What This Bill Does
This bill gives a Congressional Gold Medal (a special award given by Congress) to Dr. Li Wenliang after his death. Congress created this award to recognize his efforts to warn people about COVID-19 and his calls for the Chinese government to be more open and transparent.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of the Treasury (the federal official who oversees the U.S. Mint, which makes coins and medals). The Smithsonian Institution (a government museum). Potentially Dr. Li Wenliang's family or estate, who would receive the medal.
Key Provisions
• The Speaker of the House and President pro tempore of the Senate (two top congressional leaders) must arrange to give the gold medal to Dr. Li Wenliang's family after his death (Sec. 3(a)).
• The Secretary of the Treasury must design and create the gold medal with Dr. Li Wenliang's image and name on it (Sec. 3(b)).
• After the medal is awarded, it goes to the Smithsonian Institution, where people can see it and researchers can study it (Sec. 3(c)(1)).
• The Secretary of the Treasury may create and sell copies of the medal made of bronze (a metal alloy) to cover the costs of making the original medal (Sec. 4).
• Money from selling the bronze copies goes back into the U.S. Mint's fund (Sec. 6(b)).
What Changes
If this becomes law, the federal government will officially recognize Dr. Li Wenliang's actions by awarding him a Congressional Gold Medal. The U.S. Mint will create this medal and send it to the Smithsonian Institution for display and research purposes.
Important Definitions
Congressional Gold Medal: A special medal awarded by Congress to recognize outstanding achievements or service.
Posthumously: After a person has died.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 948
To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Li Wenliang,
in recognition of his efforts to save lives by drawing awareness to
COVID–19 and his call for transparency in China.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 9, 2023
Mr. ROY (for himself and Mr. BABIN) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the
Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr.
Li Wenliang, in recognition of his efforts to save lives
by drawing awareness to COVID–19 and his call for
transparency in China.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Dr. Li Wenliang Con-
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gressional Gold Medal Act’’.
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
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The Congress finds the following:
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(1) Dr. Li Wenliang was a 34-year-old ophthal-
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mologist in Wuhan, China, who died from COVID–
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19 after he bravely sought to draw attention to the
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spread of the virus despite the Government of the
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People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Com-
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munist Party’s effort to suppress him.
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(2) In December 2019, Dr. Li Wenliang coura-
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geously notified his medical colleagues in China
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about the outbreak of a novel coronavirus known as
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COVID–19.
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(3) On January 3, 2020, after raising concerns
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about the spread of COVID–19, Dr. Li Wenliang
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was detained and questioned by Chinese officials for
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‘‘spreading false rumors’’ and forced to sign a state-
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ment retracting his warnings about COVID–19.
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(4) Dr. Li Wenliang continued to work at
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Wuhan Central Hospital despite his knowledge of
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the outbreak.
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(5) Tragically Dr. Li Wenliang died in Feb-
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ruary 2020 in the hospital where he worked after
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contracting COVID–19.
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(6) Before his death, Dr. Li Wenliang stated,
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‘‘If the officials had disclosed information about the
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epidemic earlier, I think it would have been a lot
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•HR 948 IH
better. There should be more openness and trans-
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parency.’’.
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(7) The people of China expressed their grief
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and anger on social media after the death of Dr. Li
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Wenliang with the phrase ‘‘I want freedom of
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speech’’, which was quickly censored by the Govern-
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ment of the People’s Republic of China and the Chi-
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nese Communist Party.
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(8) The People’s Republic of China and the
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Chinese Communist Party inflicted incalculable dam-
10
age on their people and the world by trying to extin-
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guish the news of the COVID–19 rather than mobi-
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lize global efforts to battle it.
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(9) Awarding Dr. Li Wenliang the Congres-
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sional Gold Medal would recognize his bold actions
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to draw attention to the spread of COVID–19 and
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call global attention to the People’s Republic of
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China and the Chinese Communist Party’s lack of
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transparency and censorship of speech.
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SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
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(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of
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the House of Representatives and the President pro tem-
22
pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements
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for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of the Con-
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gress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemo-
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•HR 948 IH
ration of Dr. Li Wenliang’s efforts to save lives by drawing
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awareness to COVID–19 and his call for transparency in
2
China.
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(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the
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presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary
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of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec-
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retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems,
7
devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec-
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retary. The design shall bear an image of and the name
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of Dr. Li Wenliang.
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(c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the
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gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal
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shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where
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it shall be available for display as appropriate and
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made available for research.
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(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of
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Congress that the Smithsonian Institution shall
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make the gold medal received under paragraph (1)
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available for display elsewhere, particularly at appro-
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priate locations dedicated to preserving the history
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of the Chinese pro-democracy movement.
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SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
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The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in
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bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3, at
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a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor,
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materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.
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SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.
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(a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck pursu-
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ant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter
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51 of title 31, United States Code.
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(b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections
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5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals
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struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic
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items.
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SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF
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SALE.
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(a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is
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authorized to be charged against the United States Mint
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Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec-
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essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under
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this Act.
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(b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the
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sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section
19
4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public
20
Enterprise Fund.
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Æ
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