Sponsors (253)
Awards a Congressional Gold Medal to the 761st Tank Battalion, directs the Mint to strike the medal, places the gold medal in the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and allows sale of bronze duplicates to cover costs.
Official title: To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 761st Tank Battalion, collectively, in recognition of their crucial role in the success of Allied forces in Europe and for the example they set as the first Black soldiers to go to war as part of an American armored unit.
Introduced February 26, 2025 by Gary James Palmer · Last progress February 26, 2025
The bill provides symbolic national recognition and public access to the 761st Tank Battalion's Congressional Gold Medal—advancing historical justice and education—while offering no direct material benefits to veterans and introducing modest costs, administrative duties, and potential pricing impacts for collectors and taxpayers.
Veterans of the 761st Tank Battalion (and their families) and the broader public gain formal national recognition of the unit's service and the historical racial discrimination they faced, increasing visibility and symbolic justice.
The Congressional Gold Medal will be placed in the National Museum of African American History and Culture (with encouragement to loan it to battalion-associated locations), giving schools, researchers, and communities public access for education, remembrance, and local engagement.
Collectors and members of the public can buy bronze replicas and the Mint is authorized to sell/manage medals as numismatic products, with sales and price structures intended to recover production costs and return proceeds to the Mint's Public Enterprise Fund, reducing the need for new appropriations.
Surviving veterans and their families receive symbolic recognition only — the bill is ceremonial and does not provide programmatic benefits, services, or direct financial assistance.
People who want replicas (middle‑class buyers and collectors) may face higher-than-expected prices because sales must cover full overhead and numismatic classification can allow premium pricing.
The Mint and Treasury incur modest administrative and reporting burdens (including shifting and managing funds in the Public Enterprise Fund) and if replica sales fall short, taxpayers could ultimately face supplemental costs or reduced funds for other Mint activities.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes the United States to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 761st Tank Battalion (the "Black Panthers") in recognition of their service in the European Theater during World War II. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to have the United States Mint strike a gold medal, gives the gold medal to the National Museum of African American History and Culture for display, and allows the Mint to strike and sell bronze duplicates to cover costs.