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For purposes of section 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.
For purposes of section 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.
Medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
Creates and awards a single Congressional gold medal to the First Rhode Island Regiment in recognition of its Revolutionary War service, directs the Treasury (through the U.S. Mint) to design and strike the medal, places the original in the Rhode Island State Library for display and research, and authorizes the Mint to strike and sell bronze duplicate medals at a price that covers production and selling costs with proceeds deposited to the Mint Public Enterprise Fund. It also makes the medals official national medals and treats them as numismatic items under federal law.
During the winter at Valley Forge, from 1777–1778, the Continental Army had difficulty recruiting the necessary quotas of men set by the Congress.
At the same time, the State of Rhode Island was ordered to supply two battalions while faced with the occupation of the City of Newport by the British.
In January 1778, at the urging of Brigadier General James Varnum, General George Washington wrote to Governor Nicholas Cooke of the State of Rhode Island requesting assistance recruiting men for the Continental Line.
On February 14, 1778, the Rhode Island General Assembly voted to allow the enlistment of “every able-bodied negro, mulatto, or Indian man slave.”
The Rhode Island General Assembly provided that any enlisted slave “upon his passing muster before Colonel Christopher Greene, be immediately discharged from the service of his master or mistress, and be absolutely free as though he had never been incumbered and be incumbered with any kind of servitude or slavery.”
Primary agencies affected are the Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Mint: they must design, strike, price, sell, account for, and deposit proceeds for the medals. The Rhode Island State Library becomes the official custodian of the original gold medal and is responsible for display and research access; the library may also arrange for temporary exhibits elsewhere. Historians, museums, and cultural heritage organizations benefit from a publicly accessible commemorative object and associated publicity. Numismatic collectors and the Mint’s retail operations are affected by production, pricing, marketing, and sales of bronze duplicates. The legislation imposes administrative workload and modest production costs on the Mint, but requires those costs to be covered by the Mint’s own Public Enterprise Fund and duplicate-sales revenue rather than a new appropriation. Descendants, related historical societies, and local Rhode Island institutions gain formal national recognition of the Regiment. There are no new broad programmatic obligations for states or private parties, no direct appropriations, and no changes to tax or regulatory rules.
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Gabe Amo · Last progress February 13, 2025
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Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Introduced in House