Kyle H. Rittenhouse Congressional Gold Medal Act
This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Kyle H. Rittenhouse in recognition of his efforts to protect the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, from mob violence on August 25, 2020.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6070 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6070
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Kyle H. Rittenhouse, who
protected the community of Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a Black Lives
Matter (BLM) riot on August 25, 2020.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 23, 2021
Mrs. Greene of Georgia 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 award a Congressional Gold Medal to Kyle H. Rittenhouse, who
protected the community of Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a Black Lives
Matter (BLM) riot on August 25, 2020.
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 ``Kyle H. Rittenhouse Congressional
Gold Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Throughout the summer of 2020, local governments across
various cities and States failed to adequately protect
residents and their property from violent riots that included
arson, looting, and murder.
(2) On August 25, 2020, a violent BLM riot broke out in
Kenosha, Wisconsin, putting tens of thousands of lives at risk
and leaving property vulnerable to destruction.
(3) The courageous actions taken in response to the threat
to his community by Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from the
greater Kenosha area, went beyond the civilian call of duty.
(4) Kyle Rittenhouse traveled to the site of the riot with
a medical kit to provide aid to those injured by the rioters;
he also carried a fire extinguisher to help put out fires at
various properties started by arsonists.
(5) Kyle Rittenhouse disarmed a pistol-wielding individual
with a lengthy criminal record, including driving while
intoxicated and carrying a firearm while intoxicated.
(6) Corporate media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, and the
Washington Post, and certain Members of Congress, unjustly
attacked Kyle Rittenhouse's character before his eventual
acquittal, a direct contradiction to the legal principle that a
person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
(7) On November 19, 2021, Kyle Rittenhouse was found ``not
guilty'' on all charges by a jury of his peers, rendering the
slanderous and libelous content of the aforementioned corporate
media and certain Members of Congress against him susceptible
to charges of defamation.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS.
(a) Presentation Authorization.--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 the
Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Kyle H. Rittenhouse,
who protected the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, from mob violence on
August 25, 2020.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the presentation
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter
in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike gold medals
with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by
the Secretary.
(c) Disposition of Medals.--Following the award of the gold medal
under subsection (a):
(1) Kyle h. rittenhouse.--One gold medal shall be given to
Kyle H. Rittenhouse.
(2) Kenosha county courthouse.--One gold medal shall be
given to the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin,
so that the medal may be displayed in commemoration of the
members of the jury who reaffirmed the constitutional right to
self-defense.
(3) Smithsonian institution.--
(A) In general.--One gold medal shall be given to
the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be
available for display as appropriate and available for
research.
(B) Plaque.--In displaying the gold medal given
under subparagraph (A), the Smithsonian Institution
shall display the medal with a plaque that denotes Kyle
Rittenhouse as a defender of his community against the
BLM riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 25, 2020.
(C) Sense of the congress.--It is the sense of the
Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should make
the gold medal given under subparagraph (A) available
for display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate
locations associated with the protection of American
cities during the BLM riots of the summer of 2020.
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold
medals struck pursuant to section 3 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.
SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that the United States Mint should
expedite production of the gold medals and duplicate medals under this
Act, so that the heroic and protective actions of Kyle H. Rittenhouse
on August 25, 2020, in Kenosha can be recognized and honored in a
timely manner.
SEC. 6. 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 section 5134 of title 31,
United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be
considered to be numismatic items.
SEC. 7. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES.
The Secretary of the Treasury shall take such actions as may be
necessary to ensure that the minting and issuing of coins under this
Act will not result in any net cost to the United States Government.
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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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