[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5315 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5315

To grant the Congressional Gold Medal to a group of soldiers from World 
                                War II.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 7, 2008

   Mr. Udall of New Mexico 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 grant the Congressional Gold Medal to a group of soldiers from World 
                                War II.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) In April 1942, nearly 12,000 American soldiers and 
        67,000 Filipino soldiers based at Bataan, Philippines, bravely 
        and staunchly fought off enemy attacks for more than 4 months 
        while under strenuous conditions that resulted in starvation 
        and disease.
            (2) By maintaining their position and engaging the enemy 
        for as long as they did, the soldiers at Bataan were able to 
        redefine the momentum of the war and provide other United 
        States and Allied forces throughout the Pacific with time to 
        plan and prepare for subsequent, crucial battles.
            (3) On April 9, 1942, Maj. General Edward King surrendered 
        these troops into enemy hands.
            (4) Over the next week, these prisoners were forced to 
        march 65 miles without any food, water or medical care in what 
        came to be know as the Bataan Death March.
            (5) During this forced march, thousands of soldiers died, 
        either from starvation, lack of medical care, sheer exhaustion, 
        or from abuse by their captors.
            (6) Within the first 40 days at Camp O'Donnell, 1,600 more 
        American prisoners died.
            (7) The conditions at the camp were substandard, leading to 
        increased disease and malnutrition among the prisoners.
            (8) On June 6, 1942, the American prisoners were 
        transferred to Cabanatuan, north of Camp O'Donnell. In July, 
        all Filipino prisoners were paroled.
            (9) These prisoners suffered from continued mistreatment, 
        malnutrition, lack of medical care, and horrific conditions.
            (10) The prisoners who remained in these camps were 
        liberated in 1945 and returned home.
            (11) Over the subsequent decades, these prisoners formed 
        support groups, were honored in local and State memorials, and 
        told their story to all Americans.
            (12) Many of these soldiers have now passed away, and those 
        who remain continue to tell their story.
            (13) The United States is forever indebted to these men for 
        the courage they demonstrated during the first 4 months of 
        World War II in fighting against enemy soldiers, and for the 
        perseverance they sustained during 3 years of capture, 
        imprisonment, and atrocious conditions while maintaining 
        dignity, honor, patriotism, and loyalty.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Award Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of Representatives 
and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate 
arrangements for the award, on behalf of the Congress, of a single gold 
medal of appropriate design in honor of American soldiers who were 
prisoners of war at Bataan, collectively, in recognition of their 
personal sacrifice and service to their country.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award referred to 
in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act 
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike the 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 in 
        honor of the prisoners of war at Bataan under subsection (a), 
        the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, 
        where it will be displayed as appropriate and made available 
        for research.
            (2) Sense.--It is the sense of the Congress that the 
        Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal received 
        under paragraph (1) available for display elsewhere, 
        particularly at other appropriate locations associated with the 
        prisoners of war at Bataan.

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 under section 2, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the 
medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
overhead expenses.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.

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

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, an 
amount not to exceed $30,000 to pay for the cost of the medals 
authorized under section 2.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
bronze medals under section 3 shall be deposited in the United States 
Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
                                 <all>