New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act

by the 111th Congress of the United States

111^TH UNITED STATES CONGRESS
1^ST SESSION

An Act
To authorize the President, in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the historic and first lunar landing by humans in 1969, to award gold medals on behalf of the United States Congress to Neil A. Armstrong, the first human to walk on the moon; Edwin E. ``Buzz´´ Aldrin, Jr., the pilot of the lunar module and second person to walk on the moon; Michael Collins, the pilot of their Apollo 11 mission’s command module; and, the first American to orbit the Earth, John Herschel Glenn, Jr.

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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 ``New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act´´.

Sec. 2. Findings.

Congress finds that—

(1) as spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission, Neil A. Armstrong gained the distinction of being the first man to land a craft on the moon and first to step on its surface on July 21, 1969;

(2) by conquering the moon at great personal risk to safety, Neil Armstrong advanced America scientifically and technologically, paving the way for future missions to other regions in space;

(3) Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr., joined Armstrong in piloting the lunar module, Eagle, to the surface of the moon, and became the second person to walk upon its surface;

(4) Michael Collins piloted the command module, Columbia, in lunar orbit and helped his fellow Apollo 11 astronauts complete their mission on the moon;

(5) John Herschel Glenn, Jr., helped pave the way for the first lunar landing when on February 20, 1962, he became the first American to orbit the Earth; and

(6) John Glenn’s actions, like Armstrong’s, Aldrin’s and Collins’s, continue to greatly inspire the people of the United States.

Sec. 3. Congressional Gold Medal.

(a) Presentation Authorized.—

The President is authorized to present, on behalf of the Congress, to Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. ``Buzz´´ Aldrin, Jr., Michael Collins, and John Herschel Glenn, Jr., each a gold medal of appropriate design, in recognition of their significant contributions to society.

(b) Design and Striking.—

For purposes of the presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury shall strike gold medals with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.

Sec. 4. Duplicate Medals.

The Secretary of the Treasury may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold medals.

Sec. 5. National Medals.

The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

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.—

Amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

Approved August 7, 2009.

Legislative History

• H.R. 2245, (S. 951)

• CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 155 (2009):
  • July 20, considered and passed House.
  • July 21, considered and passed Senate.