I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5483 

To award a congressional gold medal to the United States Cadet Nurse 

Corps. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 8, 2010 

Mrs. LOWEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House 

Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To award a congressional gold medal to the United States 

Cadet Nurse Corps. 

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 The Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) The United States experienced an extreme 

6 shortage of nurses and medical personnel during 

7 World War II, and this shortage was filled in part 

8 by the 180,000 women of the United States Cadet 

9 Nurse Corps. 


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1 (2) The United States Cadet Nurse Corps was 

2 under the jurisdiction of the Public Health Service, 

3 a branch of the uniformed services of the United 

4 States. 

5 (3) The United States Cadet Nurse Corps was 

6 established pursuant to the Act of June 15, 1943 

7 (Chapter 126; 57 Stat. 153), commonly known as 

8 the Bolton Act in honor of Congresswoman Frances 

9 Payne Bolton who introduced the legislation. 

10 (4) Few opportunities were available to women, 

11 and the United States Cadet Nurse Corps allowed 

12 many young women to serve our country the best 

13 way they could and fill the domestic nursing short14 age in our country. 

15 (5) The members of the United States Cadet 

16 Nurse Corps were required to undergo training that 

17 involved 12-hour days in hospitals followed by class18 es, with specific standards for admission into the 

19 Corps. 

20 (6) The members of the United States Cadet 

21 Nurse Corps made a pledge upon entrance into their 

22 post to be available for military, governmental, or es23 sential civilian services for the duration of World 

24 War II. 


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1 (7) The members of the United States Cadet 

2 Nurse Corps wore uniforms with patches certified by 

3 the Secretary of the Army and served under the au4 thority of commissioned officers. 

5 (8) Members of the United States Cadet Nurse 

6 Corps were charged with caring for sick and wound7 ed members of the Armed Forces and performed 

8 other duties in promotion of the public interest in 

9 connection with military operations. 

10 (9) The United States Cadet Nurse Corps was 

11 responsible for saving civilian hospital nursing serv12 ices by providing 80 percent of the nursing staff for 

13 civilian hospitals during World War II. 

14 (10) Some members of the United States Cadet 

15 Nurse Corps left their families and served all across 

16 the Nation in various hospitals, occasionally sub17 stituting for doctors. 

18 (11) The legacy of the Cadet Nurse Corps is 

19 manifold, as their service maintained a strong health 

20 care system during a severe health shortage, profes21 sionalized nursing school education and training, 

22 and stimulated interest in the nursing profession 

23 and created greater public recognition of nurses. 

24 (12) The United States Cadet Nurse Corps, de25 spite their historic and patriotic contributions, reVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:58 Jun 09, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5483.IH H5483

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1 mains unrecognized as a military organization and 

2 its members remain unrecognized as veterans of the 

3 United States Army. 

4 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

5 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The President pro tem6 pore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Rep7 resentatives shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

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

9 of appropriate design in honor of the United States Cadet 

10 Nurse Corps, collectively, in recognition of their patriotism 

11 and civic activism in a time of emergency during World 

12 War II which saved civilian hospital nursing services and 

13 provided 80 percent of the nursing staff for civilian hos14 pitals during World War II. 

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

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

17 Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec18 retary’’) shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, 

19 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec20 retary. 

21 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 

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

23 gold medal in honor of the United States Cadet 

24 Nurse Corps, the gold medal shall be given to the 


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1 Smithsonian Institution, where it will be displayed 

2 as appropriate and made available for research. 

3 (2) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense 

4 of the Congress that the Smithsonian Institution 

5 shall make the gold medal received under this Act 

6 available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 

7 locations associated with the Cadet Nurse Corps. 

8 SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

9 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre10 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

11 bronze of the gold medal struck under this Act, at a price 

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

13 materials, dyes, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

14 SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS. 

15 Medals struck pursuant to this Act are national med16 als for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States 

17 Code. 

18 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS 

19 OF SALE. 

20 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

21 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

22 Public Enterprise Fund, an amount not to exceed $30,000 

23 to pay for the cost of the medal authorized under section 

24 2. 


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

2 sale of duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be 

3 deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise 

4 Fund. 

Æ 


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