[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 254 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.254

                       One Hundred Tenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday,
            the third day of January, two thousand and eight


                                 An Act


 
To award posthumously a Congressional gold medal to Constantino Brumidi.

    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) On July 26, 1805, Constantino Brumidi was born in Rome, 
    Italy of an Italian mother and a Greek father who inspired him with 
    a love of liberty.
        (2) While Constantino Brumidi's Greek ancestry stirred his 
    passion for liberty and citizenship, his Italian heritage provided 
    the art styles of the Renaissance and the Baroque which influenced 
    the artwork of the United States Capitol.
        (3) Constantino Brumidi became a citizen of the United States 
    as soon as he was able, embracing its history, values, and ideals.
        (4) Beginning in 1855, Constantino Brumidi designed and 
    decorated 1 House and 5 Senate committee rooms in the Capitol, as 
    well as the Senate Reception Room, the Office of the Vice 
    President, and, most notably, the President's Room, which 
    represents Brumidi's supreme effort ``to make beautiful the 
    Capitol'' of the United States.
        (5) In 1865, Constantino Brumidi completed in just 11 months 
    his masterpiece, ``The Apotheosis of Washington'', in the eye of 
    the Capitol dome.
        (6) In 1871, Constantino Brumidi created the first tribute to 
    an African American in the Capitol when he placed the figure of 
    Crispus Attucks at the center of his fresco of the Boston Massacre.
        (7) In 1878, Constantino Brumidi, at the age of 72 and in poor 
    health, began work on the Rotunda frieze, which chronicles the 
    history of America.
        (8) On February 19, 1880, Constantino Brumidi died at the age 
    of 74, four and a half months after slipping and nearly falling 
    from a scaffold while working on the Rotunda frieze.
        (9) Constantino Brumidi, proud of his artistic accomplishments 
    and devoted to his adopted country, said, ``My one ambition and my 
    daily prayer is that I may live long enough to make beautiful the 
    Capitol of the one country on earth in which there is liberty.''.
        (10) Constantino Brumidi's life and work exemplify the lives of 
    millions of immigrants who came to pursue the American dream.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
    (a) Presentation Authorized.--
        (1) In general.--The Speaker of the House of Representatives 
    and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate 
    arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of 
    Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Constantino 
    Brumidi, in recognition of his contributions to the Nation.
        (2) Display of medal in capitol visitor center.--The Architect 
    of the Capitol shall arrange for the gold medal presented under 
    this subsection to be displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center, as 
    part of an exhibit honoring Constantino Brumidi.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred 
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in 
this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with suitable 
emblems, devices, and inscriptions to be determined by the Secretary.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medal struck pursuant to section 2 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, and the cost of the gold medal.
SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS.
    (a) National Medals.--The medals struck under 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. 5. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
    (a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to be 
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, such 
amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck 
pursuant to this Act.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
bronze medals authorized under section 3 shall be deposited into the 
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.