[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4682 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4682
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Mercury 13, in recognition
of their historic accomplishments and their work for gender equity, and
in recognition of their important example of women in STEM fields.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 17, 2023
Ms. Houlahan (for herself, Mrs. Kim of California, Ms. Stevens, Mrs.
Lesko, Ms. Norton, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Ross, Mr. Moskowitz, Ms.
DelBene, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Allred, and Ms. Bonamici)
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 Mercury 13, in recognition
of their historic accomplishments and their work for gender equity, and
in recognition of their important example of women in STEM fields.
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 ``Mercury 13 Congressional Gold Medal
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Mercury 13 was a group of women who participated in
the First Lady Astronaut Trainees (FLATs) Program, a privately
funded project testing women pilots for astronaut fitness in
the 1960s.
(2) These women underwent the same psychological and
physical testing that Dr. William Randolph Lovelace was
simultaneously putting male pilots through to determine their
candidacy for space travel as part of the NASA Mercury Project.
(3) Members of the Mercury 13, though their training was
not part of the NASA program, outperformed the Mercury 7
astronauts chosen for space travel in certain tests, and these
women paved the way for other women in space.
(4) None of the members of the Mercury 13 were ever able to
go to space due to gender barriers, but they opened the door
for female pilots and astronauts down the line.
(5) Two of the women, Geraldyn ``Jerrie'' Cobb and Jane
``Janey'' Briggs Hart, spoke at a Congressional Hearing before
the Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science and
Astronautics to advocate for the continuation of their program,
which led to an investigation into discrimination on the basis
of sex two years before the Civil Rights Act was passed.
(6) A motion to honor these women was included in the
Congressional Record in 2007 during the 110th Congress. The
resolution, H. Res. 421, honored the trailblazing
accomplishments of the Mercury 13 and encouraged young women to
follow in their footsteps and pursue careers in aviation,
astronautics, engineering, and science.
(7) The Mercury 13 are:
(A) Myrtle ``K'' Cagle.
(B) Geraldyn ``Jerrie'' Cobb.
(C) Jan Dietrich.
(D) Marion Dietrich.
(E) Mary Wallace ``Wally'' Funk.
(F) Jane ``Janey'' Briggs Hart.
(G) Jean Hixson.
(H) Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen.
(I) Irene Leverton.
(J) Sarah Lee Gorelick Ratley.
(K) Bernice Trimble Steadman.
(L) Geraldine ``Jerri'' Sloan Truhill.
(M) Rhea Hurrle Allison Woltman.
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 presentation, on behalf of the
Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration
of the Mercury 13, in recognition of their historic accomplishments and
their work for gender equity, and in recognition of their important
example of women in STEM fields.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the 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.
(c) National Air and Space Museum.--
(1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal
under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the
National Air and Space Museum of 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 National Air and Space Museum should make the gold medal
received under paragraph (1) available for display elsewhere,
particularly at other appropriate locations associated with the
Mercury 13, and that preference should be given to locations
affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold
medal struck pursuant to section 3 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 medal struck pursuant to this Act is a
national medal 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. 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
pursuant to this Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sale.--The amounts received from the sale of
duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited
into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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