LegisTrack
Back to all bills
S 2195119th CongressIn Committee

WWII Nurses Congressional Gold Medal Act

Introduced: Jun 26, 2025
Veterans Affairs
View on Congress.gov
Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

S. 2195, the WWII Nurses Congressional Gold Medal Act, introduced in the Senate, would collectively award a Congressional Gold Medal to the women who served in World War II as members of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. The bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike the medal and then to place the medal with the Smithsonian Institution for display and research, with the Smithsonian encouraged to display it at locations related to Army and Navy nursing history. The act also authorizes the minting of bronze duplicates for sale to recover costs, sets the medals as national medals and numismatic items, and authorizes use of the Mint Public Enterprise Fund to cover costs, with proceeds from bronze duplicate sales returned to that fund. The Findings section provides historical context on the nurses’ service, the inequities they faced (such as lack of formal military status and benefits), and their significant contributions during the war.

Key Points

  • 1The bill authorizes Congress to award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to WWII Army Nurse Corps and Navy Nurse Corps members in recognition of their service and sacrifice.
  • 2The Secretary of the Treasury will design and strike the gold medal.
  • 3After award, the medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution for display and research, with the Smithsonian encouraged to loan or display it at designated Army/Navy nursing-related locations (e.g., Army Medical Center, Women in Military Service for America Memorial, National World War II Museum, etc.).
  • 4The Secretary may strike and sell bronze duplicate medals to recover costs; proceeds go to the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
  • 5Medals struck under this Act are national medals under title 31, and treated as numismatic items for purposes of federal law.
  • 6The Act authorizes using the Mint Public Enterprise Fund to pay the medal costs, establishing a funding mechanism, and directs proceeds from bronze duplicates back to that fund.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: World War II Army Nurse Corps and Navy Nurse Corps members, and their families, who would receive formal belated recognition through the Congressional Gold Medal.Secondary group/area affected: museums, historical institutions, and researchers who would have access to the medal through the Smithsonian and related display sites.Additional impacts: public awareness of nurses’ critical wartime roles and earlier inequities in status and benefits; the funding pathway via the Mint Public Enterprise Fund and potential public sale of bronze duplicates to recoup costs.
Generated by gpt-5-nano on Oct 7, 2025