Lance Corporal Dustin Sekula Congressional Gold Medal Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8963 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8963

 To award the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Edinburg, Texas
  war hero Lance Corporal Dustin Sekula, in recognition of his heroic
                                 life.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 21, 2026

 Ms. De La Cruz (for herself and Mr. McCaul) introduced the following
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To award the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Edinburg, Texas
  war hero Lance Corporal Dustin Sekula, in recognition of his heroic
                                 life.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Lance Corporal Dustin Sekula
Congressional Gold Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that:
            (1) Dustin Sekula was born on June 8, 1985, in Edinburg,
        Texas, and graduated from Edinburg North High School in 2003.
            (2) Dustin was a kind, loyal, and loving son and brother.
            (3) Dustin was skilled at ranching and loved roping steers.
        He used his high school lunch period to practice roping on a
        fake steer.
            (4) Dustin turned down an agriculture college scholarship
        to join the Marines and serve his country at the age of 17.
            (5) At 18, an infantry mortarman of the 2nd Battalion, 7th
        Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary
        Force, Dustin died due to injuries sustained from enemy fire in
        Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 1, 2004.
            (6) More than 1,000 people filled Trinity Worship Center
        for his funeral service.
            (7) Dustin is buried in Palm Valley Memorial Gardens in
        Pharr, Texas.
            (8) The Dustin Sekula Memorial Library (DMSML) located in
        Edinburg, Texas, is named after Marine Lance Corporal Dustin
        Michael Sekula.
            (9) He was the first Edinburg native to be killed during
        Operation Iraqi Freedom.
            (10) He is not forgotten.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make
appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, to the family
of Lance Corporal Dustin Sekula on behalf of the Congress, of a gold
medal of appropriate design in commemoration of Lance Corporal Dustin
Sekula, Edinburg, Texas war hero, in recognition of his heroic life.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in
this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with suitable
emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold
medal struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the cost
thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses.

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    (a) National Medals.--The medals struck under this Act are national
medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
    (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of
title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be
considered to be numismatic items.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

    (a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to be
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such
amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck
under this Act.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate
bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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