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Medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes of title 31, United States Code, chapter 51.
Medals struck under this Act shall be considered numismatic items for purposes of section 5134 of title 31, United States Code.
Medals struck under this Act shall be considered numismatic items for purposes of section 5136 of title 31, United States Code.
Authorizes the creation and presentation of a single Congressional Gold Medal honoring wildland firefighters for their service, sacrifice, and strength. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to strike the medal in consultation with the National Interagency Fire Center, places the gold medal on permanent display with that Center, and permits the U.S. Mint to produce and sell bronze duplicates at a price that covers production costs with proceeds deposited into the Mint Public Enterprise Fund. The medals are declared national medals and treated as numismatic items under federal law.
Wildland fires have increased in intensity and severity over the 30-year period before the law was enacted, causing catastrophic destruction to homes, infrastructure, and Federal, State, and private lands; more than 1,000,000,000 acres in the U.S. are at risk of wildfire, including about 117,000,000 acres of Federal land identified as high or very high risk.
The Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs together employ more than 18,700 wildland firefighters; thousands more serve as State, local, and contract wildland firefighters.
As the wildland-urban interface grows, wildfires increasingly reach communities; wildland firefighters are changing their skills, tactics, and strategies to meet this growing threat.
Wildland firefighters play a role in responsible forest management and conservation by performing prescribed burns and other activities (including timber harvests) that contribute to healthy forests and reduce catastrophic wildfire risk.
Each wildland firefighter is specialized and trained to work in dangerous, changing environments; they routinely work long days while on a 2-week rotation and often sleep in inhospitable conditions.
Primary direct beneficiaries are wildland firefighters, who receive national recognition and a Congressional Gold Medal honoring their service and sacrifice. The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) is designated to receive and display the medal and may use it for public exhibit and research — raising public awareness and preserving the recognition. The U.S. Mint and the Department of the Treasury carry out production, sales, and accounting tasks: the Mint will strike the medals, sell bronze duplicates, charge production costs to the Mint Public Enterprise Fund, and deposit duplicate-sale receipts back into that fund. The public gains the opportunity to purchase bronze duplicates. Fiscal impact is limited and administrative: the Act does not appropriate new funds but authorizes the Mint to use its enterprise fund and requires duplicate sales to cover production costs. There are no new requirements imposed on States or local governments and no regulatory or operational changes to firefighting operations; effects are symbolic and logistical rather than programmatic.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (text: CR S231-232)
Introduced January 16, 2025 by John A. Barrasso · Last progress January 16, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (text: CR S231-232)
Introduced in Senate