This bill would award a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Freedom House Ambulance Service. The Secretary of the Treasury would produce the medal. After the award, the gold medal would be given to the National Museum of African American History and Culture for display and research. The Secretary may also strike bronze duplicates to sell, with sale prices set to cover costs. The bill authorizes charging the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund for the medal costs and requires proceeds from duplicate sales to be deposited back into that fund.
The bill text includes findings that describe Freedom House as the first U.S. emergency medical service staffed by paramedics with training beyond basic first aid. It says Freedom House started in 1965 in Pittsburgh's Hill District to create jobs and train residents, developed advanced training and textbooks, influenced national EMS standards, delivered strong medical outcomes, and was defunded in 1975. The findings name people who led or trained with the service and note its role in medical and civil rights history.
This bill is a symbolic recognition. It awards and preserves a medal honoring Freedom House Ambulance Service and asks the Smithsonian museum to display it. The bill does not create new emergency services, programs, or certifications. It does allow the U.S. Mint to pay for making the medal and to sell bronze duplicates to recover costs.
The bill authorizes charging whatever amounts are necessary to the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund to pay for making the medals. It allows bronze duplicates to be sold at prices sufficient to cover production costs. Proceeds from selling duplicates must be deposited into the Mint Public Enterprise Fund. No publicly available information on the exact dollar cost is provided in the bill text.
The bill's findings say Freedom House pioneered advanced pre-hospital care in the United States, trained paramedics with hospital rotations and field practice, influenced national EMS standards, and improved medical outcomes. Supporters argue the group also provided job training and opportunity in a low-income neighborhood and is an important part of medical and civil rights history. The medal is presented as recognition of those services and contributions.
No publicly available information on opponents' views is included in the bill text or metadata.