HR8963Referred to Committee
To award the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Edinburg, Texas war hero Lance Corporal Dustin Sekula, in recognition of his heroic life.
Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber4
Passed Both5
Signed into Law119th
Congress
2026-05-21
Introduced
1
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘType
Sponsor
Monica De La Cruz
Republican · TX · Representative
Votes with party: 98.3% (526 recorded votes)
Full profile: /officials/D000594
Source: Congress.gov · FEC
Cosponsors (1)
Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.
Latest Action
The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →
Committee Activity
Currently in
- House Committee on Financial ServicesReferred To · 2026-05-21
Plain-English Summary
The proposal would award the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation's highest civilian honors, to Lance Corporal Dustin Sekula, a Marine from Edinburg, Texas who died in service to his country. This medal recognizes his heroic actions and sacrifice, and would be presented posthumously to honor his memory and contributions. The award serves as a formal acknowledgment of exceptional bravery and service to the United States.
AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.
Full Bill Text
Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8963 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 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…
Show the remaining 6 wordsHide the remaining 6 words
States Mint Public Enterprise Fund. <all>
Related legislation
Bills by the same sponsor or covering overlapping subjects.
- HR9053To ensure the reliable delivery of water to the United States under the 1944 Water Treaty, to provide a mechanism to compensate United States agricultural producers for economic losses resulting from delivery shortfalls, and for other purposes.Referred to Committee · 2026-05-29
- HR8499Saving Lives on Campuses Act of 2026Referred to Committee · 2026-04-27
- HR8216Improving Medicare Services Act of 2026Referred to Committee · 2026-04-09
- HR8134Strengthen Taxpayer Rights Act of 2026Referred to Committee · 2026-03-27