H.R. 4901 — WWII Nurses Congressional Gold Medal Act

This section states congressional findings concerning the service and sacrifices of U.S. Army and Navy nurses during World War II, including their growth from fewer than 600 Army and 1,700 Navy nurses in 1935 to more than 59,000 Army and 14,000 Navy nurses by war's end; their receipt of only relative rank, 50% pay, and no veteran benefits under the Act of June 4, 1920; service under fire across six continents, on ships and planes, and in field hospitals; internment of 67 Army and 11 Navy nurses as prisoners of war in the Philippines; contributions by Chinese-American, Japanese-American, and other minority nurses; and establishment of field hospitals under combat conditions in North Africa and Anzio, Italy.

This section authorizes the award of a Congressional Gold Medal, on behalf of Congress, to World War II Army and Navy Nurse Corps members in recognition of their military service and devotion to duty. The Secretary of the Treasury must strike the medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions; following the award ceremony arranged by the Speaker of the House and President pro tempore of the Senate, the medal is given to the Smithsonian Institution for display and research, with a sense of Congress that it be shown at sites associated with the Nurse Corps (e.g., U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, Women in Military Service for America Memorial).

This section authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates 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.

This section designates medals struck pursuant to this Act as (1) national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code, and (2) numismatic items for purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code.

This section authorizes the charge against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund (a revolving fund for Mint operations) of amounts necessary to pay the costs of medals struck under this Act and directs the deposit of proceeds from the sale of duplicate bronze medals into that fund.