Sponsors (13)
The bill provides formal national recognition of Arturo Schomburg and enables sale of bronze replicas funded through the Mint—advancing cultural visibility and access for scholars and collectors while remaining primarily symbolic and imposing modest administrative and fiscal limits.
Racial-ethnic minority communities, students, scholars, and cultural institutions gain increased national recognition and support for Black history — the bill honors Arturo Schomburg and promotes the Schomburg Center and its archives, supporting scholarship, public awareness, and museum displays.
Taxpayers and collectors face limited immediate fiscal impact because the Mint funds medal production and sale proceeds (from bronze replicas) return to the Mint fund, avoiding the need for new appropriations to pay for the program.
Collectors, museums, and the public gain clarified legal/numismatic status for the medal, which facilitates official display, custody, and authorized sale or distribution by the Treasury and collecting institutions.
Racial-ethnic minority communities and advocates receive a largely symbolic honor that delivers minimal direct material benefits and could be criticized as insufficient without accompanying funding or policy actions to address broader racial inequities.
Taxpayers and federal employees could face modest administrative burdens and financial risk because the Treasury/Mint must manage production, sales, labeling and recordkeeping; the program draws on the Mint Public Enterprise Fund and could require fee increases or appropriations if sales fall short.
Taxpayers and the public cannot expect the program to generate surplus revenue for related commemorative or community activities because proceeds are restricted to cost recovery, limiting potential fundraising benefits from the medal.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal for Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, directs minting and donation to the Smithsonian museum, and allows sale of bronze duplicates to cover costs.
Introduced March 3, 2025 by Nydia M. Velázquez · Last progress March 3, 2025
Creates a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal honoring Arturo Alfonso Schomburg for preserving and promoting the history of the African diaspora. Directs the U.S. Mint to strike a gold medal, transfer it to the National Museum of African American History and Culture for display and research, and permits sale of bronze duplicates to cover production costs.