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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 91 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.91

                     One Hundred Eighteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America

                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
         the third day of January, two thousand and twenty four

                                 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.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.
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