[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8542 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8542

   To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Joseph B. Kirsner, in 
recognition of his service to the United States during World War II and 
 his contributions to the medical field, particularly gastroenterology.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2024

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Joseph B. Kirsner, in 
recognition of his service to the United States during World War II and 
 his contributions to the medical field, particularly gastroenterology.

    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 ``Dr. Joseph B. Kirsner Congressional 
Gold Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Dr. Joseph B. Kirsner was born to Ukrainian Jewish 
        immigrants Harris and Ida Kirsner on September 21, 1909, in 
        Boston, Massachusetts.
            (2) Dr. Kirsner earned his medical degree from Tufts 
        University, graduating near the top of his class, in 1933.
            (3) In 1935, Dr. Kirsner joined the staff of the first 
        academic gastroenterology unit in the United States at the 
        University of Chicago.
            (4) Dr. Kirsner earned his PhD in gastroenterology from the 
        University of Chicago in 1942.
            (5) Dr. Kirsner joined the United States Army Medical Corps 
        as a First Lieutenant in September 1943 and served three years 
        with the 15th, 203rd, and 229th General Hospitals.
            (6) Dr. Kirsner was one of the few doctors consulted on the 
        refeeding of Holocaust survivors.
            (7) Dr. Kirsner continuously fought to increase and 
        diversify research funding for gastroenterology.
            (8) In 1962, Dr. Kirsner, along with a group of his 
        patients, the Section of Gastroenterology, and the University 
        of Chicago established the Gastro-Intestinal Research 
        Foundation.
            (9) Dr. Kirsner received every major award and honor for 
        gastroenterology throughout his career, except the one award he 
        was ineligible to win, the American Digestive Health 
        Foundation's top prize for excellence in clinical research, the 
        Joseph B. Kirsner Award.
            (10) Dr. Kirsner was a pioneer in gastroenterology who 
        dedicated his life to medicine, teaching, and patient care.
            (11) Dr. Kirsner conducted invaluable research on peptic 
        ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, and Crohn's 
        disease, and made numerous breakthroughs in the field on 
        patient management and cancer risk.
            (12) Dr. Kirsner trained over 200 fellows, including more 
        than 41 full professors, and 14 department chairs in 
        gastroenterology.
            (13) Throughout his career Dr. Kirsner authored over 750 
        scientific papers and 18 textbooks, which are the leading 
        teaching materials on gastroenterology.
            (14) Dr. Kirsner was instrumental in founding the American 
        Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the American 
        Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the 
        Gastroenterology Research Group (American Gastroenterological 
        Association), and the National Foundation for Research in 
        Ulcerative Colitis, among others.
            (15) Dr. Kirsner continued to treat patients until he 
        retired in 2010, at the age of 100.
            (16) Dr. Kirsner passed away from kidney failure on July 7, 
        2012, in Chicago, Illinois.
            (17) The Congress has awarded similar medals to other 
        doctors for their outstanding contributions to the medical 
        field, including Major Walter Reed and his associates in 1928, 
        Dr. Thomas Anthony Dooley III in 1961, Dr. Jonas E. Salk in 
        1977, and Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey in 2007.

SEC. 3. 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 to Dr. Joseph B. Kirsner, in recognition of 
his service to the United States during World War II and his 
contributions to the medical field, particularly gastroenterology.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award referred to 
in 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. The design shall bear an image of, and inscription of the 
name of, Dr. Joseph B. Kirsner.
    (c) Joseph B. Kirsner Library.--
            (1) In general.--After the award of the gold medal referred 
        to in subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the 
        University of Chicago, where it shall be displayed as 
        appropriate in the Joseph B. Kirsner library and made available 
        for research.
            (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
        the University of Chicago should make the gold medal received 
        under paragraph (1) available for display elsewhere, 
        particularly at other locations and events associated with Dr. 
        Joseph B. Kirsner.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medal struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the cost 
thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
overhead expenses.

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    (a) National Medals.--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 sections 5134 and 5136 of 
title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be 
considered to be numismatic items.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

    (a) 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.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the 
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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