[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1854 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1854

To authorize the President to present congressional gold medals to the 
 Native American Code Talkers in recognition of their contributions to 
            the Nation during World War I and World War II.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

            December 19 (legislative day, December 18), 2001

  Mr. Johnson introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
    referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the President to present congressional gold medals to the 
 Native American Code Talkers in recognition of their contributions to 
            the Nation during World War I and World War II.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL MEDALS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) not fewer than 17 Indian tribes have been identified as 
        having served as code talkers during World War I and World War 
        II;
            (2) during World War I, 15 members of the Oklahoma Choctaw 
        served as code talkers in the 36th Infantry Division;
            (3) during World War II, many Native Americans served as 
        code talkers, including--
                    (A) members of the Lakota-Dakota and Sioux Tribes, 
                many of whom served in the 3d Battalion and the 302d 
                Reconnaissance Team, First Cavalry Division;
                    (B) 17 members of the Commanche Tribe;
                    (C) members of the Hopi Tribe, many of whom served 
                in the 223d Battalion;
                    (D) 27 members of the Sac and Fox Tribe of Iowa, 19 
                of whom served in the 18th Iowa Infantry;
                    (E) members of the Choctaw Tribe, many of whom 
                served in Company K, 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th 
                Division;
                    (F) 5 members of the Assiniboine Tribe;
                    (G) members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, most 
                of whom served in the 195th Field Artillery Battalion; 
                and
                    (H) members of the Muscogee Creek Tribe, most of 
                whom served in the Aleutian Islands campaign;
            (4) in December 2000, Congress recognized the Navajo Code 
        Talkers by authorizing the presentation of gold and silver 
        medals to the Navajo Code Talkers and posthumously to their 
        surviving family members;
            (5) all Native American Code Talkers have performed an 
        important service to the preservation of democracy, and deserve 
        proper recognition, which is long overdue;
            (6) because the code was so successful, the Native American 
        Code Talkers are credited with saving the lives of countless 
        American and Allied Forces during World War II; and
            (7) Native Americans continue to be one of the most 
        represented and decorated ethnic groups in the United States 
        Armed Forces.
    (b) Congressional Medals Authorized.--
            (1) Presentation authorized.--To express recognition by the 
        United States and its citizens of the achievements of the 
        Native American Code Talkers, the President is authorized to 
        award to each of the Native American Code Talkers, or a 
        surviving family member, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal of 
        appropriate design.
            (2) Design and striking.--For purposes of the awards 
        authorized by paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Treasury (in 
        this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike 
        gold medals with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, 
        to be determined by the Secretary.
    (c) Duplicate Medals.--The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates 
in bronze of the medals struck pursuant to this section, under such 
regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, and at a price sufficient 
to cover the costs thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of 
machinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the medals.
    (d) Status as National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to this 
section are national medals for purposes of chapter 51, of title 31, 
United States Code.
    (e) Funding.--
            (1) Authority to use fund amounts.--There is authorized to 
        be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise 
        Fund, such sums as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the 
        medals authorized by this section.
            (2) Proceeds of sale.--Amounts received from the sale of 
        duplicate medals under this section shall be deposited in the 
        United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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