[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 122, 110th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

122 STAT. 2430

Public Law 110-259
110th Congress

An Act


 
To award posthumously a Congressional gold medal to Constantino
Brumidi. [NOTE: July 1, 2008 -  [S. 254]]

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress [NOTE: 31 USC 5111
note.] assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) On July 26, 1805, Constantino Brumidi was born in Rome,
Italy of an Italian mother and a Greek father who inspired him
with a love of liberty.
(2) While Constantino Brumidi's Greek ancestry stirred his
passion for liberty and citizenship, his Italian heritage
provided the art styles of the Renaissance and the Baroque which
influenced the artwork of the United States Capitol.
(3) Constantino Brumidi became a citizen of the United
States as soon as he was able, embracing its history, values,
and ideals.
(4) Beginning in 1855, Constantino Brumidi designed and
decorated 1 House and 5 Senate committee rooms in the Capitol,
as well as the Senate Reception Room, the Office of the Vice
President, and, most notably, the President's Room, which
represents Brumidi's supreme effort ``to make beautiful the
Capitol'' of the United States.
(5) In 1865, Constantino Brumidi completed in just 11 months
his masterpiece, ``The Apotheosis of Washington'', in the eye of
the Capitol dome.
(6) In 1871, Constantino Brumidi created the first tribute
to an African American in the Capitol when he placed the figure
of Crispus Attucks at the center of his fresco of the Boston
Massacre.
(7) In 1878, Constantino Brumidi, at the age of 72 and in
poor health, began work on the Rotunda frieze, which chronicles
the history of America.
(8) On February 19, 1880, Constantino Brumidi died at the
age of 74, four and a half months after slipping and nearly
falling from a scaffold while working on the Rotunda frieze.
(9) Constantino Brumidi, proud of his artistic
accomplishments and devoted to his adopted country, said, ``My
one ambition and my daily prayer is that I may live long enough
to make beautiful the Capitol of the one country on earth in
which there is liberty.''.
(10) Constantino Brumidi's life and work exemplify the lives
of millions of immigrants who came to pursue the American dream.

[[Page 2431]]
122 STAT. 2431

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

(a) Presentation Authorized.--
(1) In general.--The Speaker of the House of Representatives
and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall make
appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on
behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to
Constantino Brumidi, in recognition of his contributions to the
Nation.
(2) Display of medal in capitol visitor center.--The
Architect of the Capitol shall arrange for the gold medal
presented under this subsection to be displayed in the Capitol
Visitor Center, as part of an exhibit honoring Constantino
Brumidi.

(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.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold
medal struck pursuant to section 2 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. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS.

(a) National Medals.--The 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.
SEC. 5. 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
pursuant to this Act.

[[Page 2432]]
122 STAT. 2432

(b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate
bronze medals authorized under section 3 shall be deposited into the
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

Approved July 1, 2008.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 254:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:
Vol. 153 (2007):
May 21, considered and passed
Senate.
Vol. 154 (2008):
June 10, considered and passed
House.