I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5896 
To award a congressional gold medal to the United Negro College Fund, 
Inc. and the institutions that make up its membership on the occasion 
of its 80th year of existence. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 6, 2023 
Ms. ADAMS (for herself, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. SEWELL, and Ms. 
LEE of California) introduced the following bill 
OCTOBER 25, 2023 
Referred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To award a congressional gold medal to the United Negro 
College Fund, Inc. and the institutions that make up 
its membership on the occasion of its 80th year of exist-
ence. 
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 ‘‘United Negro College 
Fund, Inc. Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Historically Black Colleges and Universities 
(referred to in this Act as ‘‘HBCUs’’) were estab-
lished during a time when African Americans seek-
ing to further their education was a dangerous un-
dertaking and illegal in many areas of the United 
States. 
(2) HBCUs initially educated the progeny of 
slaves, and the graduates of those institutions have 
been impactful as 80 percent of all African-Amer-
ican judges, 80 percent of all African-American doc-
tors and dentists, 50 percent of all African-American 
lawyers, 50 percent of all African-American profes-
sors, 50 percent of all African-American public 
school teachers, 40 percent of all African-American 
Members of Congress, and 40 percent of all African- 
American engineers, while educating only 10 percent 
of all African-American students in higher edu-
cation. 
(3) According to a United Negro College Fund, 
Inc. (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘UNCF’’) study, 
the annual economic impact of HBCUs is over 
$14,800,000,000 a year, the institutions generate 
134,090 jobs for their local and regional economies, 
and 1 annual class of HBCU graduates constitutes 
over 50,000 graduates with a lifetime earnings of 
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$130,000,000,000, 56 percent higher than what they 
could have expected to earn without their HBCU 
college credentials. 
(4) The UNCF, established in 1944, is the pre-
miere fundraising and scholarship organization in 
assistance of HBCUs and African-American stu-
dents. 
(5) In its 80 years of existence, the UNCF has 
raised over 7,000,000,000 in private donations for 
HBCUs and African-American students. 
(6) On an annual basis, the UNCF awards 
$100,000,000 in scholarships to 10,000 students at 
hundreds of colleges and universities. 
(7) UNCF also provides grants to its members, 
which include: Miles College, Oakwood University, 
Stillman College, Talladega College, Tuskegee Uni-
versity, Philander Smith College, Bethune-Cookman 
University, Edward Waters University, Florida Me-
morial 
University, 
Clark 
Atlanta 
University, 
Interdominational Theological Center, Morehouse 
College, Paine College, Spelman College, Dillard 
University, Xavier University of Louisiana, Rust 
College, Tougaloo College, Bennett College, Johnson 
C. Smith University, Livingstone College, Saint Au-
gustine University, Shaw University, Wilberforce 
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University, Allen University, Benedict College, 
Claflin University, Morris College, Voorhees College, 
Fisk University, Lane College, Huston-Tillotson 
University, Jarvis Christian College, Texas College, 
Wiley College, and Virginia Union University. The 
fundraising efforts of the UNCF also positively im-
pact each HBCU and African-American student at 
many non-HBCU institutions. 
(8) The iconic motto of the UNCF, ‘‘A Mind Is 
a Terrible Thing To Waste’’, is commonly known 
throughout the lexicon in the United States and re-
minds us as a nation to strive for our individual full-
est ability and the highest national ideals through 
philanthropy and achievement. 
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 presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold 
medal of appropriate design to the UNCF and the institu-
tions that make up its membership. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 
presentation described in subsection (a), the Secretary of 
the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 
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shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, 
and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 
bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3, at 
a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, includ-
ing labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead 
expenses. 
SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of the Congress that the United States 
Mint should expedite production of the gold medal and du-
plicate medals under this Act, so that the UNCF and its 
member institutions can be recognized in a timely manner 
for its 80th anniversary. 
SEC. 6. 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 
struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 
items. 
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SEC. 7. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 
SALE. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 
authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 
Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec-
essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under 
this Act. 
(b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 
sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 
4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 
Enterprise Fund. 
Æ 
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