First Rhode Island Regiment Congressional Gold Medal Act
Introduced February 13, 2025 · Last action June 15, 2026
Plain English Summary
This bill authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to design and strike a Congressional Gold Medal honoring the First Rhode Island Regiment, a Revolutionary War unit that recruited enslaved and Indigenous men starting in 1778 and served in an integrated fighting force. The medal will be displayed at the Rhode Island State Library, and the Secretary may sell bronze duplicates to recover costs.
Who benefits
The Rhode Island State Library (receives and houses the gold medal for public display and research); numismatists and collectors of Congressional Gold Medals (may purchase bronze duplicates); historical researchers and the general public (gain access to a medal commemorating an understudied integrated military unit); the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund (receives revenue from bronze medal sales that offsets production costs).
Who pays / loses
The United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund initially bears the cost of striking the gold medal and producing the dies, though these costs are authorized to be charged against that fund and are expected to be recovered through bronze medal sales. No other groups bear identifiable costs or losses.
Funding & Lobbying Interests
This bill carries no financial interest lobbying—it is a commemorative measure with no appropriations. Congressional Gold Medals are awarded through legislative honor votes and funded through the United States Mint's operational budget. The bill is self-liquidating: bronze duplicate sales are designed to recover the Treasury's production costs, making it net-neutral to federal finances. No private companies, industries, or financial interests have a stake in passage.
Political Impact
Affected Groups
Descendants of First Rhode Island Regiment soldiers (particularly African Americans and Native Americans, whose ancestors are explicitly recognized in the medal's honor); Rhode Island residents and institutions (the State Library becomes custodian of a significant historical artifact); American historians and military history scholars specializing in the Revolutionary War and desegregated military units; collectors of numismatic items and Congressional Gold Medals.
Political Subtext
Proponents frame this as overdue historical recognition of an integrated military unit that predated Jim Crow and challenged prevailing narratives about segregation and slavery in the Revolutionary era. The bill emphasizes that enslaved people who enlisted received immediate freedom—a fact often omitted from standard Revolutionary War accounts. No organized opposition to this measure exists in public record; it operates as bipartisan historical commemoration. The non-partisan historical record confirms the First Rhode Island Regiment was indeed among the first American military units to recruit men across racial lines and that soldiers of color served through 1784. The commemorative nature of the bill means fiscal impact and policy efficacy are not applicable analytical categories.
Real-World Stakes
If passed, the bill creates a permanent national symbol of an understudied episode in American military and social history. The gold medal becomes a teaching tool housed in a public library, potentially elevating the First Rhode Island Regiment's profile in school curricula and historical consciousness. Analogous Congressional Gold Medal awards (e.g., to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2007, the Code Talkers in 2001) have increased public awareness and scholarly attention to previously marginalized military contributions. The medal's placement at the Rhode Island State Library ensures public access. The bill carries no negative consequences for any group. Real-world impact is primarily symbolic and educational rather than fiscal or regulatory.
Sponsor
Co-sponsors (67)
RSen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC]DSen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]RSen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]DSen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]DSen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]RSen. Hoeven, John [R-ND]DSen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA]ISen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]DSen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]DSen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]DSen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]DSen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]DSen. Fetterman, John [D-PA]DSen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]DSen. Welch, Peter [D-VT]DSen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]DSen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-GA]DSen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]DSen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]RSen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]+47 more
Vote Record
No recorded votes.
Campaign Finance — Primary Sponsor
Top contributing industries
Other$37,857.16
Healthcare$2,805
Energy$1,000
Finance$100
Technology$49.5
501(c)(4) disclosure: Contributions from 501(c)(4) "dark money" organizations are not required to be publicly disclosed and are not reflected in the figures above. Data sourced from FEC public disclosure filings.
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