To authorize the President to award posthumously the Congressional Gold Medal to the passengers and crew of United Airlines flight 93 in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Honoring the Passengers and Crew of 
United Flight 93 Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) on September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked 4 separate 
        airliners with the intention of using the planes as weapons to 
        kill innocent Americans and destroy American landmarks and 
        institutions;
            (2) at 8:44 am, United Airlines Flight 93 took off from 
        Newark, New Jersey, destined for San Francisco, California, and 
        was hijacked by 4 terrorists shortly after take off;
            (3) it is widely presumed that the terrorists who took 
        control of United Airlines Flight 93 intended to use the 
        aircraft as a weapon and crash it into the United States 
        Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.;
            (4) in cellular phone conversations with their loved ones, 
        several passengers learned that 3 hijacked aircraft were used 
        as weapons against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon;
            (5) the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 
        recognized the potential danger and indicated their intent to 
        take heroic and noble action to ensure that the aircraft they 
        were aboard could not be used as a weapon;
            (6) it is believed that in an act of selfless courage and 
        supreme sacrifice, the crew and passengers of United Airlines 
        Flight 93 fought to recapture the aircraft from the terrorists; 
        and
            (7) United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a sparsely 
        populated area near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 10:10 a.m., 
        September 11, 2001, undoubtedly saving countless lives in the 
        Nation's Capital.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--The President is authorized, on behalf of 
        the Congress, to award posthumously a gold medal of appropriate 
        design to each of--
                    (A) the United Airlines Flight 93 crew members--
                            (i) Lorraine G. Bay;
                            (ii) Sandra W. Bradshaw;
                            (iii) Jason Dahl;
                            (iv) Wanda A. Green;
                            (v) LeRoy Homer;
                            (vi) CeeCee Lyles; and
                            (vii) Deborah A. Welsh; and
                    (B) the United Airlines Flight 93 passengers--
                            (i) Christian Adams;
                            (ii) Todd Beamer;
                            (iii) Alan Beaven;
                            (iv) Mark Bingham;
                            (v) Deora Bodley;
                            (vi) Marion Britton;
                            (vii) Thomas E. Burnett, Jr.;
                            (viii) William Cashman;
                            (ix) Georgine Rose Corrigan;
                            (x) Joseph Deluca;
                            (xi) Patrick Driscoll;
                            (xii) Edward Felt;
                            (xiii) Colleen Fraser;
                            (xiv) Andrew Garcia;
                            (xv) Jeremy Glick;
                            (xvi) Kristin Gould;
                            (xvii) Lauren Grandcolas;
                            (xviii) Donald F. Greene;
                            (xix) Linda Gronlund;
                            (xx) Richard Guadagno;
                            (xxi) Toshiya Kuge;
                            (xxii) Hilda Marcin;
                            (xxiii) Waleska Martinez;
                            (xxiv) Nicole Miller;
                            (xxv) Louis J. Nacke;
                            (xxvi) Donald Peterson;
                            (xxvii) Mark Rothenberg;
                            (xxviii) Christine Snyder;
                            (xxix) John Talignani;
                            (xxx) Honor Elizabeth Wainio; and
                            (xxxi) 3 additional heroes whose families 
                        have requested that their names be withheld.
            (2) Modalities.--The modalities of presentation of the 
        medals struck under this Act shall be determined by the 
        President, after consultation with the Speaker of the House of 
        Representatives, the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader of 
        the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the House of 
        Representatives.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred 
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury shall strike gold 
medals with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be 
determined by the Secretary.

SEC. 4. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS.

    The medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes 
of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the 
Treasury such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.

Summary: Honoring the Passengers and Crew of United Flight 93 Act - Authorizes the President to award posthumously the Congressional Gold Medal to the passengers and crew of United Airlines flight 93 which was hijacked and crashed as part of the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001.