| Sponsor | Rep. Brown, Corrine |
| Date | October 25, 2011 (112th Congress, 1st Session) |
| Staff Contact | Dylan Colligan |
On Tuesday, October 25, 2011, the House is scheduled to consider H.R. 2447, a bill to grant the congressional gold medal to the Montford Point Marines, under a suspension of the rules requiring a two-thirds majority for passage. H.R. 2447 was introduced by Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL) on July 7, 2011, and was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
H.R. 2447 would award the Montford Point Marines a specially-designed congressional gold medal in recognition of their personal sacrifice and service to their country. The Secretary of the Treasury would be directed to strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions.
The bill would authorize an amount not to exceed $30,000 to pay for the cost of the medals, charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
On June 25, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order No. 8802 establishing the Fair Employment Practices Commission and opening the doors for the very first African Americans to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. These African Americans, from all states, were not sent to the traditional boot camps of Parris Island, South Carolina, and San Diego, California. Instead, African American Marines were segregated--experiencing basic training at Camp Montford Point near the New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Approximately 20,000 African American Marines received basic training at Montford Point between 1942 and 1949.
There is no CBO cost estimate available at this time.