Title: To affirm the power of the President to revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to Bill Cosby and to provide for criminal penalties for anyone who wears or publicly displays a Presidential Medal of Freedom that has been revoked.
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
This bill expresses the sense of Congress that the President should revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to William Henry (Bill) Cosby in 2002.
Additionally, it amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to fraudulently wear or publicly display a Presidential Medal of Freedom that has been revoked. A violator is subject to a fine, up to one year in prison, or both.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6810 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6810

 To affirm the power of the President to revoke the Presidential Medal 
of Freedom awarded to Bill Cosby and to provide for criminal penalties 
   for anyone who wears or publicly displays a Presidential Medal of 
                     Freedom that has been revoked.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 13, 2018

  Mr. Gosar (for himself, Mr. Norman, and Ms. Speier) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, 
 and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To affirm the power of the President to revoke the Presidential Medal 
of Freedom awarded to Bill Cosby and to provide for criminal penalties 
   for anyone who wears or publicly displays a Presidential Medal of 
                     Freedom that has been revoked.

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

SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT THE PRESIDENT SHOULD REVOKE THE 
              PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM AWARDED TO BILL COSBY.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Established in 1963 and bestowed by the President of 
        the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the 
        highest civilian honor of our Nation.
            (2) The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded to 
        recipients for ``especially meritorious contributions to the 
        security or national interests of the United States, to world 
        peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private 
        endeavors''.
            (3) William Henry ``Bill'' Cosby, Jr. (in this subsection 
        referred to as ``Cosby''), received the Presidential Medal of 
        Freedom in 2002.
            (4) On Thursday April 26, 2018, a jury found Cosby guilty 
        of sexual assault, and, therefore, the Federal Government 
        should not recognize Cosby with an honor like the Presidential 
        Medal of Freedom.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
President should revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to 
William Henry ``Bill'' Cosby, Jr.

SEC. 2. CRIMINAL PENALTY FOR WEARING OR DISPLAYING A REVOKED 
              PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 33 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 717. Revoked Presidential Medal of Freedom
    ``Whoever, with the intent to defraud any person, wears or publicly 
displays a Presidential Medal of Freedom that has been declared to be 
revoked by the President shall be fined under this title or imprisoned 
for not more than one year, or both.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 33 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 716 the following:

``717. Revoked Presidential Medal of Freedom.''.
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