Soviet Union in August of that year. Thus began his rise to
become the Deputy Director for Intelligence, Deputy Director of
Central Intelligence, including 6 months as Acting Director,
and finally the first analyst to serve as Director of Central
Intelligence.
(7) Bob Gates served on the National Security Council under
4 presidents beginning with President Richard Nixon. He
likewise served on the Council under Presidents Gerald Ford,
Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush.
(8) As Deputy National Security Advisor to National
Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft under President George H.W.
Bush, Bob Gates was integral to restoring a national security
process damaged in the wake of the Iran-Contra scandal.
(9) Bob Gates was appointed by Scowcroft as ``Assistant to
the President'' and chaired the Deputies Committee of the
National Security Council, which became, in the words of
political scientist Bartholomew Sparrow, ``the Bush
administration's workhorse for making national security
policy''.
(10) In this capacity, Bob Gates played an essential role
in crafting policies that peacefully ended the Cold War with
the Soviet Union, supported democratic transitions in Eastern
Europe, unified Germany under the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, ejected Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces from
occupying Kuwait, and engaged a rising China.
(11) Bob Gates served as the 22nd Secretary of Defense of
the United States, leading the military of the United States
for 4 \1/2\ years and was the first to serve in this position
under Presidents of both political parties.
(12) Bob Gates led transitions to strategies in Iraq and
Afghanistan to combat insurgencies in each country.
(13) Prioritizing the well-being of the service members of
the United States, Bob Gates fast-tracked the acquisition of
armored vehicles to ensure more men and women in uniform
returned home alive, and, in the words of then-Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, ``[H]e demanded when
they did come home, they were given all the respect and the
dignity and the care and the support they needed to get on with
their lives.''.
(14) Bob Gates, again in the words of Admiral Mullen,
spurred the Pentagon ``to find new efficiencies and new
business practices'' making the Department of Defense ``a
better steward of taxpayer dollars''.
(15) Outside of government service, Bob Gates has been
committed to the youth and young adults in the United States.
(16) Bob Gates served as president of the National Eagle
Scout Association and, from 2014 to 2016, as President of the
Boys Scouts of America. Under his leadership, the Boy Scouts of
America strengthened its volunteer leadership, prioritized
diversity and outreach to disadvantaged youth, and arrested
membership decline.
(17) Bob Gates filled roles in institutions of higher
learning in the United States, most notably as President of
Texas A&M University until his appointment as Secretary
Defense, and as Chancellor of the College of William & Mary.
(18) Bob Gates is the author of 4 books, including 2
memoirs of his time in public service, a study on leadership,
and a defense for enhancing the nonmilitary tools of the United
States to conduct foreign policy.
(19) Multiple Presidents of the United States have
specially honored Bob Gates for his distinguished career of
public service.
(20) President George H.W. Bush awarded Bob Gates the
second highest civilian award in the United States, the
Presidential Citizens Medal, in 1992, declaring, ``Robert Gates
has dedicated himself to the national security and national
interest. As Deputy National Security Advisor, he chaired a
small group of senior officials around the clock to resolve the
Gulf crisis, and ably managed the interagency coordination
central to the vindication of fundamental principles of peace.
His great skill was indispensable to our historic
accomplishments in the Gulf.''.
(21) President Barack Obama presented Bob Gates with the
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in
the United States, in 2011. The citation declares Bob Gates
``has selflessly dedicated his life to ensuring the security of
the American people. He has served eight Presidents of both
parties with unwavering patriotism. . . . The United States
honors Robert M. Gates for his extraordinary leadership and for
a lifetime of service and devotion to our nation.''.
(22) Bob Gates has received numerous other honors from the
Federal Government, including the National Security Medal, the
National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal,
Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the United States Army
Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, the United States
Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, and the United States
Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service.
(23) Among other honors, 12 different universities have
bestowed Bob Gates with an honorary doctorate and the Boy
Scouts of America granted him the Distinguished Service Award,
the Silver Buffalo Award, and the Vigil Honor. In 2011, after
his departure from the Pentagon and public service, Foreign
Policy magazine named Bob Gates ``America's last bipartisan
figure''.
(24) In a tribute to Bob Gates, President Barack Obama
said, ``I believe the life of Bob Gates is a lesson, especially
to young Americans, a lesson that public service is an
honorable calling; that we can pass our country, better and
stronger, to those who follow. . . . In his willingness to
become the first Secretary of Defense to serve under Presidents
of both parties, the integrity of Bob Gates is also a reminder,
especially to folks here in Washington, that civility and
respectful discourse, and citizenship over partisanship are not
quaint relics of a bygone era; they are the timeless virtues
that we need now more than ever. For whatever differences of
party or ideology we may have, we can only keep America strong
if we remember what keeps America great--our ability to come
together to work together, as Americans, for a common
purpose.''.
(25) By virtue of his career in public and private life,
Bob Gates has exemplified commitment to the security and well-
being of the United States, and has earned the respect of
people of the United States throughout the country.
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 Robert M. Gates, in
recognition for his service to the United States as an intelligence
professional, Secretary of Defense, and educator and leader for young
people of the United States.
(b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation
described 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. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold
medal struck under section 3 at a price sufficient to cover the costs
of the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses.
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.
(a) National Medals.--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 section 5134 and section
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.
<all>