Aretha Franklin Congressional Gold Medal Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 409 To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Aretha Franklin. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 7, 2019 Ms. HARRIS (for herself, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. PETERS, Ms. SMITH, Mr. CAR- PER, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. REED, Mr. KAINE, Mr. MANCHIN, Ms. WAR- REN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BENNET, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. JONES, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. COONS, and Ms. HASSAN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs A BILL To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Aretha Franklin. 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 ‘‘Aretha Franklin Con- 4 gressional Gold Medal Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:50 Feb 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S409.IS S409 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 409 IS (1) Aretha Franklin was born on March 25, 1 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee, and died peacefully at 2 her home in Detroit, Michigan, surrounded by family 3 and loved ones, on August 16, 2018. 4 (2) Aretha Franklin’s musical talents have in- 5 fluenced generations of musicians and political lead- 6 ers, creating a legacy that spans an incredible 6 dec- 7 ades. 8 (3) Aretha Franklin, dubbed the ‘‘Queen of 9 Soul’’, was the first woman ever inducted into the 10 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was a 2005 recipient 11 of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was a 12 1999 recipient of the National Medal of Arts and 13 Humanities Award, among other accolades. 14 (4) Aretha Franklin’s music served as a 1960s 15 call to action that inspired thousands of individuals 16 to join civil rights movements and still resonates 17 across those movements today. 18 (5) Aretha Franklin’s contributions go beyond 19 music and the arts. 20 (6) Aretha Franklin was also a philanthropist 21 who supported causes that advanced civil rights, 22 human health, and gender equality. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:50 Feb 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S409.IS S409 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 409 IS (7) Aretha Franklin’s talents instilled hope, up- 1 lifted generations, and changed the lives of millions 2 of individuals across the globe. 3 (8) The City of Detroit shaped Aretha Frank- 4 lin’s life and music, as her father and church intro- 5 duced her to local Motown artists. 6 (9) In return, Aretha Franklin made countless 7 contributions to the City of Detroit and few people 8 have played a greater role in shaping a culturally 9 and socially relevant discography in the United 10 States than Aretha Franklin. 11 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 12 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 13 the House of Representatives and the President pro tem- 14 pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 15 for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, 16 of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration 17 of Aretha Franklin. 18 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 19 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 20 of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec- 21 retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 22 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec- 23 retary. 24 (c) AWARD OF MEDAL.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:50 Feb 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S409.IS S409 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 409 IS (1) IN GENERAL.—After the award of the gold 1 medal referred to in subsection (a), the gold medal 2 shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where 3 it shall be displayed as appropriate and made avail- 4 able for research. 5 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 6 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 7 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 8 available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 9 locations and events associated with Aretha Frank- 10 lin. 11 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 12 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 13 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3 under 14 such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price 15 sufficient to cover the cost, including labor, materials, 16 dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, of the gold 17 medal and any such duplicates. 18 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 19 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck under 20 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 21 of title 31, United States Code. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:50 Feb 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S409.IS S409 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 5 •S 409 IS (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 1 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 2 under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:50 Feb 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S409.IS S409 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS