Congress honors civil rights pioneer Joan Trumpauer Mulholland
H.R. 3622 — Joan Trumpauer Mulholland Congressional Gold Medal Act · Filed by Donald Beyer (D-VA) · 7 cosponsors · Introduced May 29, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill authorizes Congress to award a gold medal to Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, a civil rights activist who participated in sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and other nonviolent protests against racial segregation in the 1960s. The medal recognizes her decades of activism and subsequent work as an educator promoting civil rights and multiculturalism. The U.S. Mint will strike the medal and may sell bronze duplicates to recover costs.
Why we flagged it
This is a straightforward Congressional Gold Medal bill honoring a deceased or elderly civil rights activist. It has no regulatory, appropriations, or policy-making function—it is purely ceremonial recognition of historical service to the nation.
Who it affects
This is a commemorative honor for a deceased or elderly civil rights pioneer whose activism directly advanced voting rights, desegregation, and equal protection—public goods that benefited all citizens. The medal itself carries no direct cost to taxpayers beyond standard mint operations, and the bronze duplicates are self-funding.