[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 948 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 948
To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Li Wenliang, in
recognition of his efforts to save lives by drawing awareness to COVID-
19 and his call for transparency in China.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 9, 2023
Mr. Roy (for himself and Mr. Babin) 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 posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Li Wenliang, in
recognition of his efforts to save lives by drawing awareness to COVID-
19 and his call for transparency in China.
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 ``Dr. Li Wenliang Congressional Gold
Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Dr. Li Wenliang was a 34-year-old ophthalmologist in
Wuhan, China, who died from COVID-19 after he bravely sought to
draw attention to the spread of the virus despite the
Government of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese
Communist Party's effort to suppress him.
(2) In December 2019, Dr. Li Wenliang courageously notified
his medical colleagues in China about the outbreak of a novel
coronavirus known as COVID-19.
(3) On January 3, 2020, after raising concerns about the
spread of COVID-19, Dr. Li Wenliang was detained and questioned
by Chinese officials for ``spreading false rumors'' and forced
to sign a statement retracting his warnings about COVID-19.
(4) Dr. Li Wenliang continued to work at Wuhan Central
Hospital despite his knowledge of the outbreak.
(5) Tragically Dr. Li Wenliang died in February 2020 in the
hospital where he worked after contracting COVID-19.
(6) Before his death, Dr. Li Wenliang stated, ``If the
officials had disclosed information about the epidemic earlier,
I think it would have been a lot better. There should be more
openness and transparency.''.
(7) The people of China expressed their grief and anger on
social media after the death of Dr. Li Wenliang with the phrase
``I want freedom of speech'', which was quickly censored by the
Government of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese
Communist Party.
(8) The People's Republic of China and the Chinese
Communist Party inflicted incalculable damage on their people
and the world by trying to extinguish the news of the COVID-19
rather than mobilize global efforts to battle it.
(9) Awarding Dr. Li Wenliang the Congressional Gold Medal
would recognize his bold actions to draw attention to the
spread of COVID-19 and call global attention to the People's
Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party's lack of
transparency and censorship of speech.
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
Dr. Li Wenliang's efforts to save lives by drawing awareness to COVID-
19 and his call for transparency in China.
(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.
The design shall bear an image of and the name of Dr. Li Wenliang.
(c) Smithsonian Institution.--
(1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal
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 elsewhere,
particularly at appropriate locations dedicated to preserving
the history of the Chinese pro-democracy movement.
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 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. 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.
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