Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Dr. Li Wenliang Congressional Gold Medal Act”.
Dr. Li Wenliang Congressional Gold Medal Act
A BILL
To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Li Wenliang, in recognition of his efforts to save lives by drawing awareness to COVID–19 and his call for transparency in China.
Sec. 2 Findings
The Congress finds the following:
Dr. Li Wenliang was a 34-year-old ophthalmologist in Wuhan, China, who died from COVID–19 after he bravely sought to draw attention to the spread of the virus despite the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party’s effort to suppress him.
In December 2019, Dr. Li Wenliang courageously notified his medical colleagues in China about the outbreak of a novel coronavirus known as COVID–19.
On January 3, 2020, after raising concerns about the spread of COVID–19, Dr. Li Wenliang was detained and questioned by Chinese officials for “spreading false rumors” and forced to sign a statement retracting his warnings about COVID–19.
Dr. Li Wenliang continued to work at Wuhan Central Hospital despite his knowledge of the outbreak.
Tragically Dr. Li Wenliang died in February 2020 in the hospital where he worked after contracting COVID–19.
Before his death, Dr. Li Wenliang stated, “If the officials had disclosed information about the epidemic earlier, I think it would have been a lot better. There should be more openness and transparency.”.
The people of China expressed their grief and anger on social media after the death of Dr. Li Wenliang with the phrase “I want freedom of speech”, which was quickly censored by the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party.
The People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party inflicted incalculable damage on their people and the world by trying to extinguish the news of the COVID–19 rather than mobilize global efforts to battle it.
Awarding Dr. Li Wenliang the Congressional Gold Medal would recognize his bold actions to draw attention to the spread of COVID–19 and call global attention to the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party’s lack of transparency and censorship of speech.
Sec. 3 Congressional gold medal
Presentation authorized— The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of Dr. Li Wenliang’s efforts to save lives by drawing awareness to COVID–19 and his call for transparency in China.
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. The design shall bear an image of and the name of Dr. Li Wenliang.
Smithsonian Institution—
In general— Following the award of the gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be available for display as appropriate and made available for research.
Sense of Congress— It is the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution shall make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) available for display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations dedicated to preserving the history of the Chinese pro-democracy movement.
Sec. 4 Duplicate medals
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.
Sec. 5 Status of medals
National medals— The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
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
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.
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.