Federal

Covenant School Heroes Congressional Gold Medal Act

Source: Congress.gov · 872 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill awards two Congressional Gold Medals to Officer Michael Collazo and Officer Rex Englebert of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. The medals recognize their bravery and valor in responding to and stopping an active shooter at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee on March 27, 2023.

Who It Affects

Officer Michael Collazo and Officer Rex Englebert of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department receive the medals directly. The Secretary of the Treasury (the official who oversees the U.S. Mint) carries out the medal creation and sale.

Key Provisions

• The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate (the highest-ranking Senate leader) must arrange for the presentation of two gold medals to the officers (Sec. 3(a)) • The Secretary of the Treasury must design the medals with appropriate emblems, devices, and inscriptions decided by the Secretary (Sec. 3(b)) • The Secretary may make and sell bronze copies of the gold medals at a price that covers all creation costs, including labor, materials, and equipment use (Sec. 4) • Money from selling duplicate bronze medals goes into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund (a government account) (Sec. 6(b))

What Changes

If this becomes law, two gold Congressional Gold Medals are created and awarded to Officer Collazo and Officer Englebert. Bronze duplicate medals can be made and sold to the public.

Important Definitions

Numismatic items: coins or medals collected for their historical or artistic value.

Effective Date

Not specified in bill text

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2440 To award Congressional Gold Medals to Metropolitan Police Officers Officer Michael Collazo and Officer Rex Englebert, in recognition of their excep- tional bravery and valor in confronting an active shooter at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 30, 2023 Mr. OGLES (for himself, Mr. GREEN of Tennessee, Mr. BURCHETT, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Ms. GREENE of Georgia, Mr. GOODEN of Texas, Mr. SELF, Mr. NEHLS, Mrs. BOEBERT, Mr. MILLS, Mr. OWENS, Mr. GUEST, and Mr. BURLISON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services A BILL To award Congressional Gold Medals to Metropolitan Police Officers Officer Michael Collazo and Officer Rex Englebert, in recognition of their exceptional bravery and valor in confronting an active shooter at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. 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 ‘‘Covenant School He- 4 roes Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:22 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2440.IH H2440 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2440 IH SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 The Congress finds the following: 2 (1) At 10:13 a.m., on March 27, 2023, Metro- 3 politan Nashville Police confirmed an active shooter 4 situation was taking place at The Covenant School, 5 a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee. 6 The shooter took six lives that day, three children 7 and three adults. 8 (2) After the first 911 call about shots being 9 fired in the building, officers rushed to the campus. 10 They made entry shortly after 10:13 a.m. and began 11 clearing the building. 12 (3) Officers report that shots were heard com- 13 ing from the second level. On the second floor, in a 14 common area, a team of officers encountered the 15 shooter where she had been firing through a window 16 at arriving police cars. 17 (4) Two members of an officer team, Officer 18 Rex Englebert and Officer Michael Collazo, fired on 19 the shooter and fatally wounded her. 20 (5) The victims were identified as Evelyn 21 Dieckhaus, William Kinney, and Hallie Scruggs, all 22 aged nine, and Mike Hill, 61, Cynthia Peak, 61, and 23 Katherine Koonce, 60. 24 (6) Officer Michael Collazo and Officer Rex 25 Englebert of the Metropolitan Nashville Police De- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:22 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2440.IH H2440 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2440 IH partment exemplified incredible bravery, valor, and 1 courage against the suspect. 2 (7) These officers have dedicated their lives to 3 protecting their community, and their heroism de- 4 serves great honor. 5 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS. 6 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZATION.—The Speaker 7 of the House of Representatives and the President pro 8 tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrange- 9 ments for the presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of 10 two gold medals of appropriate design to Metropolitan Po- 11 lice Officer Michael Collazo and Officer Rex Englebert, in 12 recognition of their exceptional bravery and valor in con- 13 fronting an active shooter at the Covenant School in Nash- 14 ville, Tennessee. 15 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 16 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 17 of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec- 18 retary’’) shall strike the gold medals with suitable em- 19 blems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the 20 Secretary. 21 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 22 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 23 bronze of the gold medals struck under section 3, at a 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:22 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2440.IH H2440 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2440 IH price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 1 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 2 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 3 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck pursuant to 4 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 5 of title 31, United States Code. 6 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 7 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 8 struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 9 items. 10 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 11 SALE. 12 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 13 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 14 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec- 15 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant 16 to this Act. 17 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—The amounts received 18 from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under 19 section 3 shall be deposited into the United States Mint 20 Public Enterprise Fund. 21 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:22 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2440.IH H2440 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS

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