HR 7211 · 119th Congress 2025–2027

To authorize the President to award the Medal of Honor to John W. Ripley for acts of valor during the Vietnam War, and for other purposes.

Introduced Jan 22, 2026 Originated House Became Public Law 119-81 Sponsor H. Morgan Griffith R-VA

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Mar 26, 2026 Became Public Law No: 119-81.

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.

  1. IntroducedJan 22, 2026
  2. Passed HouseFeb 3, 2026
  3. Passed SenateMar 3, 2026
  4. To the PresidentMar 24, 2026
  5. Became lawMar 26, 2026Public Law 119-81

Summary

This bill authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor to John W. Ripley for his acts of valor on April 2, 1972, as a member of the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, for which he was previously awarded the Navy Cross.

Cosponsors

Members who signed on, in the order they did.

No cosponsors are on file for this measure.

Committees 2

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseArmed Services Committee
Referred Jan 22, 2026Discharged Feb 3, 2026
SenateArmed Services Committee
Referred Feb 4, 2026Discharged Mar 3, 2026

Actions 14

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Mar 26, 2026Signed by President.
  2. Mar 26, 2026Became Public Law No: 119-81.
  3. Mar 24, 2026Presented to President.
  4. Mar 4, 2026Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Mar 3, 2026Senate Committee on Armed Services discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  6. Mar 3, 2026Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S767)
  7. Feb 4, 2026Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
  8. Feb 3, 2026Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed without objection. (text: CR H1967)
  9. Feb 3, 2026Mr. Bacon asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
  10. Feb 3, 2026Considered by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR H1967)
  11. Feb 3, 2026Committee on Armed Services discharged.
  12. Feb 3, 2026Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  13. Jan 22, 2026Introduced in House
  14. Jan 22, 2026Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

In the Congressional Record 2

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

WhereIn the RecordMembersDate
SenateDebate and remarks S767Joni Ernst R-IAMar 3, 2026
HouseDebate and remarks H1967Text printed H1967Don Bacon R-NEFeb 3, 2026

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

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution as well as Amendment XVI

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 172, no. 15, January 22, 2026, page H1351.

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To authorize the President to award the Medal of Honor to John W. Ripley for acts of valor during the Vietnam War, and for other purposes.
Official Title from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text
To authorize the President to award the Medal of Honor to John W. Ripley for acts of valor during the Vietnam War, and for other purposes.

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.

Text 4

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. —Enrolled Bill
  2. Feb 4, 2026Referred in Senate
  3. Feb 3, 2026Engrossed in House
  4. Jan 22, 2026Introduced in House

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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.