H.R. 9505 — Bonnie Eloise Rush Milam Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2026

This section finds that Bonnie Eloise Rush Milam founded the Melody Maids, an all-girls singing group, in Beaumont, Texas, in 1942. The group performed at U.S. military bases, hospitals, and veterans' events during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, including multiple overseas tours, and Milam received the American Legion Distinguished Service Award in 1961, designation as the first female Honorary Texas Ranger, and the Daughters of the American Revolution Medal of Honor in 1981.

This section authorizes the posthumous presentation of a Congressional gold medal to Bonnie Eloise Rush Milam in recognition of her service to the United States Armed Forces through the Melody Maids and her contributions to patriotism, music education, and leadership development of young women. It directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike the medal and provides for its disposition to the Tyrrell Historical Library in Beaumont, Texas.

This section authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates of the gold medal at a price sufficient to cover all production costs, including labor, materials, dies, machinery, and overhead.

This section designates medals struck under this Act as national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code, and classifies them as numismatic items for purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of that title.

This section authorizes the use of amounts from the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund to cover the costs of medals struck under this Act and requires that proceeds from sales of duplicate bronze medals be deposited into the fund.