Sponsors (5)
The bill provides symbolic national recognition and modest public access to commemorative medals while relying on Mint sales to offset costs—offering broad cultural and educational visibility but no substantive policy remedies and exposing the Mint and, indirectly, taxpayers to modest financial and administrative risks.
Students, racial-ethnic minority communities, and the general public will receive formal, national recognition of Edward J. Dwight Jr.'s pioneering role as the first African American astronaut candidate and his long artistic career, which can raise awareness of Black history and inspire interest in STEM and the arts.
Collectors and members of the public will be able to purchase bronze duplicate medals, increasing public access to a tangible commemoration of Dwight's life and artistic contributions.
The U.S. Mint/Treasury can recover production costs by selling duplicates (and charging the Public Enterprise Fund for production), which reduces net direct appropriations pressure and limits immediate taxpayer outlays for producing the medals.
Communities affected by historical discrimination, students, and other stakeholders receive largely symbolic recognition without accompanying policy changes, funding, or concrete remedies to address racial barriers in aerospace and related fields.
There are modest direct costs to taxpayers and administrative expenses associated with striking the medal and holding a ceremony (minting, administration, and related overhead).
If sales of duplicate bronze medals are lower than expected, anticipated deposits into the Mint's Public Enterprise Fund may not materialize, potentially leaving gaps that could indirectly fall to taxpayers or require other budget adjustments.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a Congressional Gold Medal for Edward J. Dwight, Jr., directs the Mint to strike it, allows sale of bronze duplicates, and directs proceeds to the Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
Authorizes Congress to award a single Congressional Gold Medal to Edward J. Dwight, Jr., directs the Secretary of the Treasury to have the U.S. Mint strike a suitably designed gold medal bearing his image and name, and provides that the medal be given to Dwight or, if he is unavailable, to Curtis Christopher Dwight. The Mint may produce and sell bronze duplicate copies at prices that cover production costs, and receipts from duplicates will be deposited into the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund. Medals struck under the Act are designated "national medals" and treated as numismatic items for relevant federal accounting rules, and the Mint Public Enterprise Fund may be charged for costs of striking the medals.
Introduced February 25, 2025 by Michael F. Bennet · Last progress February 25, 2025