Henrietta Lacks Congressional Gold Medal Act

This bill would award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Henrietta Lacks in recognition of her immortal HeLa cells and their significant impact on global health, scientific research, patient care, and patients’ rights. It directs the Treasury to strike a gold medal, arrange for a ceremonial presentation by the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate, and then transfer the medal to the Smithsonian Institution for display and research, with a sense that it should be made available at other Henrietta Lacks-related locations as well. The act also authorizes the Smithsonian to display replicas at other appropriate sites. Additionally, the Secretary of the Treasury may strike and sell bronze duplicate medals to cover costs, and proceeds from those sales would go back to the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund. The medals are designated as national medals and treated as numismatic items for relevant laws. The Findings section summarizes Lacks’ life, the discovery and use of her HeLa cells (which were used worldwide in medical research and helped advance numerous treatments), and her role in shaping modern bioethics and informed consent policies. The bill frames these contributions as foundational to advances in medicine and to patient trust in research.