[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2607 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.2607

                    One Hundred Seventeenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
          the third day of January, two thousand and twenty two


                                 An Act


 
 To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the former hostages of the Iran 
 Hostage Crisis of 1979-1981, highlighting their resilience throughout 
the unprecedented ordeal that they lived through and the national unity 
 it produced, marking 4 decades since their 444 days in captivity, and 
            recognizing their sacrifice to the United States.

    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 ``Iran Hostages Congressional Gold 
Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
    Congress finds the following:
        (1) On January 20, 1981, United States diplomats, military 
    personnel, and civilians were released after being held hostage for 
    444 days by militant student supporters of Iran's Ayatollah 
    Ruhollah Khomeini in a violation of international law. The 
    individuals were taken from the United States Embassy in Tehran, 
    Iran, and the ordeal came to be known as the Iran Hostage Crisis.
        (2) The hostages were subjected to intense physical and 
    psychological torture throughout their captivity, such as mock 
    executions, beatings, solitary confinement, and inhospitable living 
    conditions.
        (3) Throughout their time held, the hostages were routinely 
    told to denounce the United States and, when they refused, they 
    were tortured, but remained strong in their spirit.
        (4) One hostage wrote ``Viva la roja, blanco, y azul'', which 
    translates to ``Long live the red, white, and blue'', on the wall 
    of his cell as a reminder of the values he swore to protect.
        (5) The hostages showed extraordinary courage by continually 
    engaging in acts of resistance against their captors, such as by 
    refusing to sign condemnations of the United States, in the face of 
    gross violations of their human rights.
        (6) Many of the hostages still experience trauma as a result of 
    the events of the crisis and deserve to have their suffering 
    recognized.
        (7) While, as of the date of enactment of this Act, 35 of the 
    hostages are living, it is important that the people of the United 
    States reflect on the resilience and strength of the hostages, 
    which serve as an example to current generations.
        (8) The people of the United States should--
            (A) acknowledge the hostages as heroes who--
                (i) experienced great tribulation; and
                (ii) endured, so that the people of the United States 
            may know the blessing of living in the United States; and
            (B) strive to demonstrate the values shown by the hostages.
        (9) On January 22, 1981, President Jimmy Carter met with the 
    hostages in West Germany and stated the following: ``One of the 
    acts in my life which has been the most moving and gratifying in 
    meeting with and discussing the future and the past with the now 
    liberated Americans who were held hostage in Iran for so long. I 
    pointed out to them that, since their capture by the Iranian 
    terrorists and their being held in this despicable act of savagery, 
    that the American people's hearts have gone out to them and the 
    Nation has been united as perhaps never before in history and that 
    the prayers that have gone up from the people throughout the world 
    to God for their safety have finally been answered.''.
        (10) On January 28, 1981, when welcoming the hostages home, 
    President Ronald Reagan stated the following: ``You've come home to 
    a people who for 444 days suffered the pain of your imprisonment, 
    prayed for your safety, and most importantly, shared your 
    determination that the spirit of free men and women is not a fit 
    subject for barter. You've represented under great stress the 
    highest traditions of public service. Your conduct is symbolic of 
    the millions of professional diplomats, military personnel, and 
    others who have rendered service to their country.''.
        (11) During the 444 days the brave hostages were held, the rest 
    of the United States held its breath, waiting for news of the 
    hostages. The United States hoped and prayed together, as one, for 
    the hostages' safe return.
        (12) Bruce Laingen, who served as United States Ambassador to 
    Iran from 1979 to 1980 and was the highest ranking diplomat held 
    hostage, summed up the experience by saying the following: ``Fifty-
    three Americans who will always have a love affair with this 
    country and who join with you in a prayer of thanksgiving for the 
    way in which this crisis has strengthened the spirit and resilience 
    and strength that is the mark of a truly free society.''. It is now 
    the responsibility of the people of the United States to honor the 
    spirit, resilience, and strength that the hostages displayed during 
    their 444 days of imprisonment.
        (13) Now, more than 4 decades later, the United States 
    continues to honor the hostages. The recipients of the award 
    bestowed by this Act are heroes in every sense of the word. They 
    are role models who wore their pride in the United States with 
    esteem and have allowed for subsequent generations to appreciate 
    the blessing of living in the United States. Today, as we mark 40 
    years since their release, the people of the United States 
    acknowledge their endurance, strength, and contributions to seeing 
    a more peaceful world. The hostages suffered for the United States 
    and now it is the duty of the United States to recognize them for 
    it.
SEC. 3. DEFINITION.
    In this Act, the term ``hostage'' means a person of the United 
States who was taken captive on November 4, 1979, in Tehran, Iran, at 
the United States embassy and released on--
        (1) July 11, 1980; or
        (2) January 20, 1981.
SEC. 4. 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 Congress, of a single gold 
medal of appropriate design to the 53 hostages of the Iran Hostage 
Crisis, in recognition of their bravery and endurance throughout their 
captivity, which started on November 4, 1979, and lasted until January 
21, 1981.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award 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, 
in consultation with the Secretary of State.
    (c) Smithsonian Institution.--
        (1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal under 
    subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the National 
    Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution, where it 
    shall be available for display as appropriate and made available 
    for research.
        (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
    Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal received under 
    paragraph (1) available for loan, as appropriate, so that the medal 
    may be displayed elsewhere.
SEC. 5. BRONZE DUPLICATE MEDALS.
    (a) In General.--The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 
bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 4, at a price 
sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, 
use of machinery, and overhead expenses.
    (b) Proceeds of Sales.--The amounts received from the sale of 
duplicate medals under subsection (a) shall be deposited in the United 
States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
SEC. 6. 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 under this Act.
SEC. 7. 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.
SEC. 8. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
    The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by 
reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO 
Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional 
Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that 
such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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