Sponsors
The bill expands public access to and commemoration of a historic Medal of Honor while authorizing the Mint to sell replicas and recoup costs, but it raises concerns about resource diversion, impacts on the Mint's fund balance, and reduced transparency that could shift costs or oversight burdens onto taxpayers and agency operations.
Students, museums, and the general public gain greater access to and education about a nationally significant Medal of Honor artifact through Smithsonian exhibition and loan availability to other museums, increasing historical awareness.
The legislation gives the Treasury/US Mint clear authority and a mechanism to produce and sell commemorative medals and to recoup production costs by selling duplicates, enabling implementation without requiring new appropriations and providing revenue to support Mint operations.
Members of the public and collectors can purchase official bronze replicas, expanding affordable access to a national commemorative item and broadening numismatic offerings.
Producing, transferring, preserving, marketing, and managing sales of the medals could divert Treasury and Mint staff time and resources, impose administrative costs, and create some taxpayer risk if overhead or production costs are not fully covered.
Directing proceeds into the Mint's Public Enterprise Fund and using that fund to absorb program activity may reduce the Fund's available balance, limiting funding for other Mint activities or requiring higher product prices to compensate.
Routing sales revenue and costs through the Mint's fund rather than regular appropriations could reduce transparency and congressional oversight of program revenues and expenditures.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a single Congressional gold medal honoring two civilian Great Locomotive Chase participants, donates it to the Smithsonian, and allows sale of bronze duplicates to cover costs.
Introduced January 28, 2025 by Chuck Fleischmann · Last progress January 28, 2025
Creates and directs the production of a single Congressional gold medal to honor two civilian participants in the 1862 Great Locomotive Chase, requires that the medal be given to the Smithsonian for display and research, and allows the U.S. Mint to produce and sell bronze duplicates to cover production costs. It designates the medal as a national/numismatic item and authorizes the Mint to charge the cost of striking the medals to its Public Enterprise Fund, with duplicate-sale proceeds returned to that Fund.