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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 91 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                 S. 91

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 
 To award a Congressional Gold Medal collectively to 60 diplomats, in 
     recognition of their bravery and heroism during the Holocaust.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust 
Congressional Gold Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The following diplomats will be honored posthumously: 
        Per Anger (Sweden), Jose Maria Barreto Bustios (Peru), Lars 
        Berg (Sweden), Philippe Bernardini (Vatican/Italy), Hiram 
        (Harry) Bingham IV (United States), Friedrich Born 
        (Switzerland), Gilberto Bosques Saldivar (Mexico), Carlos de 
        Liz-Texeira Branquinho (Portugal), Samuel del Campo (Chile), 
        Aracy de Carvalho Guimaraes Rosa (Brazil), Jose Arturo 
        Castellanos Contreras (El Salvador), Carl Ivan Danielsson 
        (Sweden), Luis Martins de Souza Dantas (Brazil), Georg 
        Ferdinand Duckwitz (Germany), Harald Feller (Switzerland), 
        Francis (Frank) Foley (United Kingdom), Jean-Edouard Friedrich 
        (Switzerland), Carlos Almeida Afonseca de Sampaio Garrido 
        (Portugal), Raymond Herman Geist (United States), Feng-Shan Ho 
        (Republic of China), Constantin Karadja (Romania), Alexander 
        Kasser (Sandor Kasza) (Sweden), Elow Kihlgren (Sweden), Joseph 
        Willem (Joop) Kolkman (Netherlands), Julius Kuhl (Poland), 
        Aleksander 4ados (Poland), Valdemar Langlet (Sweden), Charles 
        (Carl) Lutz (Switzerland), George Mandel-Mantello (El 
        Salvador), Florian Manoliu (Romania), Manuel Antonio Munoz 
        Borrero (Ecuador), Salomon Jacob (Sally) Noach (Netherlands), 
        Giorgio (Jorge) Perlasca (Spain/Italy), Ernst Prodolliet 
        (Switzerland), Eduardo Propper de Callejon (Spain), Franjo 
        Puncuch (Yugoslavia/Slovenia), Konstanty Rokicki (Poland), 
        Sebastian de Romero Radigales (Spain), Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli 
        (Vatican/Italy), Angelo Rotta (Vatican/Italy), Albert Emile 
        Routier (Turkey/France), Jose Ruiz Santaella (Spain), Stefan 
        Ryniewicz (Poland), Angel Sanz-Briz (Spain), Abdol-Hossein 
        Sardari (Iran), Henryk Slawik (Poland), Robert Smallbones 
        (United Kingdom), Aristides de Sousa Mendes (Portugal), Jan 
        Spisiak (Slovakia), Chiune (Sempo) Sugihara (Japan), Ireanaeus 
        Typaldos (Spain), Alexander (Sandor) Ujvary (Vatican/Hungary), 
        Selahattin Ulkumen (Turkey), Gennaro Verolino (Vatican/Italy), 
        Vladimir Vochoc (Czech Republic), Ernst Vonrufs (Switzerland), 
        Raoul Wallenberg (Sweden), Guelfo Zamboni (Italy), Peter 
        Zurcher (Switzerland), and Jan Zwartendijk (Netherlands).
            (2) On September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler and the Nazis began 
        their invasion of Europe, which started World War II and threw 
        the world into chaos. The Nazi plan of mass murder of the 
        Jewish population was in full motion. As battles were being 
        fought between countries, Jews were being rounded up and sent 
        to concentration camps throughout Europe. This process began a 
        mass exodus of people out of Europe, especially those in the 
        Jewish community.
            (3) During the war, members of the Jewish community used 
        every tool and means at their disposal to flee Nazi tyranny. 
        Thousands tried to flee on trains or boats to escape from 
        Europe.
            (4) While the armies of countries were fighting each other, 
        a handful of diplomats, from around the world, stepped forward 
        and took heroic actions to save Jews fleeing Europe. This was 
        an incredibly dangerous process. If the Nazis discovered the 
        actions of these diplomats they would be expelled, as a few of 
        them were. Also, while worrying about the Nazis, diplomats had 
        to worry about their careers and livelihoods back home. Many of 
        them had strict orders from their home countries to not aid the 
        Jewish population in any way.
            (5) These diplomats used every means at their disposal to 
        help Jews fleeing persecution. One of the most powerful tools 
        the diplomats had to use was the issuing of passports and 
        travel visas contrary to the instruction of the governments of 
        the diplomats. This process alone is responsible for saving 
        hundreds of thousands of Jewish families in Europe. This was 
        not the only tool used as many of the diplomats were connected 
        with the local populations and were great communicators for 
        Jews trying to travel underground. They were able set up 
        safehouses and getaways to hide Jews and especially Jewish 
        children from Nazi authorities. In the most dangerous of times, 
        several of these diplomats confronted the Nazis directly on 
        behalf of the Jews and personally put themselves in grave 
        danger.
            (6) Every diplomat knew the dangers and knew what they were 
        up against, and still pushed forward to save those in the most 
        danger.
            (7) The Congressional Gold Medal authorized under this Act 
        will help remind humanity that when the diplomats were faced 
        with terrible crises, they went beyond the fold, including 
        risking their careers and the lives of themselves and their 
        families, to engage in this humanitarian mission. The diplomats 
        of today and future generations can look towards these heroes 
        and be inspired by their lives of heroism and sacrifice.
            (8) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as stating or 
        implying that this group of honorees encompasses everyone who 
        took this type of heroic action during this era. As the title 
        attests, the ``Forgotten Heroes'' performed these deeds out of 
        righteousness, with no expectation of public acclaim. The 
        sponsors of this Act wish to honor this group of individuals 
        for whose deeds the historical record is currently definitive 
        and well-documented. Given that historical research is ongoing, 
        in the event that robust documentation from professional 
        historians, expert stakeholders, and public input identify 
        others worthy of official recognition, future Congresses retain 
        the right to recognize additional forgotten heroes of the 
        Holocaust pursuant to future legislation.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of 
Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make 
appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, 
of a single gold medal of appropriate design in honor of the 60 
diplomats identified in section 2(1), in recognition of their brave and 
vital service of saving Jews during World War II.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred 
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in 
this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a single gold medal with 
suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the 
Secretary.
    (c) Presentation of Medal.--The single gold medal presented under 
subsection (a) shall be presented collectively to the eldest next of 
kin of each of the 60 diplomats identified in section 2(1), who shall 
receive the medal as part of a delegation consisting of a senior 
official representative of the country that each diplomat served and 
the cochairs of the Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust Committee.
    (d) United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.--
            (1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal in 
        honor of the 60 diplomats identified in section 2(1), the gold 
        medal shall be given to the United States Holocaust Memorial 
        Museum, where it will be available for display as appropriate 
        and available for research.
            (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
        the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum should make the 
        gold medal awarded pursuant to this Act available for display 
        elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations associated 
        with Holocaust remembrance.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medal struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the costs 
thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
overhead expenses.

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    (a) National Medal.--Medals struck pursuant to this Act are 
national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States 
Code.
    (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of 
title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be 
considered to be numismatic items.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

    (a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to be 
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such 
amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck 
under this Act.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the 
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

            Passed the Senate September 24, 2024.

            Attest:

                                                             Secretary.
118th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                 S. 91

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 To award a Congressional Gold Medal collectively to 60 diplomats, in 
     recognition of their bravery and heroism during the Holocaust.
```