    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 134, 116th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Public Law 116-125
    116th Congress

    An Act

    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. <>

    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 ``Merchant Mariners of World War II
    Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2020''.
    SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
    (1) 2020 marked the 75th 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.

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    (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
    five Federal academies to be authorized to carry a battle
    standard as part of its color guard.
    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

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    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.

    Approved March 13, 2020.

    LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 5671:
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    CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 166 (2020):
    Jan. 27, considered and passed House.
    Mar. 2, considered and passed Senate.