Kyle H. Rittenhouse Congressional Gold Medal Act
Bill: H.R.6070 | Sponsor: Rep. Greene, Marjorie Taylor (R-GA)
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector

Summary:
Kyle H. Rittenhouse Congressional Gold Medal Act
This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Kyle H. Rittenhouse in recognition of his efforts to protect the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, from mob violence on August 25, 2020.

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Kyle H. Rittenhouse, who 
  protected the community of Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a Black Lives 
                 Matter (BLM) riot on August 25, 2020.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Kyle H. Rittenhouse Congressional 
Gold Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Throughout the summer of 2020, local governments across 
        various cities and States failed to adequately protect 
        residents and their property from violent riots that included 
        arson, looting, and murder.
            (2) On August 25, 2020, a violent BLM riot broke out in 
        Kenosha, Wisconsin, putting tens of thousands of lives at risk 
        and leaving property vulnerable to destruction.
            (3) The courageous actions taken in response to the threat 
        to his community by Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from the 
        greater Kenosha area, went beyond the civilian call of duty.
            (4) Kyle Rittenhouse traveled to the site of the riot with 
        a medical kit to provide aid to those injured by the rioters; 
        he also carried a fire extinguisher to help put out fires at 
        various properties started by arsonists.
            (5) Kyle Rittenhouse disarmed a pistol-wielding individual 
        with a lengthy criminal record, including driving while 
        intoxicated and carrying a firearm while intoxicated.
            (6) Corporate media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, and the 
        Washington Post, and certain Members of Congress, unjustly 
        attacked Kyle Rittenhouse's character before his eventual 
        acquittal, a direct contradiction to the legal principle that a 
        person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
            (7) On November 19, 2021, Kyle Rittenhouse was found ``not 
        guilty'' on all charges by a jury of his peers, rendering the 
        slanderous and libelous content of the aforementioned corporate 
        media and certain Members of Congress against him susceptible 
        to charges of defamation.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS.

    (a) Presentation Authorization.--The Speaker of the House of 
Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make 
appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of the 
Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Kyle H. Rittenhouse, 
who protected the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, from mob violence on 
August 25, 2020.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the presentation 
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter 
in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike gold medals 
with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by 
the Secretary.
    (c) Disposition of Medals.--Following the award of the gold medal 
under subsection (a):
            (1) Kyle h. rittenhouse.--One gold medal shall be given to 
        Kyle H. Rittenhouse.
            (2) Kenosha county courthouse.--One gold medal shall be 
        given to the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, 
        so that the medal may be displayed in commemoration of the 
        members of the jury who reaffirmed the constitutional right to 
        self-defense.
            (3) Smithsonian institution.--
                    (A) In general.--One gold medal shall be given to 
                the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be 
                available for display as appropriate and available for 
                research.
                    (B) Plaque.--In displaying the gold medal given 
                under subparagraph (A), the Smithsonian Institution 
                shall display the medal with a plaque that denotes Kyle 
                Rittenhouse as a defender of his community against the 
                BLM riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 25, 2020.
                    (C) Sense of the congress.--It is the sense of the 
                Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should make 
                the gold medal given under subparagraph (A) available 
                for display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate 
                locations associated with the protection of American 
                cities during the BLM riots of the summer of 2020.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medals 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. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of the Congress that the United States Mint should 
expedite production of the gold medals and duplicate medals under this 
Act, so that the heroic and protective actions of Kyle H. Rittenhouse 
on August 25, 2020, in Kenosha can be recognized and honored in a 
timely manner.

SEC. 6. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    (a) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to this Act are 
national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States 
Code.
    (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 of title 31, 
United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be 
considered to be numismatic items.

SEC. 7. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES.

     The Secretary of the Treasury shall take such actions as may be 
necessary to ensure that the minting and issuing of coins under this 
Act will not result in any net cost to the United States Government.
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