Prince Congressional Gold Medal Act
Bill: S.4603 | Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy (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 the culture of the United States.

To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Prince Rogers 
  Nelson in recognition of his achievements and contributions to the 
                     culture of the United States.

    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.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Prince Rogers Nelson (referred to in this Act as 
        ``Prince'') 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, Prince's 
        innovative music incorporated elements of rock, R&B, funk, hip-
        hop, new wave, synth-pop, and jazz.
            (2) Prince released 39 albums during his lifetime 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) Prince's 1984 album ``Purple Rain'' spent 6 consecutive 
        months as the number 1 record on the Billboard 200 chart, 
        spawning 5 top-10 hits, including ``When Doves Cry'' and the 
        title track. The film ``Purple Rain'' won Prince the Academy 
        Award for Best Original Song Score and, in 2019, was added by 
        the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film 
        Registry for being ``culturally, historically, or aesthetically 
        significant''.
            (5) Prince's 1987 double album ``Sign o' the Times'' 
        included more than 80 minutes of music almost entirely composed 
        and performed by Prince and would go on to become his most 
        acclaimed record, including being voted 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--
                    (A) changed his name to a symbol (commonly known as 
                the ``Prince Symbol'') to protest the terms of his 
                recording contract and the recording industry's 
                treatment of all artists; and
                    (B) publicly advocated for artists to be able to 
                maintain ownership of their own master recordings.
            (8) A lifelong Minnesota resident, Prince was a participant 
        in, and supporter of, the local Minneapolis arts community, 
        memorialized in songs like ``Uptown''.
            (9) Though he did not speak publicly of his charity work, 
        Prince was an animal rights activist and a philanthropist.
            (10) Prince sold more than 150,000,000 records worldwide, 
        ranking among the best selling artists of all time.
            (11) Prince was one of the most acclaimed artists of all 
        time and he and his music were recognized as follows:
                    (A) Prince won 7 Grammy Awards, 7 Brit Awards, 6 
                American Music Awards, 4 MTV Video Music Awards, an 
                Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for the film 
                ``Purple Rain'', and a Golden Globe Award.
                    (B) Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall 
                of Fame in 2004, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and 
                the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
                    (C) Prince received the BET Lifetime Achievement 
                Award in 2010.
                    (D) In 2016, Prince was posthumously honored with a 
                doctor of humane letters by the University of 
                Minnesota.
                    (E) Two of Prince's albums, ``Purple Rain'' and 
                ``Sign o' the Times'', received nominations for the 
                Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
                    (F) At the 28th Grammy Awards, Prince was awarded 
                the President's Merit Award.
                    (G) Prince was honored with the American Music 
                Award for Achievement and the American Music Award of 
                Merit at the American Music Awards of 1990 and 1995, 
                respectively.
                    (H) At the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, Prince was 
                honored with the Billboard Icon Award.
            (12) Prince transcended this earthly plane on April 21, 
        2016, in his Minnesota home, at 57 years of age, leaving behind 
        a legacy of musical achievement and an indelible mark on 
        Minnesota and the culture of the United States.

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 
Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of 
Prince, in recognition of his achievements and contributions to the 
culture of the United States.
    (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--
                    (A) available for display, as appropriate; and
                    (B) made available for research.
            (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
        the Smithsonian Institution should 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 the gold medal 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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