To affirm the power of the President to revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to Bill Cosby and to provide for criminal penalties for anyone who wears or publicly displays a Presidential Medal of Freedom that has been revoked.
Latest action · Feb 3, 2016 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 8, 2016
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
This bill expresses the sense of Congress that the President should revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to William Henry (Bill) Cosby in 2002.
Additionally, it amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to fraudulently wear or publicly display a Presidential Medal of Freedom that has been revoked. A violator is subject to a fine, up to one year in prison, or both.
Cosponsors 17
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 8, 2016 to Jan 12, 2016; 16 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-MD | Andy Harris | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-TX | Brian Babin | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-MI | David A. Trott | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-TN | Diane Black | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-VA | E. Scott Rigell | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| D-CA | Jackie Speier | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-IN | Jackie Walorski | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| D-CA | Jared Huffman | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-FL | Jeff Miller | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-AZ | Martha McSally | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-AZ | Matt Salmon | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-TX | Michael C. Burgess | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-FL | Ron DeSantis | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-MS | Steven M. Palazzo | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-AZ | Trent Franks | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-NC | Walter B. Jones | Original | Jan 8, 2016 |
| R-NY | Christopher P. Gibson | Jan 12, 2016 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jan 8, 2016 |
| Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee | Referred Feb 3, 2016 | |
| House | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | Referred Jan 8, 2016 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 3, 2016Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
- Jan 8, 2016Introduced in House
- Jan 8, 2016Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 162, no. 5, January 8, 2016, page H223.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R47639 | Presidential Medal of Freedom | Report | Sep 11, 2026 |
Titles 1
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To affirm the power of the President to revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to Bill Cosby and to provide for criminal penalties for anyone who wears or publicly displays a Presidential Medal of Freedom that has been revoked.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 8, 2016Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
