119-hr1277

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1277 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 1277

 To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the First Rhode 
 Island Regiment, in recognition of their dedicated service during the 
 Revolutionary War.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 February 13, 2025

 Mr. Amo (for himself, Mr. Magaziner, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Carter of 
 Louisiana, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Costa, 
 Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Mr. Figures, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. 
 Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, 
 Mrs. McBath, Ms. McCollum, Mrs. McIver, Mr. Mfume, Ms. Moore of 
 Wisconsin, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Norton, Ms. Plaskett, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. 
Sewell, Ms. Strickland, Mr. Turner of Texas, Ms. Underwood, Mr. Veasey, 
 Mrs. Watson Coleman, and Ms. Williams of Georgia) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial 
 Services

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the First Rhode 
 Island Regiment, in recognition of their dedicated service during the 
 Revolutionary War.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``First Rhode Island Regiment 
Congressional Gold Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) During the winter at Valley Forge, from 1777-1778, the 
 Continental Army had difficulty recruiting the necessary quotas 
 of men set by the Congress.

    (2) At the same time, the State of Rhode Island was ordered 
 to supply two battalions while faced with the occupation of the 
 City of Newport by the British.

    (3) In January 1778, at the urging of Brigadier General 
 James Varnum, General George Washington wrote to Governor 
 Nicholas Cooke of the State of Rhode Island requesting 
 assistance recruiting men for the Continental Line.

    (4) On February 14, 1778, the Rhode Island General Assembly 
 voted to allow the enlistment of ``every able-bodied negro, 
 mulatto, or Indian man slave''.

    (5) In addition, the Rhode Island General Assembly provided 
 that any enlisted slave ``upon his passing muster before 
 Colonel Christopher Greene, be immediately discharged from the 
 service of his master or mistress, and be absolutely free as 
 though he had never been incumbered and be incumbered with any 
 kind of servitude or slavery''.

    (6) As a result, between February 1778 and June 1778, 
 Colonel Christopher Greene, Lt. Colonel Jeremiah Olney and 
 Major Samuel Ward recruited almost 200 men of African heritage 
 and Indigenous descent who formed the core of the First Rhode 
 Island Regiment.

    (7) The First Rhode Island Regiment became among the first 
 units in American History in which men of every race and 
 ethnicity were recruited to serve.

    (8) On August 28, 1778, at the Battle of Rhode Island, 
 following an attempted siege of British-occupied Newport along 
 with the newly allied French fleet, the First Rhode Island 
 Regiment acted heroically in holding back Hessian forces and 
 causing them to retreat.

    (9) During the Battle of Rhode Island, the First Rhode 
 Island Regiment's losses included three killed, nine wounded 
 and eleven missing soldiers.

    (10) Soldiers of color from the First Rhode Island Regiment 
 continued to fight bravely to win American independence for 5 
 more years in an integrated Rhode Island Regiment that included 
 men of African, European, and Indigenous descent.

    (11) On December 25, 1783, the last Rhode Island soldiers 
 were discharged at Saratoga, New York.

    (12) Their commander, Colonel Jeremiah Olney, praised the 
 Regiment for ``faithfully preserving in the best of causes, in 
 every stage of service, with unexampled fortitude and patience 
 through all the danger and toils of a long and severe war''.

    (13) Afterwards, some veterans of the First Rhode Island 
 Regiment had to consistently resist efforts at re-enslavement 
 and fought for back wages from the Rhode Island General 
 Assembly.

    (14) According to the Rhode Island State Archives, the 
 First Rhode Island Regiment included at least the following 
 soldiers: Babcock, Priamus

    (Primus) ; Bent, Prince; Bours, Cato; 
 Brown, Priamus

    (Primus) ; Burk, Africa; Burroughs, John; 
 Carpenter, Cudgo; Champlin, Dick; Champlin, Jack; Champlin, 
 July; Champlin, Newport; Champlin, Sharper; Champlin, York; 
 Clark, James; Coddington, Jack; Fones, Jack; Gardner, Cuff; 
 Gardner, Hercules; Gardner, Minkl; Gardner, Preamus

    (Primus) ; 
 Gardner, Rutter; Gray, Ebenezer; Green, Cuff; Greene, Cato; 
 Greene, Jack; Greene, Pero; Greene, William; Hammond, Prince; 
 Harriss, Cesar; Hazard, Backus; Hazard, Jabin; Hazard, Jacob; 
 Hazard, Peter; Hazard, Peter; Lefavour, Thom; Mason, Warsen; 
 Mawney, Cyrus; Minturn, Jack; Mowrey, Pero; Nichols, Thomas; 
 Perry, Ganset; Phillips, Philow; Pierce, Titus; Potter, David; 
 Randall, Prince; Rhodes, Bristol; Rhodes, Priamus; Rhodes, 
 Richard; Rhodes, Samuel; Richmond, Ebenezer; Robinson, Mingo; 
 Rodman, Isaac; Rodman, Mingo; Rodman, Prince; Rose, Cesar; 
 Saltonstall, Brittain; Saunders, Sampson; Sheldon, Cesar; 
 Slave; Slave; Smith, Juba; Sweeling, Query; Talbot, Sigby; 
 Tanner, Quam; Tillinghast, Cuff; Updike, Cesar; Updike, Moses; 
 Vaughan, Prince; Vernon, Cato; Watson, Fortune; Wells, Cesar; 
 Wickes, Nat; and Willbour, Boston.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Award Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of Representatives 
and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate 
arrangements for the award, on behalf of the Congress, of a single gold 
medal of appropriate design to the First Rhode Island Regiment, 
collectively in recognition of their dedicated service during the 
Revolutionary War.

    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award referred to 
in subsection

    (a) , the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act 
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike the gold medal with 
suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the 
Secretary.
            (c) Rhode Island State Library.--

    (1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal in 
 honor of the First Rhode Island Regiment of the Revolutionary 
 War under subsection

    (a) , the gold medal shall be given to the 
 Rhode Island State Library, where it will be displayed as 
 appropriate and made available for research.

    (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
 the Rhode Island State Library should make the gold medal 
 received under paragraph

    (1) available for display elsewhere, 
 particularly at other appropriate locations associated with the 
 First Rhode Island Regiment of the Revolutionary War.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medal struck under 

section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the costs 
thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
overhead expenses.

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    (a) National Medals.--Medals struck pursuant to 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. 6. 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 
under this Act.

    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
bronze medals authorized under 

section 4 shall be deposited into the 
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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