S.Amdt. 4723

SA 4723. Mr. DAINES (for himself and Ms. Warren) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr.
Reed and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize
appropriations for fiscal year 2022 for military activities of the
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. _____. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) At 9:44 a.m., on August 26, 2021, the Pentagon
confirmed that one explosion occurred at the Hamid Karzai
International Airport.
(2) The explosion was confirmed to be a suicide bombing by
ISIS-K terrorist group.
(3) Estimates as high as 200 deaths were reported,
including 13 service members of the United States, as well as
hundreds more wounded.
(4) The attack on Thursday, August 26, 2021 at the Hamid
Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, killed 13
United States service members, making it the deadliest single
day of the war for the United States in more than a decade.
(5) The American service members went above and beyond the
call of duty to protect citizens of the United States and our
allies to ensure they are brought to safety in an extremely
dangerous situation as the Taliban regained control over
Afghanistan.
(6) The American service members exemplified extreme
bravery and valor against armed enemy combatants.
(7) The American service members dedicated their lives and
their heroism deserves great honor.
(8) Maxton Soviak, Kareem Nikoui, David Espinoza, Rylee
McCollum, Jared Schmitz, Hunter Lopez, Taylor Hoover, Daegan
William-Tyeler Page, Nicole Gee, Humberto Sanchez, Dylan
Merola, Johanny Rosario Pichardo, and Ryan Knauss have been
identified as the 13 service members who died from the blast
while stationed at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
(b) Congressional Gold Medal.--
(1) Presentations 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 single gold medal
of appropriate design in commemoration of the 13 service
members who perished as a result of the attack in
Afghanistan, on August 26, 2021.
(2) Design and striking.--For purposes of the presentation
referred to in paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Treasury
(referred to in this section as the ``Secretary'') shall
strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and
inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
(3) Smithsonian institution.--
(A) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal
under paragraph (1), the gold medal shall be given to the
Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be available for
display as appropriate and made available for research.
(B) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Smithsonian Institution shall make the gold medal
received under paragraph (1) available for display outside of
the District of Columbia at times, particularly at other
locations associated with the 13 service members who perished
in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021.
(c) Duplicate Medals.--The Secretary may strike and sell
duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to
subsection (b) at a price sufficient to cover the cost
thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery,
and overhead expenses.
(d) Status of Medals.--
(1) National medals.--The medal struck pursuant to this
section is a national medal for purposes of chapter 51 of
title 31, United States Code.
(2) Numismatic items.--For purposes of section 5134 of
title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this
section shall be considered to be numismatic items.
(e) Authority to Use Fund Amounts; Proceeds of Sale.--
(1) 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 section.
(2) Proceeds of sale.--The amounts received from the sale
of duplicate bronze medals authorized under subsection (c)
shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public
Enterprise Fund.
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