IIB 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 550 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 23, 2019 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

Urban Affairs 

AN ACT 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the 

United States Merchant Mariners of World War II, in 

recognition of their dedicated and vital service during 

World War II. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Merchant Mariners 

3 of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of the 

7 Allied victory in World War II and the restoration 

8 of peacetime across the European and Pacific thea9 ters. 

10 (2) The United States Merchant Marine (in 

11 this section referred to as the ‘‘Merchant Marine’’) 

12 was integral in providing the link between domestic 

13 production and the fighting forces overseas, pro14 viding combat equipment, fuel, food, commodities, 

15 and raw materials to troops stationed abroad. 

16 (3) Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King acknowledged 

17 the indispensability of the Merchant Marine to the 

18 victory in a 1945 letter stating that, without the 

19 support of the Merchant Marine, ‘‘the Navy could 

20 not have accomplished its mission’’. 

21 (4) President, and former Supreme Commander 

22 of the Allied Forces, Dwight D. Eisenhower ac23 knowledged that ‘‘through the prompt delivery of 

24 supplies and equipment to our armed forces over25 seas, and of cargoes representing economic and mili26 tary aid to friendly nations, the American Merchant 


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1 Marine has effectively helped to strengthen the 

2 forces of freedom throughout the world’’. 

3 (5) Military missions and war planning were 

4 contingent upon the availability of resources and the 

5 Merchant Marine played a vital role in this regard, 

6 ensuring the efficient and reliable transoceanic 

7 transport of military equipment and both military 

8 and civilian personnel. 

9 (6) The Merchant Marine provided for the suc10 cessful transport of resources and personnel despite 

11 consistent and ongoing exposure to enemy combat12 ants from both the air and the sea, including from 

13 enemy bomber squadrons, submarines, and mines. 

14 (7) The efforts of the Merchant Marine were 

15 not without sacrifices as the Merchant Marine bore 

16 a higher per-capita casualty rate than any other 

17 branch of the military during the war. 

18 (8) The Merchant Marine proved to be an in19 strumental asset on an untold number of occasions, 

20 participating in every landing operation by the 

21 United States Marine Corps, from Guadalcanal to 

22 Iwo Jima. 

23 (9) The Merchant Marine provided the bulk 

24 tonnage of material necessary for the invasion of 

25 Normandy, an invasion which, according to a 1944 


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1 New York Times article, ‘‘would not have been pos2 sible without the Merchant Marine’’. 

3 (10) In assessing the performance of the Mer4 chant Marine, General Eisenhower stated, ‘‘every 

5 man in this Allied command is quick to express his 

6 admiration for the loyalty, courage, and fortitude of 

7 the officers and men of the Merchant Marine. We 

8 count upon their efficiency and their utter devotion 

9 to duty as we do our own; they have never failed 

10 us’’. 

11 (11) During a September 1944 speech, Presi12 dent Franklin D. Roosevelt stated that the Merchant 

13 Marine had ‘‘delivered the goods when and where 

14 needed in every theater of operations and across 

15 every ocean in the biggest, the most difficult, and 

16 dangerous transportation job ever undertaken. As 

17 time goes on, there will be greater public under18 standing of our merchant fleet’s record during this 

19 war.’’. 

20 (12) The feats and accomplishments of the 

21 Merchant Marine are deserving of broader public 

22 recognition. 

23 (13) The United States will be forever grateful 

24 and indebted to these merchant mariners for their 

25 effective, reliable, and courageous transport of goods 


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1 and resources in enemy territory throughout thea2 ters of every variety in World War II. 

3 (14) The goods and resources transported by 

4 the Merchant Marine saved thousands of lives and 

5 enabled the Allied Powers to claim victory in World 

6 War II. 

7 (15) The Congressional Gold Medal would be 

8 an appropriate way to shed further light on the serv9 ice of the merchant mariners in World War II and 

10 the instrumental role they played in winning that 

11 war. 

12 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

13 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the 

14 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 

15 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

16 award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of 

17 appropriate design to the United States Merchant Mari18 ners of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated 

19 and vital service during World War II. 

20 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 

21 award described in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 

22 Treasury (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 

23 strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 

24 inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 

25 (c) AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE MUSEUM.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 

2 gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal 

3 shall be given to the American Merchant Marine 

4 Museum, where it will be available for display as ap5 propriate and available for research. 

6 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

7 Congress that the American Merchant Marine Mu8 seum should make the gold medal given to the Mu9 seum under paragraph (1) available for display else10 where, particularly at appropriate locations associ11 ated with the United States Merchant Marine and 

12 that preference should be given to locations affiliated 

13 with the United States Merchant Marine. 

14 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

15 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre16 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

17 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price 

18 sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 

19 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

20 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

21 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck under this 

22 Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 

23 31, United States Code. 


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1 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 

2 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

3 under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 

4 SEC. 6. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 

5 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 

6 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 

7 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

8 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 

9 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 

10 by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro11 vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 

12 vote on passage. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 19, 

2019. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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