A bill to award a congressional gold medal to Dr. Muhammad Yunus, in recognition of his contributions to the fight against global poverty.
PL 111-253 (S.846), enacted 10/05/2010

124 STAT. 2635 
PUBLIC LAW 111–253—OCT. 5, 2010 
Public Law 111–253 
111th Congress 
An Act 
To award a congressional gold medal to Dr. Muhammad Yunus, in recognition 
of his contributions to the fight against global poverty. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds that— 
(1) Dr. Muhammad Yunus is recognized in the United 
States and throughout the world as a leading figure in the 
fight against poverty and the effort to promote economic and 
social change; 
(2) Muhammad Yunus is the recognized developer of the 
concept of microcredit, and Grameen Bank, which he founded, 
has created a model of lending that has been emulated across 
the globe; 
(3) Muhammad Yunus launched this global movement to 
create economic and social development from below, beginning 
in 1976, with a loan of $27 from his own pocket to 42 crafts 
persons in a small village in Bangladesh; 
(4) Muhammad Yunus has demonstrated the life-changing 
potential of extending very small loans (at competitive interest 
rates) to the very poor and the economic feasibility of micro-
credit and other microfinance and microenterprise practices 
and services; 
(5) Dr. Yunus’s work has had a particularly strong impact 
on improving the economic prospects of women, and on their 
families, as over 95 percent of microcredit borrowers are women; 
(6) Dr. Yunus has pioneered a movement with the potential 
to assist a significant number of the more than 1,400,000,000 
people, mostly women and children, who live on less than 
$1.25 a day, and the 2,600,000,000 people who live on less 
than $2 a day, and which has already reached 155,000,000, 
by one estimate; 
(7) there are now an estimated 24,000,000 microenterprises 
in the United States accounting for approximately 18 percent 
of private (nonfarm) employment and 87 percent of all business 
in the United States, and the Small Business Administration 
has made over $318,000,000 in microloans to entrepreneurs 
since 1992; 
(8) Dr. Yunus, along with the Grameen Bank, was awarded 
the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his efforts to promote eco-
nomic and social opportunity and out of recognition that lasting 
peace cannot be achieved unless large population groups find 
the means, such as microcredit, to break out of poverty; and 
31 USC 5111 
note. 
Oct. 5, 2010 
[S. 846] 
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124 STAT. 2636 
PUBLIC LAW 111–253—OCT. 5, 2010 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 846: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 155 (2009): Oct. 13, considered and passed Senate. 
Vol. 156 (2010): Sept. 23, considered and passed House. 
(9) the microcredit ideas developed and put into practice 
by Muhammad Yunus, along with other bold initiatives, can 
make a historical breakthrough in the fight against poverty. 
SEC. 2. 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 presentation, on 
behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to 
Dr. Muhammad Yunus, in recognition of his many enduring con-
tributions to the fight against global poverty. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the presentation 
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter 
in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a gold medal 
with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined 
by the Secretary. 
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the 
gold medal struck pursuant to section 2, 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, and the cost of the gold medal. 
SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS. 
(a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck pursuant to 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. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There are 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 pursuant to this Act. 
(b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the sale of 
duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 3 shall be depos-
ited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund. 
Approved October 5, 2010. 
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