Bill > HR4885

This bill proposes to award a collective Congressional Gold Medal to Africans and their descendants who were enslaved in the United States between August 20, 1619, and December 6, 1865, recognizing their profound and involuntary contribution to the nation's economic development. The bill provides extensive historical context about the transatlantic slave trade, detailing the brutal conditions of enslavement, the economic significance of slave labor (estimated at $5.9-$14.2 trillion in 2009 dollars), and the key historical events leading to slavery's abolition, including the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment. Specifically, the bill authorizes the Speaker of the House and the Senate President pro tempore to arrange the medal's creation, with the Secretary of the Treasury responsible for designing and striking the gold medal. After the award ceremony, the medal will be permanently housed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African-American History & Culture for display and research purposes. Additionally, the bill allows for the production and sale of bronze duplicates of the medal, with proceeds deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, and establishes the medal's status as a national medal.

Business and Industry

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4885/all-info