Sponsors (15)
The bill formally honors and preserves the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion's WWII service and makes official commemorative medals available (benefiting veterans, museums, and collectors) while creating modest fiscal and administrative costs and some risk that taxpayers or Mint resources could ultimately bear net expenses.
Veterans (especially African‑American members of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion), students, and the general public: the bill formally recognizes the unit's WWII service and preserves their story (including Corporal W.B. Woodson Jr.'s actions) by transferring the medal into the Smithsonian sphere, increasing public awareness, inclusive historical recordkeeping, and access for education and研究.
Collectors, families, and the general public: the bill authorizes production and sale of bronze duplicate commemorative medals and treats them under U.S. Mint numismatic authorities, making them available for purchase and improving availability, legitimacy, and marketing of official commemoratives.
Taxpayers and federal operations: the Mint is authorized/expected to recoup production costs and deposit proceeds into the Mint's Public Enterprise Fund, which can reduce the need for additional appropriations to strike the medals and support future minting activities.
Taxpayers: production, striking, and administrative costs (and the risk that sales are lower than expected) create a real fiscal exposure — the program could impose net costs on taxpayers or require the Mint/Public Enterprise Fund to cover shortfalls.
Federal and non‑profit institutions (Smithsonian, the Secretary's office, and Mint staff): managing transfers, display decisions, production, and sales creates administrative burdens and may divert staff time or internal resources; requiring use of the Public Enterprise Fund could also crowd out other Mint programs.
Middle‑class families and casual collectors: duplicate medals must be sold at prices that cover production costs, so they may still be relatively expensive and not affordable for all interested buyers.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a Congressional Gold Medal for the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, donates it to the Smithsonian, and allows sale of bronze duplicates at cost to fund production.
Official title: To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, collectively, in recognition of their extraordinary heroism and life-saving actions during the D-Day invasion, and their significant contributions to the success of the Allied forces during World War II.
Introduced July 22, 2025 by Marc Veasey · Last progress July 22, 2025
Creates and directs production of a single Congressional Gold Medal honoring the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion for heroism at the D‑Day invasion and WWII service, directs presentation of the medal and donation to the Smithsonian for display and research, and authorizes bronze duplicates to be struck and sold to cover production costs. Establishes numismatic treatment and allows the U.S. Mint to charge its Public Enterprise Fund for production costs while depositing duplicate sales revenue into that Fund.