,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #agae  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #d1 #bjai
 ,mr4 ,blumenthal 7for himself1 ,mr4    
,moran1 ,mr4 ,manchin1 ,mr4 ,menendez1  
,ms4 ,klobuchar1 and ,mr4 ,kaine7       
introduced the following bill2 which was
 read twice and referred to the         
,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1 and   
,urban ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to award a 
,congressional ,gold ,medal1            
collectively1 to all ,gold ,star        
,families in recognition of their       
sacrifice and service to the ,united    
,states4  #a4 ,short title  ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,gold ,star         
,families ,congressional ,gold ,medal   
,act of #bjai4  #b4 ,findings ,congress 
finds the following3 7#a7 ,the fortitude
 of ,gold ,star ,families in the midst  
of tragedy strengthen the resolve of the
 ,united ,states4  7#b7 ,since ,world   
,war ,i1 military families have used    
,gold ,stars to memorialize their family
 member's sacrifice on behalf of the    

country1 represent the devotion and     
pride of the family in this sacrifice1  
and glorify rather than grieve their    
military service4  7#c7 ,gold ,stars    
were first used by military families    
during ,world ,war ,i4  7#d7 ,when a    
family member passed away during their  
service1 families would place a ,gold   
,star on their ,service ,flag to        
represent the sacrifice the family had  
paid in the cause of freedom4  7#e7 ,on 
,may #bh1 #aiah1 ,president ,wilson     
approved a suggestion made by the       
,women's ,committee of the ,council of  
,national ,defenses that1 instead of    
wearing conventional mourning garb for  
relatives who passed away during their  
military service1 women would wear a    
black band with a gilt star on their    
left arm to signify each member of the  
family who gave their life for the      
,united ,states4  7#f7 ,in #aibh1 #be   
mothers of fallen servicemembers worked 
together to establish a national        
organization to support those who had   

lost their children during the war1     
which was known as the ,american ,gold  
,star ,mothers ,inc4 and officially     
incorporated in ,january #aibi4  7#g7   
,since ,september #aicf1 the ,united    
,states has observed various recognized 
dates to support ,gold ,star ,families  
and honor the legacy of fallen heroes   
who have made the ultimate sacrifice4   
7#h7 ,in #aide1 ,eleanor ,roosevelt     
helped to establish ,gold ,star ,wives  
of ,america1 ,inc41 a national          
organization to support the families    
left behind by the fallen members and   
veterans of the ,armed ,forces who died 
on active duty or as a result of a      
service-connected disability4  7#i7 ,in 
,august #aidg1 ,congress authorized the 
issuance of gold star lapel pins to     
families who lost a loved one in combat4
  7#aj7 ,the extraordinary contribution 
of ,gold ,star ,families is beyond      
measure1 not merely for their loss1 but 
the comfort they selflessly provide     
others and their model of service and   

sacrifice4  7#aa7 ,through their        
service1 ,gold ,star ,families keep     
alive the spirit of patriotism and love 
of country and promote peace and good   
will for the ,united ,states and all    
other countries4  7#ab7 ,gold ,star     
,families continue to perpetuate the    
memory of those who fought and died on  
behalf of the ,united ,states4  7#ac7   
,gold ,star ,families embody the purpose
 of the ,congressional ,gold ,medal of  
honoring distinguished contributions1   
recognizing virtues of patriotism1 and  
remembering momentous occasions in      
history4  #c4 ,definitions ,in this     
,act1 the term ,gold ,star ,family      
includes any individual described in    
section #c4b of ,department of ,defense 
,instruction #acdh4cf4  #d4             
,congressional ,gold ,medal  7a7 ,award 
authorized ,the ,president pro tempore  
of the ,senate and the ,speaker of the  
,house of ,representatives shall make   
appropriate arrangements for the award1 
on behalf of ,congress1 of a single gold

 medal of appropriate design to all     
,gold ,star ,families in recognition of 
their dedication1 contributions1 and    
sacrifice to the ,united ,states4  7b7  
,design and striking ,for the purposes  
of the award referred to in subsection  
7a71 the ,secretary shall strike the    
gold medal with suitable emblems1       
devices1 and inscriptions1 to be        
determined by the ,secretary4  7c7      
,smithsonian institution  7#a7 ,in      
general ,following the award of the gold
 medal in honor of ,gold ,star          
,families1 the gold medal shall be given
 to the ,smithsonian ,institution1 where
 it will be available for display as    
appropriate and made available for      
research4  7#b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it 
is the sense of ,congress that the      
,smithsonian ,institution should make   
the gold medal received under paragraph 
7#a7 available for display elsewhere1   
particularly at other appropriate       
locations associated with ,gold ,star   
,families4  7d7 ,duplicate medals  7#a7 

,in general ,under regulations that the 
,secretary may promulgate1 the          
,secretary may strike and sell          
duplicates in bronze of the gold medal  
struck under this ,act1 at a price      
sufficient to cover the costs of the    
medals1 including labor1 materials1     
dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead    
expenses4  7#b7 ,proceeds of sales ,the 
amounts received from the sale of       
duplicate medals under paragraph 7#a7   
shall be deposited in the ,united       
,states ,mint ,public ,enterprise ,fund4
  #e4 ,status of medals  7a7 ,national  
medals ,medals struck under this ,act   
are national medals for purposes of     
chapter #ea of title #ca1 ,united       
,states ,code4  7b7 ,numismatic items   
,for purposes of section #eacd of title 
#ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 all medals  
struck under this ,act shall be         
considered to be numismatic items4