I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5718 
To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Prince Rogers Nelson, 
in recognition of his achievements and contributions to American culture. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 25, 2021 
Ms. OMAR (for herself, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. PHILLIPS, Mr. 
EMMER, Mr. HAGEDORN, Mrs. FISCHBACH, and Mr. STAUBER) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Finan-
cial 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 posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to 
Prince Rogers Nelson, in recognition of his achievements 
and contributions to American culture. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Prince Congressional 
Gold Medal Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds that: 
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(1) Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Min-
neapolis, Minnesota, on June 7, 1958, the son of 
jazz singer Mattie Della (ne´e Shaw) and pianist and 
songwriter John Louis Nelson. Widely regarded as 
one of the greatest musicians of his generation, his 
innovative music incorporated elements of rock, 
R&B, funk, hip-hop, new wave, synth-pop, and jazz. 
(2) Prince released 39 albums during his life 
and produced countless others, along with many 
unreleased projects left in a vault at his home. 
(3) Recognized as a musical prodigy from an 
early age, Prince signed a recording contract with 
Warner Brothers Records at the age of 19, writing, 
producing, arranging, and playing all 27 instruments 
on the recording. 
(4) His 1984 album, ‘‘Purple Rain’’, spent six 
consecutive months as the number 1 record on the 
Billboard 200 charts, spawning five top 10 hits, in-
cluding ‘‘When Doves Cry’’ and the title track. The 
movie of the same name won him the Academy 
Award for ‘‘Best Original Song Score’’. In 2019, the 
film Purple Rain was added by the Library of Con-
gress for preservation in the National Film Registry 
for being ‘‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically 
significant’’. 
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(5) His 1987 double album ‘‘Sign o’ the Times’’ 
includes more than 80 minutes of music almost en-
tirely composed and performed by Prince and would 
go on to be his most acclaimed record, being voted 
as 1987’s best album in the Pazz & Jop Critics’ 
Poll. In 2017, the album was inducted into the 
Grammy Hall of Fame. 
(6) A prolific composer, Prince wrote many 
songs made famous by other musicians, including 
‘‘Nothing Compares 2 U’’, ‘‘Manic Monday’’, and ‘‘I 
Feel For You’’. 
(7) An advocate for artistic freedom and ex-
pression, Prince changed his name to the following 
symbol (also known as the ‘‘Prince Symbol’’) to pro-
test the terms of his recording contract and the re-
cording industry’s treatment of all artists, and pub-
licly advocated for artists to be able to maintain 
ownership of their own master recordings: 
 
(8) A lifelong Minnesota resident, Prince was a 
participant and supporter of the local Minneapolis 
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arts community, memorialized in songs like ‘‘Up-
town’’. 
(9) Though he did not speak publicly of his 
charity work during his life, Prince was an animal 
rights activist and philanthropist. 
(10) Prince sold more than 150 million records 
worldwide, ranking him among the best selling art-
ists of all time. 
(11) He won seven Grammy Awards, seven Brit 
Awards, six American Music Awards, four MTV 
Video Music Awards, an Academy Award (for ‘‘Best 
Original Song Score’’ for the film Purple Rain), and 
a Golden Globe Award. In 2004, Prince was in-
ducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the 
UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Rhythm 
and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016. He received 
the BET Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. He 
was posthumously honored with a doctor of humane 
letters by the University of Minnesota in 2016. Two 
of his albums, ‘‘Purple Rain’’ (1984) and ‘‘Sign o’ 
the Times’’ (1987), received the Grammy Award for 
‘‘Album of the Year’’ nominations. At the 28th 
Grammy Awards, Prince was awarded the Presi-
dent’s Merit Award. Prince was also honored with 
the American Music Award for Achievement and 
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American Music Award of Merit at the American 
Music Awards of 1990 and American Music Awards 
of 1995 respectively. At the 2013 Billboard Music 
Awards, he was honored with the Billboard Icon 
Award. 
(12) Prince transcended this earthly plane on 
April 21, in his Minnesota home at age 57, leaving 
behind a legacy of musical achievement and an in-
delible mark on Minnesota and American culture. 
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 
the House of Representatives and the President pro tem-
pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 
for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of the Con-
gress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemo-
ration of Prince, in recognition of his achievements and 
contributions to American culture. 
(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 ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 
devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec-
retary. 
(c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 
gold medal in honor of Prince under subsection (a), 
the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian In-
stitution, where it shall be available for display as 
appropriate and made available for research. 
(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 
Congress that the Smithsonian Institution shall 
make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 
available for display, particularly at the National 
Museum of African American History and Culture, 
or for loan as appropriate so that it may be dis-
played elsewhere, particularly at other appropriate 
locations associated with the life of Prince. 
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 
bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 
under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at 
a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 
(a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck under 
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 
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struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 
items. 
Æ 
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