S 369
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 369
To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Giuseppe
Garibaldi, and to Recognize the Republic of Italy on the 150th Anniversary
of its Unification.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 16, 2011
Mr. ENZI introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred
to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
A BILL
To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Giuseppe
Garibaldi, and to Recognize the Republic of Italy on the 150th Anniversary
of its Unification.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Giuseppe Garibaldi was born on July 4, 1807, in Nice.
(2) The Garibaldi family's involvement in coastal trade drew him to
a life at sea. He was certified in 1832 as a merchant marine captain.
(3) As a young man, Garibaldi joined the movement of La Giovine Italia
(`Young Italy'), which was founded by Giuseppe Mazzini, who was an
impassioned proponent of Italian unification.
(4) Garibaldi participated in various independence struggles throughout
Central and South America.
(5) Garibaldi came to the United States, where he applied for citizenship
and began learning English. He lived for a time with inventor Antonio
Meucci in his home in Staten Island, New York.
(6) The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum is a place where Italian-American
heritage and culture can be celebrated, as well as where the lives
of Giuseppe Garibaldi and Antonio Meucci can be remembered.
(7) The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum was listed on the U.S. National Register
of Historic Places in 1980.
(8) In 1854, Giuseppe Garibaldi left Staten Island, New York, and
returned to Italy as the commander in the conflicts of the Risorgimento,
to lead military forces that would provide for the unification of
Italy.
(9) The Risorgimento's progress was eagerly followed in a United States
ideologically opposed to European dynastic `tyranny'. The victory
was viewed in this country as a powerful vindication of the right
of the individual to political self-determination.
(10) Giuseppe Garibaldi, who led Italy to unification in 1861, was
offered a command as Major General in the Union Army by President
Abraham Lincoln. Garibaldi declined, but to honor him, the 39th New
York Infantry was known as `The Garibaldi Guard'. Approximately 150
of its 850 men were Italian. It fought in the Union Army from Bull
Run to Appomattox.
(11) Garibaldi was an active freemason, and thought of masonry as
a network to unite men as brothers, both within nations and as members
of a global community.
(12) Garibaldi spent the rest of his life in Caprera with his wife,
Francesca Armosino, and their children and family members. He died
on June 2, 1882.
(13) Giuseppe Garibaldi is one of the most symbolic figures of the
Republic of Italy and a national hero. Five Italian Navy ships have
been named after him, including the Italian navy's current flagship,
the aircraft carrier `Giuseppe Garibaldi'.
(14) On March 17, 2011, the Republic of Italy will officially celebrate
Italy's 150th Anniversary with a series of activities across the nation
of Italy, in Washington, DC, and throughout the United States, to
highlight the unique partnership between Italy and the United States.
As long-time allies, both nations share a common set of values, historical
ties, and cultural relations that span multiple centuries.
(15) From the arts and sciences to political thinking and beyond,
the lives and ideas of great men like Andrea Palladio and Thomas Jefferson,
Benjamin Franklin, Antonio Meucci, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and Abraham
Lincoln have inspired and enlightened one another.
(16) Today, the legacy of immigrants is found throughout the United
States in the millions of American men, women, and children of Italian
descent and the community organizations such as the National Italian
American Foundation and others that serve to strengthen and enrich
our country.
(17) Upon arrival to a new home, the Italian American community faced
racial, social, and religious discrimination. Yet, Italian Americans
persevered with hope and hard work to reach the American dream, flourished
in all areas of public and economic life, and helped build our great
country, while preserving their proud Italian traditions. As proud
service members, they have also defended the liberty and integrity
of the United States of America since the Revolutionary War, during
both World Wars, the wars in Vietnam, Korea, and the Persian Gulf
up until today's current conflicts.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the
President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements
for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate
design in recognition of the contributions of Giuseppe Garibaldi to
the Nation.
(2) DISPLAY OF MEDAL IN CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER- The Architect of the
Capitol shall arrange for the gold medal presented under this subsection
to be displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center, as part of an exhibit
honoring Giuseppe Garibaldi.
(b) Design and Striking- For purposes of the presentation referred to
in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in this
Act as the `Secretary') shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems,
devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal
struck pursuant to section 2, under such regulations as the Secretary
may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including
labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and
the cost of the gold medal.
SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS.
(a) National Medals- The medals struck under this Act are national medals
for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
(b) Numismatic Items- For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of title
31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be considered
to be numismatic items.
SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) 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 Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sale- Amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze
medals authorized under section 3 shall be deposited into the United
States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
END
