North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act
Bill: H.R.7788 | Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Adrian (R-NE)
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act
This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to recognize the individuals and communities that provided financial and other support for the North Platte Canteen in North Platte, Nebraska, during World War II. The North Platte Canteen, a volunteer-run effort, provided entertainment to U.S. troops traveling across the country.

To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the individuals 
 and communities who volunteered or donated items to the North Platte 
 Canteen in North Platte, Nebraska, during World War II from December 
                      25, 1941, to April 1, 1946.

    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 ``North Platte Canteen Congressional 
Gold Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Home-front volunteerism was integral to the victory of 
        the United States during World War II. Numerous exemplars of 
        patriotism emerged throughout the Midwest, galvanizing the 
        rural United States and the rest of the country supporting the 
        war effort.
            (2) The North Platte Canteen in North Platte, Nebraska, was 
        one of the largest volunteer efforts of World War II.
            (3) Canteen services boosted morale in the United States by 
        providing free, wholesome entertainment to troops traveling 
        across the country. Approximately 120 community-based canteens 
        operated in the United States during World War II.
            (4) The North Platte Canteen greeted and served food to 
        approximately 6,000,000 U.S. troops traveling across the United 
        States from December 25, 1941, to April 1, 1946.
            (5) On December 17, 1941, the residents of North Platte, 
        Nebraska, received information that a train of Nebraska 
        National Guardsmen would be traveling through North Platte en 
        route to the West Coast of the United States. Although the 
        train carried members of the Kansas National Guard, residents 
        of the community welcomed the men from Kansas with food and 
        other items as an appreciation for their service.
            (6) On December 18, 1941, Rae Wilson, of North Platte, 
        proposed to her community the idea of establishing the North 
        Platte Canteen so that residents could greet U.S. troops en 
        route to serving the United States in the European Theater or 
        the Pacific Theater.
            (7) 55,000 individuals, the majority of whom were women, 
        from 125 communities in Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas donated 
        food and volunteered at the North Platte Canteen for 
        approximately 5 years.
            (8) The North Platte Canteen provided hospitality to as 
        many as 24 troop trains per day. During a 1-month period, the 
        Canteen's volunteers served over 40,000 homemade cookies, 
        30,000 hard-boiled eggs, 6,500 doughnuts, 4,000 loaves of 
        bread, 3,000 pounds of meat, 450 pounds of cheese, 60 quarts of 
        peanut butter, 1,350 pounds of coffee, 1,000 quarts of cream, 
        750 dozen rolls, and 600 birthday cakes.
            (9) The North Platte Canteen principally operated at the 
        Union Pacific Railroad station in North Platte, Nebraska, with 
        volunteers from local communities, organizations, churches, 
        schools, and other groups, and without Federal assistance.
            (10) $137,000 in cash contributions supported the North 
        Platte Canteen's operations for almost 5 years. The funds were 
        raised through benefit dances, scrap-metal drives, school 
        victory clubs, donation cans in local businesses, and from the 
        relatives of troops who traveled through the North Platte area.
            (11) In December 1943, the North Platte Canteen was honored 
        by the United States Army with the presentation of the 
        Meritorious Wartime Service Award by the Secretary of War.
            (12) In 2004, the 108th Congress passed a resolution 
        recognizing the heroic efforts of those who made enormous 
        sacrifices to make the North Platte Canteen a success during 
        World War II.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--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 Congress, 
of a gold medal of appropriate design to the individuals and 
communities who volunteered or donated items to the North Platte 
Canteen in North Platte, Nebraska, during World War II.
    (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'') shall strike a gold medal with 
suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions to be determined by the 
Secretary.
    (c) Lincoln County Historical Museum.--Following the award of the 
gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the 
Lincoln County Historical Museum in North Platte, Nebraska, where it 
will be available for display as appropriate and available for 
research.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medal struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the costs 
of the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
overhead expenses.

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    (a) National Medals.--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. 6. 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 necessary 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.
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