Title: Aretha Franklin Congressional Gold Medal Act
Policy area: Arts, Culture, Religion

Summary:
Aretha Franklin Congressional Gold Medal Act
This bill instructs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Aretha Franklin.
After the award of the medal, it shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be displayed as appropriate and made available for research.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 409 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 409

 To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of 
                            Aretha Franklin.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 7, 2019

   Ms. Harris (for herself, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Peters, Ms. Smith, Mr. 
Carper, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Reed, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Manchin, Ms. Warren, Ms. 
Baldwin, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Jones, 
   Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Whitehouse, Ms. 
 Cortez Masto, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Coons, and Ms. Hassan) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of 
                            Aretha Franklin.

    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 ``Aretha Franklin Congressional Gold 
Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Aretha Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, 
        Tennessee, and died peacefully at her home in Detroit, 
        Michigan, surrounded by family and loved ones, on August 16, 
        2018.
            (2) Aretha Franklin's musical talents have influenced 
        generations of musicians and political leaders, creating a 
        legacy that spans an incredible 6 decades.
            (3) Aretha Franklin, dubbed the ``Queen of Soul'', was the 
        first woman ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 
        was a 2005 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and 
        was a 1999 recipient of the National Medal of Arts and 
        Humanities Award, among other accolades.
            (4) Aretha Franklin's music served as a 1960s call to 
        action that inspired thousands of individuals to join civil 
        rights movements and still resonates across those movements 
        today.
            (5) Aretha Franklin's contributions go beyond music and the 
        arts.
            (6) Aretha Franklin was also a philanthropist who supported 
        causes that advanced civil rights, human health, and gender 
        equality.
            (7) Aretha Franklin's talents instilled hope, uplifted 
        generations, and changed the lives of millions of individuals 
        across the globe.
            (8) The City of Detroit shaped Aretha Franklin's life and 
        music, as her father and church introduced her to local Motown 
        artists.
            (9) In return, Aretha Franklin made countless contributions 
        to the City of Detroit and few people have played a greater 
        role in shaping a culturally and socially relevant discography 
        in the United States than Aretha Franklin.

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 
Aretha Franklin.
    (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) Award of Medal.--
            (1) In general.--After the award of the gold medal referred 
        to in subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the 
        Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be displayed as 
        appropriate and 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 elsewhere, 
        particularly at other locations and events associated with 
        Aretha Franklin.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

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

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 section 5134 of title 31, 
United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be 
considered to be numismatic items.
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