[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2598 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2598

To grant a congressional gold medal to American military personnel who 
 fought in defense of Bataan/Corregidor/Luzon between December 7, 1941 
                            and May 6, 1942.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 21, 2009

 Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Sestak, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
Rodriguez, Mr. Massa, Mr. Altmire, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. McGovern, 
Mr. Spratt, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. Connolly of Virginia, Mr. Reyes, 
Mr. Hinchey, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Teague, Ms. Kosmas, Mr. Hare, 
     Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Honda, Mr. Conaway, and Mr. Franks of Arizona) 
 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 a congressional gold medal to American military personnel who 
 fought in defense of Bataan/Corregidor/Luzon between December 7, 1941 
                            and May 6, 1942.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces attacked Clark 
        Field, Luzon, Philippines Islands.
            (2) By May 6, 1942, military personnel from the United 
        States and the Philippines had bravely and staunchly fought off 
        enemy attacks for more than 5 months under strenuous conditions 
        that resulted in starvation and disease.
            (3) 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.
            (4) On April 9, 1942, then-Brigadier General Edward King 
        surrendered the combined forces of the United States and the 
        Philippines on the Bataan Peninsula into enemy hands.
            (5) Over the next week, the soldiers from the United States 
        and the Philippines were taken prisoner and forced to march 65 
        miles without any food, water, or medical care in what came to 
        be know as the Bataan Death March.
            (6) During this forced march, thousands of soldiers died, 
        either from starvation, lack of medical care, sheer exhaustion, 
        or abuse by their captors.
            (7) Within the first 40 days at Camp O'Donnell, 1,600 more 
        prisoners from the United States died.
            (8) On May 6, 1942, then-Lieutenant General Jonathan M. 
        Wainwright surrendered the island fortress of Corregidor and 
        its fortified islands into enemy hands.
            (9) Over the next 10 days, prisoners from Corregidor were 
        held in the open, exposed to the elements with little or no 
        food or water.
            (10) They were subsequently transported to the old Bilibid 
        Prison in Manila and held several more days until they were 
        loaded into cattle rail cars for transport, followed by a 
        forced march of over 20 miles to Cabanatuan.
            (11) The conditions at the camp were substandard, leading 
        to increased disease and malnutrition among the prisoners.
            (12) On June 6, 1942, United States prisoners were 
        transferred from Camp O'Donnell to Cabanatuan.
            (13) In July 1942, all Filipino prisoners were paroled.
            (14) The prisoners who remained in the camps suffered from 
        continued mistreatment, malnutrition, lack of medical care, and 
        horrific conditions.
            (15) In 1945, all prisoners were liberated.
            (16) Over the subsequent decades, these prisoners formed 
        support groups, were honored in local and State memorials, and 
        told their story to all people of the United States.
            (17) Many of these soldiers have now passed away, and those 
        who remain continue to tell their story.
            (18) The people of the United States are forever indebted 
        to these men for--
                    (A) the courage they demonstrated during the first 
                5 months of World War II in fighting against enemy 
                soldiers; and
                    (B) the perseverance they demonstrated during 3 1/2 
                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 the soldiers from the United 
States who were prisoners of war at Bataan/Corregidor/Luzon, 
collectively, in recognition of their personal sacrifice and service to 
their country.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the award under 
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/Corregidor/Luzon under 
        subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the 
        Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be displayed as 
        appropriate and made available for research.
            (2) Sense of the congress.--It is the sense of the Congress 
        that the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal 
        received under paragraph (1) available for display at other 
        locations, particularly such locations as are associated with 
        those who fought in defense of Bataan/Corregidor/Luzon and the 
        prisoners of war.

SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    (a) Striking of Duplicates.--Under such regulations as the 
Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary may strike duplicates in bronze 
of the gold medal struck under section 2.
    (b) Selling of Duplicates.--The Secretary may sell such duplicates 
under subsection (a) at a price sufficient to cover the costs of such 
duplicates, 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 medal 
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.
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