Arturo Alfonso Schomburg Congressional Gold Medal Act
Summary
HB1817, the Arturo Alfonso Schomburg Congressional Gold Medal Act, would authorize Congress to award a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to Arturo Alfonso Schomburg in recognition of his pioneering work preserving the history and culture of the African diaspora. The bill includes detailed findings describing Schomburg’s life, his early inspiration to document Black achievement, his role in the Harlem Renaissance, and the importance of his personal collection, which became the basis for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
The legislation directs the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the medal’s presentation, and it instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike the medal. After the award, the medal would be transferred to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for display and research, with a sense-of-Congress statement encouraging broader display at Schomburg-related locations and events. The bill also authorizes the Mint to produce and sell duplicate bronze medals and allows costs to be paid from the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, with proceeds from duplicate sales deposited back into that fund.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would create a new Congressional Gold Medal honoring Arturo Alfonso Schomburg and would not alter substantive regulatory law outside the medal program. It would affect federal medal and numismatic statutes by classifying the struck medals as national medals and numismatic items, authorizing Treasury and the U.S. Mint to incur and recover costs associated with production, and directing the final medal to the Smithsonian for preservation and public access.
Sentiment
The available context suggests broadly positive and commemorative support for the bill. It is introduced by a large group of House members, including the sponsor and several co-sponsors, and the findings frame Schomburg as a foundational figure in Black historical scholarship and cultural preservation. No committee debate or recorded votes are provided, so there is no evidence of organized opposition in the available materials.
Contention
No specific points of contention appear in the provided text or legislative history. Because the bill is a ceremonial Congressional Gold Medal measure, any discussion would likely center on the appropriateness of the honoree, the symbolism of the award, and the limited administrative and Mint-related costs, but no objections, amendments, or dissenting views are included in the record provided.
Designating a portion of State Route 611, also known as Broad Street, from Spring Garden Street to Callowhill Street in the City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, as Dr. Constance E. Clayton Way.