H. R. 2939 
One Hundred Thirteenth Congress 
of the 
United States of America 
AT THE SECOND SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday, 
the third day of January, two thousand and fourteen 
An Act 
To award the Congressional Gold Medal to Shimon Peres. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Shimon Peres was born in Poland in 1923. 
(2) The Peres family emigrated to Tel Aviv in 1934, and 
all of the family members of Shimon Peres who remained 
in Poland were murdered during the Holocaust. 
(3) Before Israel gained independence, Shimon Peres 
earned the respect of senior leaders in the independence move-
ment in Israel, most notably David Ben-Gurion. 
(4) The founding generation of Israel was central to the 
development of Israel, and Shimon Peres is the only surviving 
member of that founding generation. 
(5) Shimon Peres has served in numerous high-level cabinet 
positions and ministerial posts in Israel, including head of 
the Israeli Navy, Minister of Defense, Foreign Minister, Prime 
Minister, and President, among many others. 
(6) Shimon Peres has honorably served Israel for over 
70 years, during which he has significantly contributed to 
United States interests and has played a pivotal role in forging 
the strong and unbreakable bond between the United States 
and Israel. 
(7) By presenting the Congressional Gold Medal to Shimon 
Peres, the first to be awarded to a sitting President of Israel, 
Congress proclaims its unbreakable bond with Israel and 
reaffirms its continual support for Israel as we commemorate 
the 65th anniversary of the independence of Israel and the 
90th birthday of Shimon Peres, which are both significant 
milestones in Israeli history. 
(8) Maintaining strong bilateral relations between the 
United States and Israel has been a priority of Shimon Peres 
since he began working with the United States in the days 
of John F. Kennedy. The strong bond is exemplified by the 
following: 
(A) President Reagan said to Shimon Peres upon his 
visit to the United States, ‘‘Mr. Prime Minister, I thank 
you very much for your visit. It’s been an occasion to 
renew a friendship and to review and enhance the strength 
of our unique bilateral relationship.’’.
H. R. 2939—2 
(B) At another point President Reagan said of Shimon 
Peres, ‘‘His vision, his statesmanship and his tenacity are 
greatly appreciated here.’’. 
(C) While visiting with Shimon Peres at the Residence 
of the President in Jerusalem, President Obama described 
Shimon Peres as ‘‘* * * a son of Israel who’s devoted 
his life to keeping Israel strong and sustaining the bonds 
between our two nations’’. 
(D) On March 20, 2013, Shimon Peres reaffirmed his 
belief in the relationship between the United States and 
Israel, stating, ‘‘America stood by our side from the very 
beginning. You support us as we rebuild our ancient home-
land and as we defend our land. From Holocaust to redemp-
tion.’’. 
(E) On March 21, 2013, Shimon Peres stated, ‘‘* * 
* America is so great and we are so small. But I learned 
that you don’t measure us by size, but by values. When 
it comes to values, we are you and you are us * * * 
As I look back, I feel that the Israel of today has exceeded 
the vision we had 65 years ago. Reality has surpassed 
our dreams. The United States of America helped us to 
make this possible.’’. 
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The President pro tempore of the 
Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall 
make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Con-
gress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design in honor of 
President Shimon Peres. 
(b) DESIGN
AND STRIKING.—For the purpose of the award 
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions 
to be determined by the Secretary. 
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
Under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may 
prescribe, the Secretary may strike duplicate medals in bronze 
of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 and sell such dupli-
cate medals at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, 
including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead 
expenses.
H. R. 2939—3 
SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS. 
Medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for 
purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.