[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 533 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 533

   To provide for a medal of appropriate design to be awarded by the 
     President to the next of kin or other representative of those 
 individuals killed as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 
                               11, 2001.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 5, 2003

Mr. Schumer (for himself, Mr. Specter, Mr. Santorum, and Mrs. Clinton) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
            Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide for a medal of appropriate design to be awarded by the 
     President to the next of kin or other representative of those 
 individuals killed as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 
                               11, 2001.

    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 ``Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) since September 11, 2001, the United States has been 
        engaged in a war different from any other in our Nation's 
        history;
            (2) in the eyes of the terrorists, we are all the enemy, 
        and the term ``innocent civilian'' has no meaning for such 
        terrorists;
            (3) the deaths by airplane at the World Trade Center, at 
        the Pentagon, and in rural Pennsylvania represent an escalation 
        of direct terrorist attacks on civilians;
            (4) the officers, emergency workers, and other employees of 
        State and local government agencies, including the Port 
        Authority of New York and New Jersey, and of the United States 
        Government and others, who responded to the attacks on the 
        World Trade Center in New York City and perished as a result of 
        the tragic events of September 11, 2001 (including those who 
        are missing and presumed dead), took heroic and noble action on 
        that day;
            (5) the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, 
        recognizing the potential danger that the aircraft that they 
        were aboard posed to large numbers of innocent Americans, 
        American institutions, and the symbols of American democracy, 
        took heroic and noble action to ensure that the aircraft could 
        not be used as a weapon; and
            (6) given the unprecedented nature of the attacks against 
        the United States of America and the need to properly 
        demonstrate the support of the country for the victims of 
        terrorism, it is fitting that their sacrifice be recognized 
        with the award of an appropriate medal.

SEC. 3. FALLEN HEROES OF 9/11 CONGRESSIONAL MEDALS.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The President may present on behalf 
of Congress, to the personal representative or next of kin of each 
individual referred to in subsection (c), a medal of appropriate 
design, as described in subsection (b)(1), such medals to be known as 
``Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Congressional Medals'', in recognition of the 
sacrifice made by each such individual, and to honor their deaths on 
and following September 11, 2001.
    (b) Design and Striking.--
            (1) In general.--For purposes of the presentations referred 
        to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (in this 
        Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike 3 medals, of 
        such content and with such suitable emblems, devices, and 
        inscriptions as the Secretary determines to be appropriate to 
        be representative of and in honor of, respectively--
                    (A) victims of the attack at the World Trade 
                Center, including civilians, public safety officers, 
                emergency workers, and hijack victims;
                    (B) victims aboard United Airlines Flight 93 that 
                crashed in Pennsylvania; and
                    (C) victims at the Pentagon, including the hijack 
                victims.
            (2) Consultation.--Before making a final determination with 
        respect to the design of the medal under this subsection, the 
        Secretary shall consult with the Secretary of Defense and such 
        other parties as the Secretary may determine to be appropriate.
    (c) Eligibility To Receive Medal.--
            (1) In general.--Any individual who died on or after 
        September 11, 2001, as a direct result of the act of terrorism 
        within the United States on that date, shall be eligible for a 
        medal referred to in subsection (a).
            (2) Determination.--Eligibility under paragraph (1) shall 
        be determined by the Secretary, in consultation with such other 
        officers of the United States Government and State and local 
        officials as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
            (3) Terrorism defined.--For purposes of this section and 
        section 4, the term ``act of terrorism'' means the 
        premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated 
        against the United States on September 11, 2001.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    (a) Recipients of Duplicate Medals.--The Secretary shall strike 
duplicates of the medals struck pursuant to section 3 for presentation 
to each precinct house, firehouse, emergency response station, or other 
duty station or place of employment to which each person referred to in 
subsection (b) of this section was assigned on September 11, 2001, for 
permanent display in each such place in a manner befitting the memory 
of such person.
    (b) Public Safety, Emergency, and Other Workers--Persons referred 
to in this subsection are officers, emergency workers, and other 
employees of State and local government agencies, including the Port 
Authority of New York and New Jersey, and of the United States 
Government and others, who responded to the attacks on the World Trade 
Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, and perished as a direct 
result of that act of terrorism (including those who are missing and 
presumed dead).

SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF LISTS OF RECIPIENTS.

    (a) Initial Lists.--Before the end of the 120-day period beginning 
on the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish--
            (1) a list of the names of individuals eligible to receive 
        a medal under section 3, as described in section 3(c)(1), 
        during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, and ending 
        on the date of enactment of this Act; and
            (2) a list of the eligible recipients of a duplicate medal 
        under section 4.
    (b) Subsequent Eligibility.--If any individual becomes eligible for 
a medal, as described in section 3(c)(1), or any other recipient 
becomes eligible for a duplicate medal, as described in section 4, the 
Secretary shall promptly add the name of that individual or recipient 
to the appropriate list established pursuant to subsection (a).

SEC. 6. SALES TO THE PUBLIC TO DEFRAY COSTS.

    Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the 
Secretary may strike and sell duplicates of the medals struck under 
this Act, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals 
(including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead 
expenses).

SEC. 7. NATIONAL MEDALS.

    The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for 
purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
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