[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5521 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5521
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Peace Corps volunteers, in
recognition of their outstanding accomplishments, continuous dedication
to world peace and friendship, and their honorable service to the
Nation for 65 years.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 19, 2025
Ms. McCollum (for herself, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Bergman,
and Mr. Landsman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Peace Corps volunteers, in
recognition of their outstanding accomplishments, continuous dedication
to world peace and friendship, and their honorable service to the
Nation for 65 years.
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 ``Peace Corps Volunteers Congressional
Gold Medal Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS RELATED TO RECOGNITION OF PEACE
CORPS VOLUNTEERS.
(a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) In 2026, our Nation celebrates the 65th anniversary of
the establishment of the Peace Corps, one of the most
beneficial and celebrated international assistance programs in
the world.
(2) Nearly 250,000 Peace Corps Volunteers (in this section
referred to as the ``Volunteers'') have served our Nation with
distinction. Volunteers have been integral in promoting world
peace and friendship in more than 140 countries around the
globe. Their expertise in a wide variety of sectors, including
agriculture, community economic development, education,
environment, health, and youth in development, has contributed
significantly to the needs of foreign countries on many levels.
(3) The Congressional Gold Medal is intended to honor those
Volunteers who served between August 28, 1961, when the first
Volunteers departed from the United States for Ghana, and
December 31, 2026.
(4) President John F. Kennedy expressed his call to service
for Americans during his inaugural address on January 20, 1961,
when he said, ``And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your
country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do
for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.''.
(5) On March 1, 1961, President Kennedy signed Executive
Order 10924 (26 Fed. Reg. 1789) establishing the Peace Corps.
At a State Department press conference after signing the
Executive order, President Kennedy said, ``We will send those
abroad who are committed to the concept which motivates the
Peace Corps. It will not be easy. None of the men and women
will be paid a salary. They will live at the same level as the
citizens of the country which they are sent to, doing the same
work, eating the same food, speaking the same language. We are
going to put particular emphasis on those men and women who
have skills in teaching, agriculture, and in health. I am
hopeful it will be a source of satisfaction to Americans and a
contribution to world peace.''.
(6) When President Kennedy signed the Peace Corps Act (22
U.S.C. 2501 et seq.) on September 22, 1961, providing the
legislative foundation for the Peace Corps, the White House
released a statement saying, ``With the enactment of this
legislation, an avenue is provided by which Americans can serve
their country in the cause of world peace and understanding and
simultaneously assist other nations toward their legitimate
goals of freedom and opportunity.''.
(7) Individuals across our Nation were inspired to serve as
Volunteers supported by the leadership and vision of Sargent
Shriver, who served as the first Director of the Peace Corps
from 1961 to 1966. The Volunteers shared his vision, which
became the mission of the Peace Corps: ``To promote world peace
and friendship through community-based development and
intercultural understanding.''. Volunteers were strongly
encouraged to respect local customs, learn the prevailing
language, and live in comparable conditions.
(8) Volunteers' service is guided by the 3 goals of the
Peace Corps:
(A) ``To help the countries interested in meeting
their need for trained people.''. Volunteers exchange
skills and knowledge with community members in their
welcoming host countries to help create sustainable
change through work in the sectors described in
paragraph (2).
(B) ``To help promote a better understanding of
Americans on the part of the peoples served.''. Through
their service, Volunteers share the United States and
its values. Their outstanding contributions to the
nations of the world help promote cultural
understanding.
(C) ``To help promote a better understanding of
other peoples on the part of Americans.''. Volunteers
immerse themselves in local cultures, and learn about
opportunities, resources, and people in their host
countries. When they return to the United States, they
share their experiences with family, friends, and the
public, which helps promote cultural understanding,
volunteerism, and public service.
(9) During a Rose Garden ceremony at the White House on
April 23, 1985, accompanied by Vice President George H.W. Bush
and Peace Corps Director Loret Miller Ruppe, President Ronald
Reagan wished Volunteers success for their assignments in
Africa, saying, ``Soon you'll be in Africa, where you'll be a
vital part of the relief aid to help the millions suffering
from malnutrition and starvation. You'll be living in some of
the most impoverished countries of the world, working in food
production, soil conservation, fisheries production, forest
preservation, and water supply development. By bringing your
training and skills to bear on the underlying problems of
agricultural and economic development, you can help your host
nations make the difficult but vital journey from dependence on
short-term aid to self-sufficiency. Vice President Bush
returned from his trip to the famine-stricken regions of
Africa, he gave me a personal account of the heartbreaking
conditions in that land. While there, he visited one Peace
Corps project, and he told me of the outstanding work of the
Peace Corps volunteers. The crisis in Africa is severe and the
problems deeply rooted, but relief efforts are already making a
great difference.''.
(10) Peace Corps senior leaders, staff, and Volunteers have
honored President Kennedy's vision for the Peace Corps and his
legacy. During a March 1, 1996, speech for the 35th anniversary
of the Peace Corps, Sargent Shriver said, ``The Peace Corps
represents some, if not all, of the best virtues in this
society. It stands for everything that America has ever stood
for. It stands for everything we believe in and hope to achieve
in the world.''.
(11) The Peace Corps, since its pioneering creation by
President Kennedy and an ensuing 65 years of support by the
Federal Government, has proven to be one of the most successful
United States foreign policy programs in the history of our
Nation. The importance of the Peace Corps was reinforced in a
May 24, 2017, opinion article by General Colin Powell, retired
Secretary of State, when he said, ``Indeed, we're strongest
when the face of America isn't only a soldier carrying a gun
but a diplomat negotiating peace, a Peace Corps Volunteer
bringing clean water to a village, or a relief worker stepping
off a cargo plane as floodwaters rise.''.
(12) The global accomplishments of Volunteers toward world
peace and friendship and their resolute service to the United
States are deserving of robust public recognition and respect.
As President Kennedy said, after signing Executive Order 10924
(26 Fed. Reg. 1789) creating the Peace Corps, ``The initial
reactions to the Peace Corps proposal are convincing proof that
we have, in this country, an immense reservoir of such men and
women--anxious to sacrifice their energies and time and toil to
the cause of world peace and human progress.''.
(13) Some Volunteers made the ultimate sacrifice while in
service. According to the Fallen Peace Corps Volunteers
Memorial Project, more than 300 Volunteers have died in
service, or following close of service as a result of service-
related causes, since the Peace Corps began in 1961. Their
significant sacrifices and service to our Nation and their host
countries should be honored with reverence.
(14) During the COVID-19 pandemic, over 7,000 Volunteers
were recalled from their work in host countries. Though they
were evacuated for health reasons from their assigned projects,
they continued to volunteer when they returned to the United
States to support the national response to a global health
crisis. Former Peace Corps Director, Josephine (Jody) Olsen,
who supervised the complex and immediate recall process, wrote,
``Odysseys by individual Peace Corps Volunteers forged over six
decades made the total evacuation of seven thousand Volunteers
due of Covid-19 in 2020 possible. As I sent out the immediate
evacuation order on March 15, I trusted that in sixty-one
countries, the thousands of host country families, teachers,
clinic directors, local taxi drivers, community security
officers, airlines, and medical officials that support
Volunteers would selflessly offer their help. These thousands
shared painful good-byes and supported the safe movement of all
of the volunteers to capital cities, international airports,
charter flights to the US over the course of nine days without
illness or accident.''. When Volunteers returned to the United
States, many shifted their work to support domestic
initiatives, including COVID-19 surveillance and health
programs in collaboration with the Environmental Protection
Agency. The EPA connected Volunteers who returned to the United
States with roles in public health for pandemic response
efforts in the United States. Meanwhile, the Peace Corps
launched the Virtual Service Pilot, allowing Volunteers who
returned to the United States and other United States citizens
to work remotely with international partners on community
projects across sectors like health, education, and
agriculture. The Virtual Service Pilot expanded rapidly,
demonstrating the potential for virtual service to complement
traditional Peace Corps work, providing flexible opportunities
for such Volunteers to contribute globally from home.
(15) Returned Volunteers promote a better understanding of
other peoples and cultures when they share their experiences
and knowledge about their service overseas with Americans at
home, the third goal of the Peace Corps described in paragraph
8(C). With regard to the third goal, the Peace Corps'
Congressional Budget Justification for Fiscal Year 2026 states
that by increasing mutual understanding and lasting ties
between the people of the United States and other countries,
the Peace Corps helps create better trading partners,
strengthens relationships with allies, inhibits extremism, and
counteracts the growing influence of America's adversaries.
Volunteers strengthen U.S. national security through improved
relations with host governments and by showcasing America as an
international leader. The agency also helps cultivate the next
generation of U.S. civic and business leaders. Volunteers
return home and, for long after the conclusion of their
service, contribute the adaptive leadership and entrepreneurial
skills they gained during service to American communities.
(16) On December 6, 1987, about 120,000 Volunteers and
Peace Corps staff received the Beyond War Award. The
inscription on the poster for the recipients of the award
reads, ``Presented to the 120,000 Current and Returned
Volunteers of the Peace Corps `to learn peace, to live peace,
and to labor for peace, from the beginning of their service to
the end of their lives.' A Peace Corps mission statement.''.
(17) Members of the 107th Congress nominated the Peace
Corps for the Nobel Peace Prize. In a June 27, 2002, letter to
the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, 10 members of the 107th
Congress signed the letter saying, ``The impact of Volunteers
on international peace through understanding and cooperation
goes far beyond development projects. Volunteers bring people
and cultures together. They share ideas and ideals of their
home community, but they also learn to speak the language, eat
the food, sing the songs, and incorporate the qualities of
their host communities into their own lives. They travel
overseas to represent the United States, and they return home
to represent the world within the United States. The central
mission of all Volunteers, both overseas and after they return
home, is peace. The Peace Corps and the community of Returned
Peace Corps Volunteers, represented by the National Peace Corps
Association, create the climate, the conditions, the momentum,
and the spirit of peace that is needed all over the world. For
this reason, they deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.''.
(18) In February 2011, Members of the 112th Congress
recommended to President Barack Obama that the Peace Corps
should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. The letter to
President Obama, authored by Congressman Sam Farr, said, ``For
a half-century Peace Corps has served as a vehicle of peace and
hope for impoverished communities around the world. Now more
than ever, as the world suffers from divisive transnational
conflicts and escalating threats, Peace Corps continues to
stand as an unparalleled beacon of peace and optimism.
Bestowing the Peace Corps with the Nobel Peace Prize will
undoubtedly work to promote volunteerism and inspire the next
generation of Americans to be peaceful stewards of both their
country and the world.''.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Volunteers should be acknowledged and thanked
publicly for their service to the United States and their host
countries whenever the appropriate occasions arise. Retired
United States Navy Admiral James Stavridis, former North
Atlantic Treaty Organization Supreme Allied Commander, said,
``What someone brings when they come back from typically two
years [of Peace Corps service] is just a remarkable sense of
our nation and a remarkable sense of the world, and really a .
. . stronger sense of themselves and being part of those bigger
things. As a retired military guy . . . people constantly come
up to me and say, `Admiral, thank you for your service.' And it
means a lot to me. It means a lot to every veteran to hear
that. So whenever I do an interview where I have a chance to, I
say to Peace Corps Volunteers, `Thank you for your service.''';
(2) the people of the United States are grateful and
indebted to Volunteers for their excellence in numerous
professional fields, their essential and dedicated
contributions to communities of their host countries, their
effective means of communicating the American spirit of peace
and friendship, and for their sharing of their experiences
overseas with individuals in the United States;
(3) on behalf of the United States, Congress expresses the
highest public gratitude for the distinguished contributions of
Volunteers for 65 years. The Congressional Gold Medal is an
appropriate award to recognize the outstanding achievements of
Volunteers for their valued service to the United States, and
their role in promoting world peace and friendship, as a
significant component of United States foreign policy; and
(4) the production of the gold medal be expedited so that
the medal can be presented to the Peace Corps at a respectful
ceremony, either at the Capitol Rotunda or at another suitable
location, not later than September 22, 2026.
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
to the Director of the Peace Corps in the District of Columbia, in
recognition of the Peace Corps volunteers and their dedicated and
distinguished service to our Nation and promotion of world peace and
friendship.
(b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation
described in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (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) The Peace Corps.--
(1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal
under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the
Peace Corps headquarters, 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 Director of the Peace Corps should make the gold medal,
awarded pursuant to this Act, available for display elsewhere,
particularly at appropriate locations associated with Peace
Corps volunteers and that preference should be given to
locations affiliated with the Peace Corps.
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
costs of the bronze medals, 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
pursuant to this Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sales.--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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