Thomas W. Dortch, Jr. Congressional Gold Medal Act

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 973 To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Thomas W. Dortch, Jr., in recogni- tion of his unique and substantial contributions across America in lifting marginalized people, communities, and institutions that continue to strug- gle for economic mobility, access to greater opportunities, equity, and equality for all people. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 9, 2023 Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia (for herself, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mrs. MCBATH, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, and Mr. BISHOP of Georgia) in- troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Fi- nancial Services A BILL To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Thomas W. Dortch, Jr., in recognition of his unique and substantial contribu- tions across America in lifting marginalized people, com- munities, and institutions that continue to struggle for economic mobility, access to greater opportunities, equity, and equality for all people. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as ‘‘Thomas W. Dortch, Jr. 4 Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Mar 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H973.IH H973 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 973 IH SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 The Congress finds the following: 2 (1) Thomas W. Dortch, Jr., was born April 12, 3 1950, in Toccoa, Georgia, to Lizzie Dortch and 4 Thomas W. Dortch, Sr., and went on to become an 5 influential leader and mentor as well as a successful 6 businessperson and crusader for equal justice. 7 (2) After graduating from Whitman Street 8 High School in 1968, Dortch attended Fort Valley 9 State University in Fort Valley, Georgia, and grad- 10 uated with a bachelor of arts in sociology in 1972. 11 That year, he began his formal career by seeking to 12 aid disenfranchised people through proposing 13 projects for the State of Georgia. In 1974, he be- 14 came the associate director of the Georgia Demo- 15 cratic Party. In 1978, Dortch began working as an 16 administrative aide for Senator Sam Nunn of Geor- 17 gia and eventually became State Director, the first 18 African American to serve in this position. Dortch 19 worked tirelessly to represent the interests of small 20 businesses, minorities, and other marginalized indi- 21 viduals and institutions. 22 (3) In 1986, Dortch joined the 100 Black Men 23 of America, an international mentoring program in- 24 tended to improve the quality of life and opportuni- 25 ties for education and employment for African 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Mar 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H973.IH H973 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 973 IH Americans. He served as chairman of 100 Black 1 Men of Atlanta and became the chairman of 100 2 Black Men of America’s national board of directors. 3 That same year, he earned his master of arts in 4 criminal justice administration from Clark Atlanta 5 University and married Carole Dortch. 6 (4) In 1994, after more than 16 years of gov- 7 ernment service, Dortch left his position to pursue 8 his own business interests. He became CEO of the 9 consulting firm TWD, Inc., and Atlanta Transpor- 10 tation Systems, Inc., a Fulton County paratransit 11 company. He still holds both positions. 12 (5) Dortch has won numerous awards high- 13 lighting his achievements, including a Presidential 14 Citation for volunteerism from President Barack 15 Obama, the Martin Luther King, Jr., Distinguished 16 Service Award, and the Concerned Black Clergy’s 17 Salute to Black Fathers Leadership Award. Dortch 18 has four children. His unique and substantial con- 19 tributions across America in lifting marginalized 20 people, communities, and institutions that continue 21 to struggle for economic mobility, access to greater 22 opportunities, equity, and equality for all people. 23 (6) Dortch is an institution builder that in- 24 cluded founding the National Black College Alumni 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Mar 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H973.IH H973 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 973 IH Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc., cofounding the 1 Georgia Association of Minority Entrepreneurs 2 (GAME) to fill a void as an advocacy organization 3 for minority business development, and cofounding 4 the Greater Atlanta Economic Alliance as a capacity 5 building and business development organization for 6 the construction and transportation industries. 7 (7) Dortch is the recipient of numerous awards 8 and honors that celebrate his efforts, a partial list 9 includes: listed in the 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 10 May editions of Ebony magazine as one of the 100 11 Most Influential African Americans; listed in Spring 12 2001 through 2014 Publications of Atlanta Business 13 Chronicle as one of the 100 Most Influential Atlan- 14 tans; 2008 Community Service Professional of the 15 Year Award; 2008 FraserNet Community Service 16 Award; and 2008 Global Leadership Empowerment 17 Award. 18 (8) Dortch’s volunteer board service includes 19 serving on the Board of Trustees of Leadership At- 20 lanta, Vice Chairman of the Board, Grady Memorial 21 Hospital Corporation, Chairman of the Board, 22 Friendship Force International, Chairman of the 23 Board, Fulton/DeKalb County Hospital Authority; 24 2010 was inducted into Atlanta Convention and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Mar 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H973.IH H973 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 973 IH Visitors Bureau’s Atlanta Hospitality Hall of Fame; 1 three-term Chairman of the Board, The Atlanta 2 Business League: Chair, Fort Valley State Univer- 3 sity Foundation Board, Member of Operation Hope 4 Board of Trustees, Florida Agricultural and Me- 5 chanical University Board of Trustees, Talladega 6 College Board of Trustees, Clark Atlanta University 7 Board of Trustees, and Chairman of the Board, Na- 8 tional Coalition on Black Civic Participation. 9 (9) In 2019, Dortch was inducted into the 10 International Civil Rights Walk of Fame. The Civil 11 Rights Walk of Fame was created to recognize the 12 courageous soldiers of justice who sacrificed and 13 struggled to make equality a reality for all. Dortch’s 14 footstep impression joined those of civil and human 15 rights icons, such as Rosa Parks, Archbishop Emer- 16 itus Desmond Tutu, Ambassador Andrew Young, 17 Congressman John Lewis, and others. 18 (10) Dortch’s philanthropic and investment ad- 19 vice and counsel, particularly to corporate America, 20 have benefitted countless minority organizations, in- 21 stitutions, and communities across America to real- 22 ize and grow their programming and impact. 23 (11) Dortch received honorary doctors degrees 24 from Fayetteville State University, Jarvis Christian 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Mar 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H973.IH H973 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HR 973 IH College, Fort Valley State University, University of 1 Maryland Eastern Shore, and Livingstone College. 2 (12) Dortch was recently honored by Clark At- 3 lanta University and the National Coalition on Black 4 Civic Participation in 2021 with the creation of the 5 NCBCP Thomas W. Dortch, Jr., Institute for Lead- 6 ership, Civic Engagement, Economic Empowerment, 7 and Social Justice. 8 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 9 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZATION.—The Speaker 10 of the House of Representatives and the President pro 11 tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrange- 12 ments for the presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of 13 a gold medal of appropriate design to Thomas W. Dortch, 14 Jr., in recognition of his unique and substantial contribu- 15 tions across America in lifting marginalized people, com- 16 munities, and institutions that continue to struggle for 17 economic mobility, access to greater opportunities, equity, 18 and equality for all people. 19 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 20 award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 21 Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec- 22 retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 23 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec- 24 retary. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Mar 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H973.IH H973 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 7 •HR 973 IH SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 1 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 2 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3, at 3 a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 4 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 5 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 6 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck pursu- 7 ant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 8 51 of title 31, United States Code. 9 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 10 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 11 struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 12 items. 13 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 14 SALE. 15 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 16 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 17 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec- 18 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under 19 this Act. 20 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 21 sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 22 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 23 Enterprise Fund. 24 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Mar 07, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H973.IH H973 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB