Buffalo Soldiers Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2023

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1222 To award a Congressional Gold Medal collectively to the Buffalo Soldier regiments, authorized by Congress in 1866 to serve in the United States Armed Forces, in recognition of their superior, dedicated, and vital service to our Nation. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 27, 2023 Ms. STRICKLAND (for herself and Mr. KIM of New Jersey) introduced the fol- lowing 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 determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider- ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To award a Congressional Gold Medal collectively to the Buffalo Soldier regiments, authorized by Congress in 1866 to serve in the United States Armed Forces, in recognition of their superior, dedicated, and vital service to our Nation. 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 ‘‘Buffalo Soldiers Con- 4 gressional Gold Medal Act of 2023’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:59 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1222.IH H1222 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 1222 IH SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress finds the following: 2 (1) In 1866, Congress passed the Army Organi- 3 zation Act which authorized the creation of six all- 4 Black cavalry and infantry regiments. These regi- 5 ments remained active until the Army was deseg- 6 regated in 1951. 7 (2) According to legend, American Indians 8 called the Black cavalry troops ‘‘Buffalo Soldiers’’ 9 because of their dark, curly hair, which resembled a 10 buffalo’s coat. 11 (3) The African-American troops accepted the 12 name with pride and honor, as they were aware of 13 the buffalo’s fierce bravery and fighting spirit. 14 (4) The original six regiments melded into the 15 following four regiments: 16 (A) The 9th Cavalry Regiment assembled 17 in New Orleans, Louisiana, in August and Sep- 18 tember of 1866. They were ordered to San An- 19 tonio, Texas, in April 1867, with the mission to 20 maintain order and to secure the road from San 21 Antonio to El Paso. 22 (B) The 10th Cavalry Regiment gathered 23 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, during the sum- 24 mer of 1867. In August 1867, they were or- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:59 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1222.IH H1222 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 1222 IH dered to Fort Riley, Kansas, with the mission 1 of protecting the Pacific Railroad. 2 (C) The 24th Infantry Regiment was orga- 3 nized in 1869, forming from the 38th and 41st 4 Colored Infantry Regiments. They served 5 throughout the Western United States, with the 6 mission to protect frontier posts and secure 7 roadways. 8 (D) The 25th Infantry Regiment assem- 9 bled at Camp William Penn, Pennsylvania, be- 10 ginning in January 1864. They were assigned 11 to numerous districts within the Department of 12 the Gulf with the mission to maintain security. 13 (5) Buffalo Soldiers also assisted in the protec- 14 tion of National Parks. They helped fight wildfires 15 and poachers in the Yosemite and Sequoia National 16 Parks and served as park rangers in the Sierra Ne- 17 vada. 18 (6) In the Spanish-American War, all four regi- 19 ments played key roles and fought with distinction, 20 despite facing severe discrimination from the locals. 21 (7) At the start of World War I, the Buffalo 22 Soldier regiments were dispatched to locations 23 throughout central United States and into the Pa- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:59 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1222.IH H1222 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 1222 IH cific, offering logistics and support behind the front 1 lines in the American Expeditionary Forces. 2 (8) During World War II, African-American 3 soldiers and units continued to serve proudly under 4 the name ‘‘Buffalo Soldier’’, including the 92nd In- 5 fantry Division, which was the only Black division 6 that saw combat in Europe. 7 (9) In the Korean War, Buffalo Soldier regi- 8 ments fought throughout the Korean peninsula, 9 from the defense of the ‘‘Pusan Perimeter’’ to the 10 counteroffensives which resulted in the end of armed 11 hostilities and the creation of the Demilitarized 12 Zone. 13 (10) Buffalo Soldiers had the lowest military 14 desertion and court-martial rates of their time. In 15 recognition of combat valor and their actions beyond 16 the call of duty, many were awarded the Congres- 17 sional Medal of Honor. 18 (11) The Congressional Gold Medal would be 19 an appropriate way to shed further light on the serv- 20 ice of the Buffalo Soldiers and the instrumental role 21 they played in instilling an approach to inclusivity 22 within our military and the American way of life. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:59 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1222.IH H1222 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 1222 IH SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 1 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the 2 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 3 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 4 award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of 5 appropriate design to the Buffalo Soldier regiments, au- 6 thorized by Congress in 1866 to serve in the United States 7 Armed Forces, in recognition of their superior, dedicated, 8 and vital service to our Nation. 9 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 10 award described in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 11 Treasury (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 12 strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 13 inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 14 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 16 gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal 17 shall be given to the National Museum of African 18 American History and Culture of the Smithsonian 19 Institution, where it shall be displayed as appro- 20 priate and made available for research. 21 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 22 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 23 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 24 available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:59 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1222.IH H1222 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HR 1222 IH locations and events associated with the Buffalo Sol- 1 diers. 2 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 3 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 4 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3, at 5 a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 6 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 7 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 8 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck under 9 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 10 of title 31, United States Code. 11 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 12 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 13 struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 14 items. 15 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 16 SALE. 17 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 18 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 19 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec- 20 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under 21 this Act. 22 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 23 sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:59 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1222.IH H1222 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 7 •HR 1222 IH 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 1 Enterprise Fund. 2 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:59 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H1222.IH H1222 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB