I 

119TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 269 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Jens Stoltenberg, in recognition 

of his contributions to the security, unity, and defense of the North 

Atlantic Treaty Organization. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 9, 2025 

Mr. DUNN of Florida (for himself, Mr. TURNER of Ohio, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. 

BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. MCCORMICK, Mr. 

GOTTHEIMER, Mr. GUTHRIE, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, 

Mr. NORCROSS, and Mr. LAWLER) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Jens Stoltenberg, 

in recognition of his contributions to the security, unity, 

and defense of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Secretary General Jens 

5 Stoltenberg Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Jens Stoltenberg served as the Prime Min2 ister of Norway from 2000 to 2001 and 2005 to 

3 2013. 

4 (2) Norway was a founding member of the 

5 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (referred to in 

6 this Act as ‘‘NATO’’) on April 4, 1949. 

7 (3) As Prime Minister of Norway, Jens 

8 Stoltenberg oversaw Norway’s increased defense 

9 spending levels and the modernization of the Nor10 wegian Armed Forces. 

11 (4) A primary objective of NATO is to provide 

12 security and support to member nations and pro13 mote democratic values to ensure stability and 

14 peace. 

15 (5) Jens Stoltenberg assumed the position of 

16 Secretary General of NATO in October 2014. 

17 (6) The United States was the first NATO 

18 member to support Jens Stoltenberg’s appointment 

19 as Secretary General. 

20 (7) Jens Stoltenberg has led NATO through 

21 significant new investments, reinforced its capabili22 ties and enhanced the collective defense of the Alli23 ance. 

24 (8) Jens Stoltenberg has advocated for greater 

25 burden sharing among members of the NATO AlliVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:21 Jan 31, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H269.IH H269

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1 ance, and under his leadership the Alliance will see 

2 23 member countries reach or exceed the 2 percent 

3 defense spending commitment by 2024, compared to 

4 4 member countries in 2014. 

5 (9) Jens Stoltenberg’s commitment to better 

6 burden sharing has resulted in a stronger and more 

7 sustainable Alliance than at any other time in 

8 NATO history. 

9 (10) Under Jens Stoltenberg’s leadership, 

10 NATO has successfully undergone multiple enlarge11 ment periods and has extended membership to Fin12 land, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Sweden. 

13 (11) In addition to bolstering the collective se14 curity of the Alliance, NATO enlargement indicates 

15 that an increasing number of countries are meeting 

16 key benchmarks on the military, political and legal 

17 requirements needed for NATO accession, enhancing 

18 interoperability, defense expenditure and intelligence 

19 sharing among member countries. 

20 (12) Jens Stoltenberg has increased NATO’s 

21 partnerships with Indo-Pacific countries to cooperate 

22 more closely to address our shared global challenges 

23 including cyber defense, emergency technologies, and 

24 the multitude of challenges posed by the People’s 

25 Republic of China. 


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1 (13) Jens Stoltenberg included Indo-Pacific 

2 leaders at NATO summits and traveled to the region 

3 which further cemented these important partner4 ships. 

5 (14) Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of 

6 Ukraine in February 2022, Jens Stoltenberg has led 

7 the Alliance in maintaining unprecedented unity 

8 against Putin’s unprovoked, illegal actions. 

9 (15) Since February 2022, NATO members 

10 have supplied Ukraine with the equipment and re11 sources it needs to defend its democracy and its sov12 ereignty. 

13 (16) Jens Stoltenberg successfully marshaled 

14 political and financial support from Indo-Pacific 

15 partners to support Ukraine, including contributions 

16 of munitions and military equipment and sizeable fi17 nancial contributions to NATO’s Comprehensive As18 sistance Plan Action Trust Fund for Ukraine. 

19 (17) Jens Stoltenberg’s mandate was extended 

20 a total of 4 times with unanimous support by NATO 

21 allies, with 2 extensions agreed to following Russia’s 

22 unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. 

23 (18) Jens Stoltenberg is the second longest24 serving Secretary General, serving over 9 years in 

25 this position. 


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1 (19) Jens Stoltenberg has re-committed that 

2 the NATO Alliance will stand together against any 

3 threat posed to a NATO member, ensuring contin4 ued peace and stability within NATO territory and 

5 around the world. 

6 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

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

8 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 

9 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

10 award, on behalf of the Congress, of a single gold medal 

11 of appropriate design to Jens Stoltenberg, in recognition 

12 of his contributions to the security, unity, and defense of 

13 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 

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

15 award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 

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

17 strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 

18 inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. The de19 sign shall bear an inscription of the name of Jens 

20 Stoltenberg. 

21 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

22 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

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

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

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


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1 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

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

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

4 31, United States Code. 

5 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 

6 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 

7 struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 

8 items. 

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

10 SALE. 

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

12 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

13 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec14 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under 

15 this Act. 

16 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALES.—Amounts received from 

17 the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under sec18 tion 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Pub19 lic Enterprise Fund. 

Æ 


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