Prince Congressional Gold Medal Act
Bill: H.R.5718 | Sponsor: Rep. Omar, Ilhan (D-MN)
Policy area: Arts, Culture, Religion

Summary:
Prince Congressional Gold Medal Act
This bill provides for the award, posthumously, of a Congressional Gold Medal to Prince Rogers Nelson, better known as Prince, in recognition of his achievements as a musician and contributions to American culture.

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 Representatives 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:
            (1) Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, 
        Minnesota, on June 7, 1958, the son of jazz singer Mattie Della 
        (nee 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, including ``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 Congress for 
        preservation in the National Film Registry for being 
        ``culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant''.
            (5) His 1987 double album ``Sign o' the Times'' includes 
        more than 80 minutes of music almost entirely 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 expression, Prince 
        changed his name to the following symbol (also known as the 
        ``Prince Symbol'') to protest the terms of his recording 
        contract and the recording industry's treatment of all artists, 
        and publicly advocated for artists to be able to maintain 
        ownership of their own master recordings:

R

            (8) A lifelong Minnesota resident, Prince was a participant 
        and supporter of the local Minneapolis arts community, 
        memorialized in songs like ``Uptown''.
            (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 artists 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 inducted 
        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 President's Merit Award. 
        Prince was also honored with the American Music Award for 
        Achievement and 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 indelible 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 tempore of the Senate shall make 
appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of 
the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration 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 ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with suitable 
emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
    (c) Smithsonian Institution.--
            (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 Institution, 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 displayed 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 struck under this Act shall be 
considered to be numismatic items.
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