[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1239 Referred in House (RFH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1239


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 12, 2011

            Referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
   To provide for a medal of appropriate design to be awarded by the 
President to the memorials established at the 3 sites honoring the men 
  and women who perished as a result of the terrorist attacks on the 
                  United States on 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) the tragic deaths at the World Trade Center, at the 
        Pentagon, and in rural Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, have 
        forever changed our Nation;
            (2) 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;
            (3) the officers, emergency rescue workers, and employees 
        of local and United States government agencies, who responded 
        to the attack on the Pentagon in Washington, DC, took heroic 
        and noble action to evacuate the premises and prevent further 
        casualties of Pentagon employees;
            (4) the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, 
        recognizing the imminent danger that the aircraft that they 
        were aboard posed to large numbers of innocent men, women and 
        children, 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
            (5) 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 those who lost their 
        lives to 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 is authorized, on 
behalf of Congress, to award a medal of appropriate design, such medal 
to be known as the ``Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Congressional Medal'', to--
            (1) the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania;
            (2) the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New 
        York; and
            (3) the Pentagon Memorial at the Pentagon.
    (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 designs of 
        medals, with such suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions 
        as the Secretary determines to be appropriate to be 
        representative of and in honor of, respectively--
                    (A) those who lost their lives in the attack at the 
                World Trade Center, including civilians, public safety 
                officers, emergency workers, and the passengers and 
                crew of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines 
                Flight 175;
                    (B) the passengers and crew aboard United Airlines 
                Flight 93 that was brought down in rural Pennsylvania 
                near Shanksville, Somerset County; and
                    (C) those who lost their lives at the Pentagon, 
                including the passengers and crew of American Airlines 
                Flight 77.
            (2) Consultation.--Before making a final determination with 
        respect to the design of the medals under this subsection, the 
        Secretary shall consult with the Secretary of Defense and such 
        other parties as the Secretary may determine to be appropriate.
            (3) Content of medals.--The medals struck for purposes of 
        subsection (a) shall be gold medals.

SEC. 4. SALES OF DUPLICATE MEDALS TO THE PUBLIC TO DEFRAY COSTS.

    Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the 
Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the medals struck 
under section 3, at a price that is at least sufficient to cover the 
costs thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
overhead expenses. Excess funds from the sales of the duplicate medals 
will be distributed equally between the 3 memorial sites referred to in 
section 3(a).

SEC. 5. NATIONAL MEDALS.

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

            Passed the Senate September 9, 2011.

            Attest:

                                                NANCY ERICKSON,

                                                             Secretary.