[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1893 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1893
To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Henrietta Lacks, in
recognition of her immortal cells which have made invaluable
contributions to global health, scientific research, our quality of
life, and patients' rights.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 22, 2025
Mr. Van Hollen (for himself and Ms. Alsobrooks) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Henrietta Lacks, in
recognition of her immortal cells which have made invaluable
contributions to global health, scientific research, our quality of
life, and patients' rights.
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 ``Henrietta Lacks Congressional Gold
Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman born on
August 1, 1920, in Roanoke, Virginia, was raised by her
grandfather on a tobacco farm in Clover, Virginia.
(2) Henrietta Lacks, her husband, and family moved to
Baltimore, Maryland in 1941 seeking economic opportunity at the
Bethlehem Steel Plant.
(3) In 1951, Henrietta Lacks sought treatment for her
continuous vaginal bleeding from The Johns Hopkins Hospital,
which was one of the few hospitals willing to treat African
Americans at that time. Gynecologists discovered a large,
malignant tumor on her cervix.
(4) Unbeknownst to Henrietta Lacks or her family, medical
researchers took samples of Henrietta Lacks' tumor during her
treatment without her consent. Henrietta Lacks' cells, now
known as ``HeLa Cells'', doubled every 20 to 24 hours whereas
other human cells died in the same time period. The HeLa Cells
are the first known immortal line of human cells in history.
(5) On October 4, 1951, 31-year-old Henrietta Lacks died of
an aggressive cervical cancer eight months after her cancer
diagnosis, leaving behind her husband and 5 children.
(6) The HeLa immortal cell line is the oldest and most used
human cell line used in scientific research. Henrietta Lacks'
immortal cells have been commercialized and distributed
worldwide to researchers, resulting in groundbreaking
advancements in modern science and technology.
(7) Henrietta Lacks' prolific cells continue to replicate
to this day and contribute to remarkable advances in medicine,
including the development of the polio vaccine and drugs used
to treat cancer, HIV/AIDS, hemophilia, leukemia, and
Parkinson's disease. HeLa cells have been used in research that
has contributed to our understanding of the effects of
radiation and zero gravity on human cells, and have informed
research on chromosomal conditions, cancer, gene mapping, and
precision medicine.
(8) The use of HeLa cells as the foundation for biomedical
research has led to several Nobel Prize winning discoveries.
The National Institute of Health located over 110,000
publications that cited the use of HeLa cells between 1953 to
2018. These advances were made possible by Henrietta Lacks'
cells, yet the revenues they generated were not known to her
family for more than twenty years.
(9) Henrietta Lacks is a linchpin to modern bioethics
policies and informed consent laws that benefit patients
nationwide by building patient trust and protecting research
participants.
(10) Henrietta Lacks' legacy has been recognized around the
world through memorials, conferences, museum exhibitions,
libraries, and print and visual media for changing the face of
medical science.
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
Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of
Henrietta Lacks, in recognition of her immortal cells which have made
invaluable contributions to global health, scientific research, our
quality of life, and patients' rights.
(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
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 should make the gold medal received
under paragraph (1) available for display elsewhere,
particularly at other appropriate locations associated with
Henrietta Lacks.
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold
medal struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the costs
of the 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 section 5134 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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