Sponsors (36)
The bill publicly honors Henrietta Lacks and enables publicly sold, self-financed commemorative medals (reducing direct taxpayer outlays), at the trade-off of potentially higher consumer prices, modest administrative burdens, and a small shift of receipts into the Mint's fund rather than general Treasury accounts.
All Americans (general public) see Henrietta Lacks formally honored with a Congressional Gold Medal, raising public awareness of her contributions and historical significance.
Collectors and the general public can purchase authenticated bronze duplicate medals, increasing public access to a commemorative item recognizing Henrietta Lacks.
Taxpayers face minimal direct cost because sales are structured to cover production and overhead and proceeds are retained by the Mint to support its operations rather than requiring additional appropriations.
Collectors and members of the public could face higher prices for duplicate bronze medals if pricing must cover full overhead, which may limit access for some people.
Taxpayers bear the risk that low demand could produce unsold inventory or lower-than-expected receipts, reducing the financial benefit to the Treasury from sales.
Federal staff (Treasury/Mint) could face added administrative burden — calculating full-cost pricing, managing sales, and accounting for retained receipts — increasing bureaucracy and staff time.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal honoring Henrietta Lacks, directs minting and Smithsonian display, and allows sale of bronze duplicates to cover costs.
Introduced May 19, 2025 by Kweisi Mfume · Last progress May 19, 2025
Authorizes a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to honor Henrietta Lacks, directs the U.S. Treasury to strike a gold medal and the Smithsonian to receive it for public display and research, and allows the Mint to produce and sell bronze duplicates to cover costs. It designates the medals as national numismatic items and specifies that Mint production costs be charged to the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund, with proceeds from bronze sales deposited into that fund.