What This Bill Does
This bill awards a Congressional Gold Medal to the people and communities who volunteered or gave food and supplies to the North Platte Canteen in Nebraska during World War II. The medal recognizes their service from December 25, 1941, to April 1, 1946. After the presentation, the gold medal will be permanently displayed at the Lincoln County Historical Museum in North Platte, Nebraska.
Who It Affects
The 55,000 volunteers and donors from 125 communities in Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas who supported the North Platte Canteen during World War II. The Lincoln County Historical Museum in North Platte, Nebraska. The U.S. Secretary of the Treasury who will design and create the medal.
Key Provisions
• Congress will present a gold medal to honor the volunteers and donors of the North Platte Canteen (Sec. 3(a))
• The Secretary of the Treasury will design the gold medal with appropriate symbols and words (Sec. 3(b))
• After presentation, the gold medal goes to the Lincoln County Historical Museum where people can view it and researchers can study it (Sec. 3(c))
• The Secretary of the Treasury may make and sell bronze copies of the gold medal at a price that covers the cost of making them (Sec. 4)
• Money from selling bronze copies goes to the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, which is a special government account (Sec. 6(b))
What Changes
If this bill becomes law, Congress will officially honor the North Platte Canteen volunteers and donors with a gold medal. The gold medal will be created by the U.S. Treasury and placed in a museum for public viewing and research. Bronze copies may be sold to the public, with money from those sales supporting the Treasury's coin and medal operations.
Important Definitions
Numismatic items: coins, medals, and other collectible objects made of metal.
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 363
To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the individuals and
communities who volunteered or donated items to the North Platte Can-
teen in North Platte, Nebraska, during World War II from December
25, 1941, to April 1, 1946.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 9, 2023
Mrs. FISCHER (for herself and Mr. BENNET) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Hous-
ing, and Urban Affairs
A BILL
To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the
individuals and communities who volunteered or donated
items to the North Platte Canteen in North Platte, Ne-
braska, during World War II from December 25, 1941,
to April 1, 1946.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘North Platte Canteen
4
Congressional Gold Medal Act’’.
5
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
6
The Congress finds the following:
7
VerDate Sep 11 2014
20:58 Feb 23, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\S363.IS
S363
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
2
•S 363 IS
(1) Home-front volunteerism was integral to the
1
victory of the United States during World War II.
2
Numerous exemplars of patriotism emerged through-
3
out the Midwest, galvanizing the rural United States
4
and the rest of the country supporting the war ef-
5
fort.
6
(2) The North Platte Canteen in North Platte,
7
Nebraska, was one of the largest volunteer efforts of
8
World War II.
9
(3) Canteen services boosted morale in the
10
United States by providing free, wholesome enter-
11
tainment to troops traveling across the country. Ap-
12
proximately 120 community-based canteens operated
13
in the United States during World War II.
14
(4) The North Platte Canteen greeted and
15
served food to approximately 6,000,000 United
16
States troops traveling across the United States
17
from December 25, 1941, to April 1, 1946.
18
(5) On December 17, 1941, the residents of
19
North Platte, Nebraska, received information that a
20
train of Nebraska National Guardsmen would be
21
traveling through North Platte en route to the West
22
Coast of the United States. Although the train car-
23
ried members of the Kansas National Guard, resi-
24
dents of the community welcomed the men from
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
20:58 Feb 23, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\S363.IS
S363
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
3
•S 363 IS
Kansas with food and other items as an appreciation
1
for their service.
2
(6) On December 18, 1941, Rae Wilson, of
3
North Platte, proposed to her community the idea of
4
establishing the North Platte Canteen so that resi-
5
dents could greet United States troops en route to
6
serving the United States in the European Theater
7
or the Pacific Theater.
8
(7) 55,000 individuals, the majority of whom
9
were women, from 125 communities in Nebraska,
10
Colorado, and Kansas donated food and volunteered
11
at the North Platte Canteen for approximately 5
12
years.
13
(8) The North Platte Canteen provided hospi-
14
tality to as many as 24 troop trains per day. During
15
a 1-month period, the volunteers at the Canteen
16
served over 40,000 homemade cookies, 30,000 hard-
17
boiled eggs, 6,500 doughnuts, 4,000 loaves of bread,
18
3,000 pounds of meat, 450 pounds of cheese, 60
19
quarts of peanut butter, 1,350 pounds of coffee,
20
1,000 quarts of cream, 750 dozen rolls, and 600
21
birthday cakes.
22
(9) The North Platte Canteen principally oper-
23
ated at the Union Pacific Railroad station in North
24
Platte, Nebraska, with volunteers from local commu-
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
20:58 Feb 23, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\S363.IS
S363
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
4
•S 363 IS
nities, organizations, churches, schools, and other
1
groups, and without Federal assistance.
2
(10) $137,000 in cash contributions supported
3
the operations of the North Platte Canteen for al-
4
most 5 years. The funds were raised through benefit
5
dances, scrap-metal drives, school victory clubs, do-
6
nation cans in local businesses, and from the rel-
7
atives of troops who traveled through the North
8
Platte area.
9
(11) In December 1943, the North Platte Can-
10
teen was honored by the United States Army with
11
the presentation of the Meritorious Wartime Service
12
Award by the Secretary of War.
13
(12) In 2004, the 108th Congress passed a res-
14
olution recognizing the heroic efforts of those who
15
made enormous sacrifices to make the North Platte
16
Canteen a success during World War II.
17
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
18
(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of
19
the House of Representatives and the President pro tem-
20
pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements
21
for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold
22
medal of appropriate design to the individuals and commu-
23
nities who volunteered or donated items to the North
24
VerDate Sep 11 2014
20:58 Feb 23, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\S363.IS
S363
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
5
•S 363 IS
Platte Canteen in North Platte, Nebraska, during World
1
War II.
2
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the
3
presentation described in subsection (a), the Secretary of
4
the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’)
5
shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices,
6
and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
7
(c) LINCOLN COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM.—Fol-
8
lowing the presentation described in subsection (a), the
9
gold medal shall be given to the Lincoln County Historical
10
Museum in North Platte, Nebraska, where the medal shall
11
be available for display as appropriate and made available
12
for research.
13
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
14
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in
15
bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price
16
sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor,
17
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.
18
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.
19
(a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck under this
20
Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title
21
31, United States Code.
22
(b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections
23
5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals
24
VerDate Sep 11 2014
20:58 Feb 23, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\S363.IS
S363
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
6
•S 363 IS
struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic
1
items.
2
SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF
3
SALE.
4
(a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is
5
authorized to be charged against the United States Mint
6
Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec-
7
essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under
8
this Act.
9
(b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the
10
sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section
11
4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public
12
Enterprise Fund.
13
Æ
VerDate Sep 11 2014
20:58 Feb 23, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\S363.IS
S363
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB