II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1597 

To award posthumously a Congressional gold medal to Constantino Brumidi. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 29, 2005 

Mr. ENZI introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To award posthumously a Congressional gold medal to 

Constantino Brumidi. 

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

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) On July 26, 1805, Constantino Brumidi 

6 was born in Rome, Italy of an Italian mother and 

7 a Greek father who inspired him with a love of lib8 erty. 

9 (2) While Constantino Brumidi’s Greek ances10 try stirred his passion for liberty and citizenship, his 

11 Italian heritage provided the art styles of the Ren-
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1 aissance and the Baroque which influenced the art2 work of the United States Capitol. 

3 (3) Constantino Brumidi became a citizen of 

4 the United States as soon as he was able, embracing 

5 its history, values, and ideals. 

6 (4) Beginning in 1855, Constantino Brumidi 

7 designed and decorated one House and five Senate 

8 committee rooms in the Capitol, as well as the Sen9 ate Reception Room, the Office of the Vice Presi10 dent, and, most notably, the President’s Room, 

11 which represents Brumidi’s supreme effort ‘‘to make 

12 beautiful the Capitol’’ of the United States. 

13 (5) In 1865 Constantino Brumidi completed in 

14 just 11 months his masterpiece, ‘‘The Apotheosis of 

15 Washington,’’ in the eye of the Capitol dome. 

16 (6) In 1871 Constantino Brumidi created the 

17 first tribute to an African American in the Capitol 

18 when he placed the figure of Crispus Attucks at the 

19 center of his fresco of the Boston Massacre. 

20 (7) In 1878 Constantino Brumidi at the age of 

21 72 and in poor health, began work on the Rotunda 

22 frieze, which chronicles the history of America. 

23 (8) On February 19, 1880, Constantino 

24 Brumidi died at the age of 74, four and a half 
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1 months after slipping and nearly falling from a scaf2 fold while working on the Rotunda frieze. 

3 (9) Constantino Brumidi, proud of his artistic 

4 accomplishments and devoted to his adopted coun5 try, said, ‘‘My one ambition and my daily prayer is 

6 that I may live long enough to make beautiful the 

7 Capitol of the one country on earth in which there 

8 is liberty.’’. 

9 (10) Constantino Brumidi’s life and work exem10 plify the lives of millions of immigrants who came to 

11 pursue the American dream. 

12 (11) 2005 marks the bicentennial of 

13 Constantino Brumidi’s birth. 

14 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

15 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Speaker of the House of 

17 Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of 

18 the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for 

19 the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold 

20 medal of appropriate design in recognition of the 

21 contributions of Constantino Brumidi to the Nation. 

22 (2) DISPLAY OF MEDAL IN CAPITOL VISITOR

23 CENTER.—The Architect of the Capitol shall arrange 

24 for the gold medal presented under this subsection 
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1 to be displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center as part 

2 of an exhibit honoring Constantino Brumidi. 

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

4 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 

5 of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec6 retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 

7 devices, and inscriptions to be determined by the Sec8 retary. 

9 SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

10 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

11 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 

12 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at 

13 a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 

14 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, 

15 and the cost of the gold medal. 

16 SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

17 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck under 

18 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 

19 of title 31, United States Code. 

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

21 5134 of title 31, Unites States Code, all medals struck 

22 under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 
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1 SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 

2 SALE. 

3 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 

4 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

5 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec6 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant 

7 to this Act. 

8 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 

9 sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 

10 3 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 

11 Enterprise Fund. 

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