[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2279 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2279

To award a gold medal on behalf of the Congress to the U.S. Air Forces 
Escape and Evasion Society, in recognition of the ceaseless efforts of 
 American aircrew members to escape captivity and evade capture by the 
  enemy forces in occupied countries during our foreign wars, and the 
brave resistance organizations and patriotic nationals of those foreign 
                      countries who assisted them.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 1, 2017

Ms. Tsongas (for herself, Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia, Mr. Moulton, and 
 Mr. Farenthold) 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 award a gold medal on behalf of the Congress to the U.S. Air Forces 
Escape and Evasion Society, in recognition of the ceaseless efforts of 
 American aircrew members to escape captivity and evade capture by the 
  enemy forces in occupied countries during our foreign wars, and the 
brave resistance organizations and patriotic nationals of those foreign 
                      countries who assisted them.

    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 ``U.S. Air Forces Escape and Evasion 
Society Recognition Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) During nearly all foreign wars, members of our Air 
        Force have been forced to eject, crash land, or abandon their 
        aircraft in an occupied country or territory (referred to in 
        this Act as ``downed aircrew members'').
            (2) Those downed aircrew members had to evade capture by 
        enemy forces, often times while suffering from critical 
        injuries.
            (3) Of the downed aircrew members that were captured, many 
        escaped from the enemy force that was holding them.
            (4) Many times, downed aircrew members were aided in 
        evasion and escape by resistance organizations and patriotic 
        nationals in those occupied countries.
            (5) Thousands of brave, ordinary people in the occupied 
        countries took extraordinary risks at huge costs to help these 
        aircrew members.
            (6) Each downed aircrew member's story is different; 
        however, the narrative for each member has one common thread: 
        American aircrew members evading capture or escaping captivity 
        with the assistance of brave people living in an occupied 
        country.
            (7) In 1964, the U.S. Air Forces Escape and Evasion Society 
        (AFEES) was created by the downed aircrew members who evaded 
        capture by enemy forces during foreign wars with the assistance 
        of resistance organizations and patriotic nationals in occupied 
        countries.
            (8) AFEES includes downed aircrew members and people who 
        directly aided them in escape and evasion, and has more than 
        600 members, including members from World War II, the Korean 
        War, and the Vietnam War.

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 in commemoration to the 
U.S. Air Forces Escape and Evasion Society, in recognition of the 
ceaseless efforts of American aircrew members to escape captivity and 
evade capture by the enemy forces in occupied countries during our 
foreign wars, and the brave resistance organizations and patriotic 
nationals of those foreign countries who assisted them.
    (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.
    (c) Smithsonian Institution.--
            (1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal 
        under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the 
        Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be available for 
        display as appropriate and available for research.
            (2) Sense of the congress.--It is the sense of the Congress 
        that the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal 
        awarded pursuant to this Act available for display elsewhere, 
        particularly at appropriate locations associated with the U.S. 
        Air Forces Escape and Evasion Society, and that preference 
        should be given to locations affiliated with the Smithsonian 
        Institution.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medal struck pursuant to section 3 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. 5. STATUS OF 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.
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