Nick Shirley Congressional Gold Medal Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Nick Shirley Congressional Gold Medal Act is a congressional-honors bill with a funding mechanism. Congress makes findings about Nick Shirley's December 26, 2025 investigative post concerning alleged fraud in Minnesota and says federal funding to fraudulent businesses was halted. The bill directs congressional leadership to arrange presentation of a gold medal to Nick Shirley for investigative journalism uncovering waste, fraud, and abuse against taxpayers. The Treasury Secretary must strike the medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions. The bill authorizes duplicate bronze medals for sale, charges medal costs to the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, and deposits sale proceeds back into that fund.
Who Benefits and How
Nick Shirley benefits directly from congressional recognition and the public status of a Congressional Gold Medal. Taxpayer watchdog audiences benefit from Congress elevating alleged waste, fraud, and abuse as a public-accountability issue. The United States Mint can recover some costs if duplicate bronze medals are sold to collectors or the public.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Treasury Secretary and United States Mint staff must design, strike, and finance the gold medal. The United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund bears the upfront cost of the medal. Congressional leadership must arrange the presentation ceremony, and federal staff must administer duplicate bronze medal sales and deposits.
Key Provisions
- Recognizes Nick Shirley with a Congressional Gold Medal for investigative journalism described as uncovering waste, fraud, and abuse.
- Directs the Speaker and Senate President pro tempore to arrange the medal presentation.
- Requires the Treasury Secretary to strike a gold medal with suitable design features.
- Authorizes the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund to pay medal costs.
- Requires proceeds from duplicate bronze medal sales to return to the Mint fund.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Awards a Congressional Gold Medal to Nick Shirley for investigative journalism described by Congress as exposing waste, fraud, and abuse against taxpayers, authorizes the Treasury Secretary to strike the medal, and pays medal costs from the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund with duplicate bronze sale proceeds returned to that fund.
Key Policy Areas
Government
Primary Purpose
Awards a Congressional Gold Medal to Nick Shirley for investigative journalism described by Congress as exposing waste, fraud, and abuse against taxpayers, authorizes the Treasury Secretary to strike the medal, and pays medal costs from the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund with duplicate bronze sale proceeds returned to that fund.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Nick Shirley
- Taxpayer watchdog audiences
- United States Mint collectors
- Congressional recognition programs
Identified Costs
- Treasury Secretary medal staff
- United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund
- Congressional leadership offices
- Federal taxpayers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Crane introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Congressional leadership offices, Treasury Secretary medal staff, United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology