This bill directs Congress to present a Congressional Gold Medal to Mahatma Gandhi in recognition of his promotion of nonviolence. The Department of the Treasury must design and produce the medal and is authorized to sell bronze duplicates. The Smithsonian Institution shall display the medal and make it available for research.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5022 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5022
To posthumously award a Congressional gold medal to Mahatma Gandhi in
recognition of his contributions to the Nation by the promotion of
nonviolence.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 13, 2021
Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York (for herself, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr.
Krishnamoorthi, and Mr. Carson) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to
the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To posthumously award a Congressional gold medal to Mahatma Gandhi in
recognition of his contributions to the Nation by the promotion of
nonviolence.
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) Few people have had as significant and as positive an
impact on the world and freedom than Mohandas Karamchand
Gandhi.
(2) Gandhi led the Indian people to independence from
British rule in August 1947 through non-violent means, staging
massive peaceful demonstrations against poverty while
supporting women's rights and religious tolerance.
(3) Gandhi's legacy has inspired hundreds of millions of
people around the world to pursue non-violence as a means to
achieve freedom and equality, including Martin Luther King,
Jr.'s movement to end racial injustice in the United States and
Nelson Mandela's fight to end apartheid in South Africa.
(4) For his efforts, Gandhi was given the title of Mahatma,
or ``Great Soul'' and was often called Bapu in India, which
means ``father''.
(5) Over 2,000,000 people attended Gandhi's funeral and his
memory and teachings persist still today.
(6) October 2, Gandhi's birthday was declared as
International Day of Non-Violence by the United Nations to
``disseminate the message of non-violence, including through
education and public awareness'' and reaffirm ``the universal
relevance of the principle of non-violence'' and desire ``to
secure a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding through
non-violence''.
(7) Ensuring that people around the globe know about,
understand, and adopt Gandhi's principles of ahimsa (non-
violence), satyagraha (appeal to, insistence on, or reliance on
the Truth), and swaraj (self-rule) are more important than
ever.
SEC. 2. 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 Mahatma Gandhi, in
recognition of his contributions to the Nation by the promotion of
nonviolence.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the presentation
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury
(hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike
a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions to be
determined by the Secretary.
(c) Smithsonian Institution.--
(1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal
under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the
Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be available for
display as appropriate and made available for research.
(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal received
under paragraph (1) available for display at other locations,
particularly such locations as are associated with Mahatma
Gandhi.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the
Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal
struck pursuant to section 2 at a price sufficient to cover the cost of
the bronze medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery,
and overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold medal.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.
The medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes
of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
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Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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