,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bjji ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #aj1 #bjbe,mr4 ,schumer introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1 and ,urban ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to award posthumously a congressional gold medal to ,charles ,b4 ,rangel1 an ,american trailblazer and public servant1 in recognition of his remarkable life and career in which he elevated the voices and interests of underserved communities1 bolstered the reputation of the ,united ,states on the global stage1 and cofounded the ,congressional ,black ,caucus4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,charles ,b4 ,rangel ,congressional ,gold ,medal ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,charles ,bernard ,rangel1 born on ,june #aa1 #aicj1 in ,harlem1 ,new ,york ,city1 was raised largely by his mother ,blanche ,mary ,wharton ,rangel and grandfather ,charles ,wharton alongside his older brother ,ralph1 ,jr41 and younger sister ,frances4 7#b7 ,after dropping out of high school at age #af1 ,rangel enlisted in the ,united ,states ,army and served as an artillery operations specialist in the all-,black #ejcrd ,field ,artillery ,battalion in the #bnd ,infantry ,division from #aidh to #aieb during the ,korean ,war4 7#c7 ,during the ,battle of ,kunu-ri near the ,yalu ,river on the border of ,china and ,north ,korea1 ,rangel and his fellow soldiers were encircled by ,chinese military forces and were subsequently ordered to withdraw by their command4 7#d7 ,upon receiving the withdrawal order1 then-,private ,first ,class ,rangel was injured by shrapnel from a barrage of ,chinese shells1 which struck his back and triggered disarray amongst his comrades4 7#e7 ,despite his serious injuries1 rank1 and an encircled position behind enemy lines1 in the middle of the night ,rangel led his unit of an estimated #dj men through a mountain pass to safety4 7#f7 ,for his bravery and sacrifice1 ,rangel was bestowed the ,bronze ,star with ,valor and ,purple ,heart1 as well as receiving overwhelming admiration1 appreciation and lasting respect from his comrades4 ,when asked to reflect on the harrowing episode1 ,rangel often noted that he had not had a bad day since1 a phrase that he adopted as the title of his autobiography4 7#g7 ,upon his honorable discharge from the ,army with the rank of ,staff ,sergeant1 ,rangel returned to ,harlem1 finished high school1 and used his benefits under the ,servicemen's ,readjustment ,act of #aidd 7commonly known as the ,g4,i4 ,bill2 #eh ,stat4 #bhd1 chapter #bfh7 to obtain a ,bachelor of ,science from ,new ,york ,university where he made the ,dean's ,list4 ,he subsequently received a full scholarship to attend ,st4 ,john's ,university ,school of ,law1 from which he graduated in #aifj4 7#h7 ,after a tenure in private practice1 ,rangel was appointed ,assistant ,united ,states ,attorney for the ,southern ,district of ,new ,york by ,attorney ,general ,robert ,f4 ,kennedy4 ,after leaving the role1 ,rangel served as ,associate ,counsel to the ,speaker of the ,new ,york ,state ,assembly1 a law clerk to ,judge ,james ,l4 ,watson on the ,united ,states ,court of ,international ,trade1 and as ,general ,counsel to the ,national ,advisory ,commission on ,selective ,service4 7#i7 ,the positions he took early in his career ensured that ,rangel would always remain in close proximity to his roots in ,harlem1 where he met his wife ,alma ,carter1 a social worker1 in the mid-#aiejs1 at the ,savoy ,ballroom4 ,their loving marriage stretched more than #fj years and included #b children1 ,steven and ,alicia1 daughter-in-law ,adelina1 son-in-law ,howard1 and #c grandsons1 ,howard ,r4 ,haughton1 ,joshua ,r4 ,haughton1 and ,charles ,r4 ,haughton4 7#aj7 ,rangel's early political marks can be found on matters and missions of profound significance4 ,he participated in the #aife ,selma to ,montgomery ,march1 was elected to replace his mentor ,percy ,sutton in the ,new ,york ,state ,assembly1 and was one of the pillars in ,new ,york's generational political powerhouse1 ,the ,gang of ,four1 which included ,new ,york ,state ,senator ,basil ,paterson1 ,manhattan ,borough ,president and ,civil ,rights ,leader ,percy ,sutton1 and ,david ,dinkins1 the first black mayor of ,new ,york ,city4 7#aa7 ,following his election to the ,house of ,representatives in #aigj1 ,rangel quickly rose through the ranks of the ,congressional ,democrats and was ultimately reelected #bc times4 7#ab7 ,shortly after his induction to the ,house in early #aiga1 ,rangel1 along with #ab other ,black ,members of ,congress founded the ,congressional ,black ,caucus4 ,he was elected by his colleagues to lead the ,caucus as ,chairman in #aigd4 7#ac7 ,rangel energized the national discussion around drug trafficking1 later becoming ,chairman of the ,select ,committee on ,narcotics1 and was a prominent contributor to the work of the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives on the ,watergate ,scandal4 7#ad7 ,due to his growing influence1 ,rangel was granted a position on the coveted ,ways and ,means ,committee and was elevated to serve as ,deputy ,majority ,whip under ,speaker ,tip ,o',neill4 7#ae7 ,rangel used his newfound power in ,congress to secure ,federal support for programs that benefitted his congressional district and other constituencies4 7#af7 ,he authored and supported legislation and programs that uplifted vulnerable populations like ,child ,care and ,development ,block ,grants1 the ,low ,income ,housing ,tax ,credit1 the ,earned ,income ,tax ,credit1 the ,work ,opportunity ,tax ,credit1 ,empowerment ,zones1 and ,temporary ,assistance for ,needy ,families4 7#ag7 ,he introduced measures to ensure that human rights and democratic principles were reflected in international business activity1 including an amendment rescinding tax credits for companies doing business in apartheid ,south ,africa4 7#ah7 ,to ensure that the diplomatic corps reflected the diversity of the ,united ,states1 ,rangel established the ,charles ,b4 ,rangel ,international ,affairs ,fellowship ,program in partnership with ,howard ,university1 which now has more than #bjj alumni serving in posts around the world4 7#ai7 ,rangel was also the primary force behind the ,african ,growth and ,opportunity ,act 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #cgja et seq471 the first ,act to provide incentives for ,united ,states trade with sub-,saharan ,africa1 which he authored and advanced despite significant political headwinds4 ,he subsequently worked with ,president ,george ,w4 ,bush1 to pass the ,,agoa ,acceleration ,act of #bjjd 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #cgja note71 which synergized and expanded on his earlier efforts that instituted the trade program4 7#bj7 ,rangel similarly forged a sequence of trade agreements and programs pertaining to ,latin ,america and the ,caribbean1 including trade preferences for countries in the ,caribbean under the ,caribbean ,basin ,economic ,recovery ,act 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #bgja et seq471 as expanded by the ,united ,states-,caribbean ,basin ,trade ,partnership ,act 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #bgja note7 and the ,haitian ,hemispheric ,opportunity through ,partnership ,encouragement ,act of #bjjh 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #bgja note71 and the ,dominican ,republic-,central ,america-,united ,states ,free ,trade ,agreement4 7#ba7 ,rangel was a lifelong champion for veterans1 particularly service members who historically faced discrimination both in uniform and upon returning home4 ,as a decorated ,korean ,war veteran himself1 ,rangel often leaned on his personal experience and legislative authority to spotlight the needs of underserved veterans and ensure they received the benefits1 respect1 and opportunities they earned through their service4 ,rangel spearheaded legislation to close systemic gaps in ,federal veterans programs1 establish the ,office of ,minority ,veterans1 expand access to services of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 and strengthen the ,g4,i4 ,bill1 veterans housing programs1 and small business opportunities4 7#bb7 ,as one of the few ,korean ,war veterans serving in ,congress1 ,rangel sponsored and secured enactment of legislation establishing ,national ,korean ,war ,veterans ,armistice ,day on ,july #bgth in the section #abg of title #cf1 ,united ,states ,code1 to honor his fellow veterans4 ,he also deepened ,united ,states-,korea relations through founding the ,congressional ,caucus on ,korea1 facilitating passage of the ,united ,states-,korea ,free ,trade ,agreement1 and passing resolutions that strengthen the bilateral strategic alliance1 promote peace and stability on the ,korean ,peninsula1 and support ,korean ,american family reunification efforts4 7#bc7 ,as ,dean of the ,new ,york ,congressional ,delegation1 he led his colleagues in the wake of the #i_/aa attacks to pass measures that provided funding to recovery efforts and relief to families that were impacted1 such as the extension of unemployment benefits and provided health benefits to #i_/aa first responders and survivors4 7#bd7 ,in #bjjg1 ,rangel became ,chair of the powerful ,ways and ,means ,committee4 ,in that role1 he was instrumental in the development and passage of the ,patient ,protection and ,affordable ,care ,act 7,public ,law #aaa-adh2 #abd ,stat4 #aai71 which has provided coverage to an estimated #bj1jjj1jjj uninsured or underinsured people of the ,united ,states4 ,he also ensured that ,united ,states territories like ,puerto ,rico were not left out of this landmark law4 7#be7 ,rangel's exceptional life was heavily marked by his extraordinary accomplishments in the military1 various government roles1 and elected office1 which led to economic and social advancements for his fellow servicemembers1 constituents of his district1 underserved communities across the country1 and people around the globe4 7#bf7 ,during his congressional career1 ,rangel crafted and passed numerous measures of significance1 including several that remain foundational to our military1 diplomatic corps1 healthcare system1 international trade relationships1 and tax code4 #c4 ,congressional gold medal 7a7 ,presentation authorized ,the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,president pro tempore of the ,senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation1 on behalf of ,congress1 of a gold medal of appropriate design to ,charles ,b4 ,rangel1 in recognition of his contribution to the ,united ,states and his achievements of paving the way for equality and for people of all backgrounds1 regardless of demographic or economic class4 7b7 ,design and striking ,for purposes of the presentation described in subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of the ,treasury 7referred to in this ,act as the ,secretary7 shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems1 devices1 and inscriptions1 to be determined by the ,secretary4 ,the design shall bear an image of1 and inscription of the name of1 ,charles ,b4 ,rangel4 7c7 ,disposition of medal ,following the presentation described in subsection 7a71 the gold medal shall be given to the children of ,charles ,b4 ,rangel1 ,steven ,rangel and ,alicia ,rangel4 #d4 ,duplicate medals ,the ,secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section #c1 at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals1 including labor1 materials1 dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead expenses4 #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 sections #eacd and #eacf of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 all medals struck under this ,act shall be considered to be numismatic items4 #f4 ,authority to use fund amounts2 proceeds of sale 7a7 ,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 under this ,act4 7b7 ,proceeds of sale ,amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section #d shall be deposited into the ,united ,states ,mint ,public ,enterprise ,fund4