Ritchie Boys Congressional Gold Medal Act

Bill: 118-hr-3545
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Trone, David J. [D-MD-6]
Introduced: 2023-05-18
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Latest action: action_date: 2023-05-18
text: Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, 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.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-05-18
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Ritchie Boys Congressional Gold Medal Act</b></p> <p>This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the military intelligence professionals at Camp Ritchie, commonly known as the &quot;Ritchie Boys,&quot; in recognition of their contributions to the field of human intelligence and their service during World War II.</p>

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3545 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 18, 2023 Mr. Trone (for himself and Mr. Timmons ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services , and in addition to the Committee on House Administration , 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 award a Congressional Gold Medal to the military intelligence professionals at Camp Ritchie, commonly known as the Ritchie Boys , in recognition of their groundbreaking contributions to the field of human intelligence and their outstanding service during World War II.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Ritchie Boys Congressional Gold Medal Act . 2. Findings The Congress finds the following: (1) The Ritchie Boys were a group of approximately 15,200 servicemembers who trained in United States Army Intelligence methods at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, during World War II. (2) Most of the men and women assigned to Camp Ritchie possessed critical language skills in German, Polish, Italian, French, and other languages that became an asset to allied forces during the war. (3) Approximately 14 percent of the Ritchie Boys were Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria who had detailed knowledge of German cultural attitudes and communication. (4) The Ritchie Boys were trained in methods of human intelligence, including groundbreaking techniques in interrogation, counterintelligence, and psychological warfare that leveraged cultural knowledge as a tool for building rapport with prisoners. (5) Consequently, the Ritchie Boys were able to gather vital intelligence regarding the hierarchy, strategies, motivations, and attitudes of the German military. (6) The Ritchie Boys who completed training at Camp Ritchie went on to serve in units on the front lines in Europe, conducting human intelligence operations and analyzing German military plans to provide strategic intelligence to commanders in the field. (7) The Ritchie Boys also conducted counterintelligence operations aimed at demoralizing the enemy and convincing German soldiers to abandon their units. (8) After the war, many of the Ritchie Boys helped shape American culture and society through their continued work in the intelligence community as well as governance, academia, and other fields. (9) A United States Army report found that approximately 60 percent of the actionable intelligence gathered in Europe during the war came from the Ritchie Boys. 3. Congressional gold medal (a) Award authorized The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to the military intelligence professionals at Camp Ritchie, commonly known as the Ritchie Boys , in recognition of their groundbreaking contributions to the field of human intelligence and their outstanding service during World War II. (b) Design and striking For the purposes of the award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury shall strike the 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 the military intelligence professionals, the Ritchie Boys , 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 should make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations associated with the Ritchie Boys. 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 bronze medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 5. Status of medals The gold medal struck pursuant to this Act is a national medal for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. 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.