[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5718 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5718
To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Prince Rogers
Nelson, in recognition of his achievements and contributions to
American culture.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 25, 2021
Ms. Omar (for herself, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Craig, Mr. Phillips, Mr.
Emmer, Mr. Hagedorn, Mrs. Fischbach, and Mr. Stauber) 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 posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Prince Rogers
Nelson, in recognition of his achievements and contributions to
American culture.
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.
The Congress finds that:
(1) Prince Rogers Nelson 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,
his innovative music incorporated elements of rock, R&B, funk,
hip-hop, new wave, synth-pop, and jazz.
(2) Prince released 39 albums during his life 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) His 1984 album, ``Purple Rain'', spent six consecutive
months as the number 1 record on the Billboard 200 charts,
spawning five top 10 hits, including ``When Doves Cry'' and the
title track. The movie of the same name won him the Academy
Award for ``Best Original Song Score''. In 2019, the film
Purple Rain was added by the Library of Congress for
preservation in the National Film Registry for being
``culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant''.
(5) His 1987 double album ``Sign o' the Times'' includes
more than 80 minutes of music almost entirely composed and
performed by Prince and would go on to be his most acclaimed
record, being voted as 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
changed his name to the following symbol (also known as the
``Prince Symbol'') to protest the terms of his recording
contract and the recording industry's treatment of all artists,
and publicly advocated for artists to be able to maintain
ownership of their own master recordings:
R
(8) A lifelong Minnesota resident, Prince was a participant
and supporter of the local Minneapolis arts community,
memorialized in songs like ``Uptown''.
(9) Though he did not speak publicly of his charity work
during his life, Prince was an animal rights activist and
philanthropist.
(10) Prince sold more than 150 million records worldwide,
ranking him among the best selling artists of all time.
(11) He won seven Grammy Awards, seven Brit Awards, six
American Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, an Academy
Award (for ``Best Original Song Score'' for the film Purple
Rain), and a Golden Globe Award. In 2004, Prince was inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the UK Music Hall of Fame
in 2006, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
He received the BET Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. He was
posthumously honored with a doctor of humane letters by the
University of Minnesota in 2016. Two of his albums, ``Purple
Rain'' (1984) and ``Sign o' the Times'' (1987), received the
Grammy Award for ``Album of the Year'' nominations. At the 28th
Grammy Awards, Prince was awarded the President's Merit Award.
Prince was also honored with the American Music Award for
Achievement and American Music Award of Merit at the American
Music Awards of 1990 and American Music Awards of 1995
respectively. At the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, he was
honored with the Billboard Icon Award.
(12) Prince transcended this earthly plane on April 21, in
his Minnesota home at age 57, leaving behind a legacy of
musical achievement and an indelible mark on Minnesota and
American culture.
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
the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of
Prince, in recognition of his achievements and contributions to
American culture.
(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
available for display as appropriate and made available for
research.
(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Smithsonian Institution shall 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 it 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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