Legislation seeking four congressional gold medals to recognize the efforts of U.S. Capitol Police and other law enforcement personnel to protect the Capitol and federal legislators during the attack on the facility Jan. 6 by irate supporters of former President Donald Trump was signed into law on Aug. 5. by President Joe Biden.

H.R. 3325, introduced May 19 by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was approved Aug. 3 by the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent without amendment and moved to the White House for Biden’s approval.

The House approved H.R. 3325, also on Aug. 3, by a vote of 406 to 21, with the all of the nay votes cast by Republicans who objected to wording in the bill referencing the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol by pro-Trump protesters as an “insurrection” and to the Capitol as “the temple of our American Democracy.”

The law authorizes:
➤ One gold medal to be given to the United States Capitol Police.
➤ One gold medal to be given to the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.
➤ One gold medal to be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where any display will include a plaque that lists all of the law enforcement agencies that participated in protecting the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
➤ One gold medal to be given to the Architect of the Capitol, for display in a prominent location in the United States Capitol as appropriate. The display will include a plaque identifying all of the law enforcement agencies that participated in protecting the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

All of the medals could be made available for historical research, with the medal for the Smithsonian able to be displayed at different times at locations other than the museum.

The Treasury secretary can direct the Mint to strike and offer for public sale bronze duplicates of the four gold medals.

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