Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal in recognition of Constantino Brumidi's contributions to the Nation as a designer and decorator of the U.S. Capitol.
Requires the Architect of the Capitol to arrange for the gold medal to be displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center as part of an exhibit honoring Constantino Brumidi.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3138 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3138
To award posthumously a Congressional gold medal to Constantino
Brumidi.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 30, 2005
Mr. Mica (for himself, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Fossella, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr.
Israel, Ms. Norton, Mr. Payne, Mr. McCotter, Ms. Corrine Brown of
Florida, Mr. Tancredo, and Ms. DeLauro) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To award posthumously a Congressional gold medal to Constantino
Brumidi.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) On July 26, 1805, Constantino Brumidi was born in Rome,
Italy of an Italian mother and a Greek father who inspired him
with a love of liberty.
(2) While Constantino Brumidi's Greek ancestry stirred his
passion for liberty and citizenship, his Italian heritage
provided the art styles of the Renaissance and the Baroque
which influenced the artwork of the United States Capitol.
(3) Constantino Brumidi became a citizen of the United
States as soon as he was able, embracing its history, values,
and ideals.
(4) Beginning in 1855, Constantino Brumidi designed and
decorated one House and five Senate committee rooms in the
Capitol, as well as the Senate Reception Room, the Office of
the Vice President, and, most notably, the President's Room,
which represents Brumidi's supreme effort ``to make beautiful
the Capitol'' of the United States.
(5) In 1865 Constantino Brumidi completed in just 11 months
his masterpiece, ``The Apotheosis of Washington,'' in the eye
of the Capitol dome.
(6) In 1871 Constantino Brumidi created the first tribute
to an African American in the Capitol when he placed the figure
of Crispus Attucks at the center of his fresco of the Boston
Massacre.
(7) In 1878 Constantino Brumidi at the age of 72 and in
poor health, began work on the Rotunda frieze, which chronicles
the history of America.
(8) On February 19, 1880, Constantino Brumidi died at the
age of 74, four and a half months after slipping and nearly
falling from a scaffold while working on the Rotunda frieze.
(9) Constantino Brumidi, proud of his artistic
accomplishments and devoted to his adopted country, said, ``My
one ambition and my daily prayer is that I may live long enough
to make beautiful the Capitol of the one country on earth in
which there is liberty.''.
(10) Constantino Brumidi's life and work exemplify the
lives of millions of immigrants who came to pursue the American
dream.
(11) 2005 marks the bicentennial of Constantino Brumidi's
birth.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--
(1) In general.--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 in
recognition of the contributions of Constantino Brumidi to the
Nation.
(2) Display of medal in capitol visitor center.--The
Architect of the Capitol shall arrange for the gold medal
presented under this subsection to be displayed in the Capitol
Visitor Center as part of an exhibit honoring Constantino
Brumidi.
(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 section 5134 of title 31,
Unites 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.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology.
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