[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 206 (Thursday, December 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7232-S7233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 MERCHANT MARINERS OF WORLD WAR II CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT OF 2019

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be discharged from 
further consideration of H.R. 550 and the Senate proceed to its 
immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 550) to award a Congressional Gold Medal, 
     collectively, to the United States Merchant Mariners of World 
     War II, in recognition of their dedicated and vital service 
     during World War II.

  There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the 
Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Murkowski substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; 
that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; 
and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the 
table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 1273), in the nature of a substitute, was agreed 
to as follows:

                (Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)

        Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Merchant Mariners of World 
     War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) 2019 marked the 74th anniversary of Allied victory in 
     World War II.
       (2) The United States Merchant Marine (in this section 
     referred to as the ``Merchant Marine'') was integral in 
     providing the link between domestic production and the 
     fighting forces overseas, providing combat equipment, fuel, 
     food, commodities, and raw materials to troops stationed 
     abroad.
       (3) Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King acknowledged the 
     indispensability of the Merchant Marine to the victory in a 
     1945 letter stating that, without the support of the Merchant 
     Marine, ``the Navy could not have accomplished its mission''.
       (4) President, and former Supreme Commander of the Allied 
     Expeditionary Forces, Dwight D. Eisenhower acknowledged that 
     ``through the prompt delivery of supplies and equipment to 
     our armed forces overseas, and of cargoes representing 
     economic and military aid to friendly nations, the American 
     Merchant Marine has effectively helped to strengthen the 
     forces of freedom throughout the world''.
       (5) Military missions and war planning were contingent upon 
     the availability of resources and the Merchant Marine played 
     a vital role in this regard, ensuring the efficient and 
     reliable transoceanic transport of military equipment and 
     both military and civilian personnel.
       (6) The Merchant Marine provided for the successful 
     transport of resources and personnel despite consistent and 
     ongoing exposure to enemy combatants from both the air and 
     the sea, including from enemy bomber squadrons, submarines, 
     and naval mines.
       (7) The efforts of the Merchant Marine were not without 
     sacrifices as the Merchant Marine likely bore a higher per-
     capita casualty rate than any of the military branches during 
     the war.
       (8) The Merchant Marine proved to be an instrumental asset 
     on an untold number of occasions, participating in every 
     landing operation by the United States Marine Corps, from 
     Guadalcanal to Okinawa.
       (9) The Merchant Marine provided the bulk tonnage of 
     material necessary for the invasion of Normandy, an invasion 
     which, according to a 1944 New York Times article, ``would 
     not have been possible without the Merchant Marine''.
       (10) In assessing the performance of the Merchant Marine, 
     General Eisenhower stated, ``every man in this Allied command 
     is quick to express his admiration for the loyalty, courage, 
     and fortitude of the officers and men of the Merchant Marine. 
     We count upon their efficiency and their utter devotion to 
     duty as we do our own; they have never failed us''.
       (11) During a September 1944 speech, President Franklin D. 
     Roosevelt stated that the Merchant Marine had ``delivered the 
     goods when and where needed in every theater of operations 
     and across every ocean in the biggest, the most difficult, 
     and dangerous transportation job ever undertaken. As time 
     goes on, there will be greater public understanding of our 
     merchant fleet's record during this war''.
       (12) The feats and accomplishments of the Merchant Marine 
     are deserving of broader public recognition.
       (13) The United States will be forever grateful and 
     indebted to these merchant mariners for their effective, 
     reliable, and courageous transport of goods and resources in 
     enemy territory throughout theaters of every variety in World 
     War II.
       (14) The goods and resources transported by the Merchant 
     Marine saved thousands of lives and enabled the Allied Powers 
     to claim victory in World War II.
       (15) The Congressional Gold Medal would be an appropriate 
     way to shed further light on the service of the merchant 
     mariners in World War II and the instrumental role they 
     played in winning that war.
       (16) Many students of the Merchant Marine Academy lost 
     their lives as they sailed through enemy-controlled waters or 
     unloaded cargo in overseas combat areas, and, as a result, 
     the United States Merchant Marine Academy is the only 
     institution among the 5 Federal academies to be authorized to 
     carry a battle standard as part of its color guard.

[[Page S7233]]

     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 Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design to 
     the United States merchant mariners of World War II, in 
     recognition of their dedicated and vital service during World 
     War II.
       (b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award 
     described in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 
     (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.
       (c) American Merchant Marine Museum.--
       (1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal 
     under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the 
     American Merchant Marine Museum, where it will be available 
     for display as appropriate and available for research.
       (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the American Merchant Marine Museum should make the gold 
     medal given to the Museum under paragraph (1) available for 
     display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations 
     associated with the United States Merchant Marine and that 
     preference should be given to locations affiliated with the 
     United States Merchant Marine.

     SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

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

     SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

       (a) National Medals.--Medals struck under 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.
  The amendment was ordered to be engrossed and the bill to be read a 
third time.
  The bill was read the third time.
  The bill (H.R. 550), as amended, was passed.

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