Sponsors (4)
Official title: To award a Congressional Gold Medal to all United States nationals who voluntarily joined the Canadian and British Armed Forces and their supporting entities during World War II, in recognition of their dedicated service.
Introduced June 6, 2025 by Eugene Simon Vindman · Last progress June 6, 2025
The bill gives formal national recognition and public preservation for U.S. nationals who served in allied WWII forces and allows sale of replicas to cover costs, while imposing modest taxpayer-funded administrative/production costs and limiting family ownership of an original medal and possibly raising prices for replica purchasers.
U.S. nationals who served in British or Canadian forces in WWII are officially honored with a Congressional Gold Medal, giving those veterans formal national recognition and ceremonial status.
The medal will be preserved and made available at the Smithsonian for public viewing and research, increasing public access to and preservation of this history.
The Act enables production and authorized sale of bronze duplicates under Mint/numismatic rules so collectors and families can buy replicas while production costs are covered rather than subsidized by taxpayers.
Producing, presenting, and administratively managing the medal(s) creates modest production and staff costs for the Mint, Treasury, and Congress that ultimately fall on taxpayers.
Only a single original Congressional Gold Medal is struck under the Act, which may limit families' ability to possess an original permanent heirloom of the medal.
Classifying medals as numismatic items may allow the Mint to sell duplicates at a premium or limit free distribution, increasing costs for collectors and some family purchasers.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Awards a Congressional Gold Medal honoring U.S. nationals who voluntarily served with Canadian and British forces during World War II and places the medal with the Smithsonian; authorizes sale of bronze duplicates.
Creates and directs striking one Congressional Gold Medal to honor U.S. nationals who voluntarily served with Canadian and British armed forces and affiliated organizations during World War II, directs the medal’s design and custody by the Smithsonian, and authorizes sale of bronze duplicates to cover production costs. Declares medals produced under the Act to be "national medals" and treated as numismatic items under existing law.