Freedom House Ambulance Service Congressional Gold Medal Act
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · February 20, 2026
Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
H.R. 7623 authorizes Congress to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Freedom House Ambulance Service in recognition of its pioneering contributions to emergency medical care and civil rights history. Founded in 1965 in Pittsburgh's Hill District, Freedom House was the first ambulance service in the United States staffed by trained paramedics and served as a model for the modern paramedic system now used nationwide, while also providing job training and employment opportunities to residents of a predominantly Black neighborhood that had been economically disadvantaged. The service, which operated until 1975, was instrumental in developing the first national paramedic training curriculum and directly influenced national EMS standards adopted by the Department of Transportation. The Treasury Department will design and strike the gold medal, which will be displayed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, with the option for it to be loaned to other locations associated with Freedom House. The legislation authorizes funding from the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund to cover the costs of producing the medal and allows the Treasury to sell duplicate bronze copies to offset expenses.
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