[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3700 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3700

 To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Louis Zamperini, U.S. Olympian 
   and World War II prisoner of war, for his service to the country, 
  sacrifice during the war, and his inspiration to others through his 
                         courage as a survivor.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 16, 2011

  Mr. McCaul introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Louis Zamperini, U.S. Olympian 
   and World War II prisoner of war, for his service to the country, 
  sacrifice during the war, and his inspiration to others through his 
                         courage as a survivor.

    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 ``Louis Zamperini Congressional Gold 
Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Louis Zamperini was born in Olean, New York, on January 
        26, 1917, and was raised in Torrance, California.
            (2) Louis Zamperini attended the University of Southern 
        California where, in 1934, he set a world interscholastic 
        record for the mile, clocking in at 00:04:21.2 at the 
        preliminary meet to the State championships.
            (3) Louis Zamperini ran the 5,000 meter distance event in 
        the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany, the fastest time for 
        an American in the 5,000 distance race that year.
            (4) Selflessly, Louis Zamperini left a promising career as 
        an Olympic athlete and enlisted in the United States Army Air 
        Corps in September 1941.
            (5) While on a rescue mission in 1943, Zamperini along with 
        Russel Allen ``Phil'' Philips and Francis McNamara of the 42nd 
        Bombardment Squadron, 11th Bombardment Group survived a deadly 
        crash of their B-24 bomber, named Green Hornet.
            (6) Zamperini survived 47 days at sea, drifting 
        approximately 2,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean only to wash 
        ashore on the Marshall Islands, where he and Phillips were 
        taken prisoner of war by the Japanese military.
            (7) For over two years, Zamperini endured the horrific 
        conditions of his captivity in several Japanese P.O.W. camps, 
        where he was singled out by guards for extreme forms of torture 
        because of his celebrity status as an Olympic athlete.
            (8) Though the War Department notified his family that 
        Zamperini was killed in action, Zamperini survived his 
        captivity and returned home upon the liberation of Japan.
            (9) For his distinguished service during World War II, 
        Captain Zamperini was awarded the Purple Heart, the 
        Distinguished Flying Cross, and a Prisoner of War Medal.
            (10) Louis Zamperini overcame severe post traumatic stress 
        disorder from his time as a prisoner of war to dedicate his 
        life to inspiring others and being an example for other 
        soldiers to follow.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of 
Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make 
appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of the 
Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Louis Zamperini, in 
recognition of his service to the country, sacrifice during the war, 
and his inspiration to others through his courage as a survivor.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the presentation 
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions to 
be determined by the Secretary.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    Under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may 
prescribe, the Secretary may strike duplicate medals in bronze of the 
gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 and sell such duplicate medals 
at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the duplicate medals 
(including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead 
expenses) and the cost of the gold medal.

SEC. 5. NATIONAL MEDALS.

    (a) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to 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. 6. FUNDING.

    (a) Authorization of Charges.--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 by this 
Act.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
bronze medals under section 4 shall be deposited in the United States 
Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
                                 <all>