Henrietta Lacks Congressional Gold Medal Act

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 4122 To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Henrietta Lacks, in recognition of her immortal cells which have made invaluable contribu- tions to global health, scientific research, our quality of life, and patients’ rights. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 14, 2023 Mr. MFUME (for himself, Ms. NORTON, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. ALLRED, Ms. BROWN, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Ms. WILSON of Florida, and Ms. LEE of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com- mittee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak- er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju- risdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Hen- rietta Lacks, in recognition of her immortal cells which have made invaluable contributions to global health, sci- entific research, our quality of life, and patients’ rights. 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 ‘‘Henrietta Lacks Con- 4 gressional Gold Medal Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:57 Jul 15, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4122.IH H4122 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 4122 IH SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress finds the following: 2 (1) Henrietta Lacks, an African-American 3 woman born on August 1, 1920, in Roanoke, Vir- 4 ginia, was raised by her grandfather on a tobacco 5 farm in Clover, Virginia. 6 (2) Henrietta Lacks, her husband, and family 7 moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1941 seeking eco- 8 nomic opportunity at the Bethlehem Steel Plant. 9 (3) In 1951, Henrietta Lacks sought treatment 10 for her continuous vaginal bleeding from The Johns 11 Hopkins Hospital, which was one of the few hos- 12 pitals willing to treat African Americans at that 13 time. Gynecologists discovered a large, malignant 14 tumor on her cervix. 15 (4) Unbeknownst to Henrietta Lacks or her 16 family, medical researchers took samples of Hen- 17 rietta Lacks’ tumor during her treatment without 18 her consent. Henrietta Lacks’ cells, now known as 19 ‘‘HeLa Cells’’, doubled every 20 to 24 hours whereas 20 other human cells died in the same time period. The 21 HeLa Cells are the first known immortal line of 22 human cells in history. 23 (5) On October 4, 1951, 31-year-old Henrietta 24 Lacks died of an aggressive cervical cancer eight 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:57 Jul 15, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4122.IH H4122 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 4122 IH months after her cancer diagnosis, leaving behind 1 her husband and 5 children. 2 (6) The HeLa immortal cell line is the oldest 3 and most used human cell line used in scientific re- 4 search. Henrietta Lacks’ immortal cells have been 5 commercialized and distributed worldwide to re- 6 searchers, resulting in groundbreaking advancements 7 in modern science and technology. 8 (7) Henrietta Lacks’ prolific cells continue to 9 replicate to this day and contribute to remarkable 10 advances in medicine, including the development of 11 the polio vaccine and drugs used to treat cancer, 12 HIV/AIDS, hemophilia, leukemia, and Parkinson’s 13 disease. HeLa cells have been used in research that 14 has contributed to our understanding of the effects 15 of radiation and zero gravity on human cells, and 16 have informed research on chromosomal conditions, 17 cancer, gene mapping, and precision medicine. 18 (8) The use of HeLa cells as the foundation for 19 biomedical research has led to several Nobel Prize 20 winning discoveries. The National Institute of 21 Health located over 110,000 publications that cited 22 the use of HeLa cells between 1953 to 2018. These 23 advances were made possible by Henrietta Lacks’ 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:57 Jul 15, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4122.IH H4122 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 4122 IH cells, yet the revenues they generated were not 1 known to her family for more than twenty years. 2 (9) Henrietta Lacks is a linchpin to modern 3 bioethics policies and informed consent laws that 4 benefit patients nationwide by building patient trust 5 and protecting research participants. 6 (10) Henrietta Lacks’ legacy has been recog- 7 nized around the world through memorials, con- 8 ferences, museum exhibitions, libraries, and print 9 and visual media for changing the face of medical 10 science. 11 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 12 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 13 the House of Representatives and the President pro tem- 14 pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 15 for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, 16 of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration 17 of Henrietta Lacks, in recognition of her immortal cells 18 which have made invaluable contributions to global health, 19 scientific research, our quality of life, and patients’ rights. 20 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 21 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 22 of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 23 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable em- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:57 Jul 15, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4122.IH H4122 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 4122 IH blems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the 1 Secretary. 2 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 4 gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal 5 shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where 6 it shall be available for display as appropriate and 7 made available for research. 8 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 9 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 10 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 11 available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 12 appropriate locations associated with Henrietta 13 Lacks. 14 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 15 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 16 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3, at 17 a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 18 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 19 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 20 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck pursu- 21 ant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 22 51 of title 31, United States Code. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:57 Jul 15, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4122.IH H4122 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HR 4122 IH (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 1 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 2 under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:57 Jul 15, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H4122.IH H4122 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB