(a) Scope. There are hereby established two medals, one to be known as the Young American Medal for Bravery and the other to be known as the Young American Medal for Service.

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(b) Young American Medal for Bravery. (1)(i) The Young American Medal for Bravery may be awarded to a person—

(A) Who during a given calendar year has exhibited exceptional courage, attended by extraordinary decisiveness, presence of mind, and unusual swiftness of action, regardless of his or her own personal safety, in an effort to save or in saving the life of any person or persons in actual imminent danger;

(B) Who was eighteen years of age or younger at the time of the occurrence; and

(C) Who habitually resides in the United States (including its territories and possessions), but need not be a citizen thereof.

(ii) These conditions must be met at the time of the event.

(2) The act of bravery must have been public in nature and must have been acknowledged by the Governor, Chief Executive Officer of a State, county, municipality, or other political subdivision, or by a civic, educational, or religious institution, group, or society.

(3) No more than two such medals may be awarded in any one calendar year.

(c) Young American Medal for Service. (1) The Young American Medal for Service may be awarded to any citizen of the United States eighteen years of age or younger at the time of the occurrence, who has achieved outstanding or unusual recognition for character and service during a given calendar year.

(2) Character attained and service accomplished by a candidate for this medal must have been such as to make his or her achievement worthy of public report. The outstanding and unusual recognition of the candidate’s character and service must have been public in nature and must have been acknowledged by the Governor, Chief Executive Officer of a State, county, municipality, or other political subdivision, or by a civic, educational, or religious institution, group, or society.

(3) The recognition of the character and service upon which the award of the Medal for Service is based must have been accorded separately and apart from the Young American Medals program and must not have been accorded for the specific and announced purpose of rendering a candidate eligible, or of adding to a candidate’s qualifications, for the award of the Young American Medal for Service.

(4) No more than two such medals may be awarded in any one calendar year.

(d) Eligibility. (1) The act or acts of bravery and the recognition for character and service that make a candidate eligible for the respective medals must have occurred during the calendar year for which the award is made.

(2) A candidate may be eligible for both medals in the same year. Moreover, the receipt of either medal in any year will not affect a candidate’s eligibility for the award of either or both of the medals in a succeeding year.

(3) Acts of bravery performed and recognition of character and service achieved by persons serving in the Armed Forces, which arise from or out of military duties, shall not make a candidate eligible for either of the medals, provided, however, that a person serving in the Armed Forces shall be eligible to receive either or both of the medals if the act of bravery performed or the recognition for character and service achieved is on account of acts and service performed or rendered outside of and apart from military duties.

(e) Request for information. (1) A recommendation in favor of a candidate for the award of a Young American Medal for Bravery or for Service must be accompanied by:

(i) A full and complete statement of the candidate’s act or acts of bravery or recognized character and service (including the times and places) that supports qualification of the candidate to receive the appropriate medal;

(ii) Statements by witnesses or persons having personal knowledge of the facts surrounding the candidate’s act or acts of bravery or recognized character and service, as required by the respective medals;

(iii) A certified copy of the candidate’s birth certificate, or, if no birth certificate is available, other authentic evidence of the date and place of the candidate’s birth; and

(iv) A biographical sketch of the candidate, including information as to his or her citizenship or habitual residence, as may be required by the respective medals.

(f) Procedure. (1)(i) All recommendations and accompanying documents and papers should be submitted to the Governor or Chief Executive Officer of the State, territory, or possession of the United States where the candidate’s act or acts of bravery or recognized character and service were demonstrated. In the case of the District of Columbia, the recommendations should be submitted to the Mayor of the District of Columbia.

(ii) If the act or acts of bravery or recognized character and service did not occur within the boundaries of any State, territory, or possession of the United States, the papers should be submitted to the Governor or Chief Executive Officer of the territory or other possession of the United States wherein the candidate habitually maintains his or her residence.

(2) The Governor or Chief Executive Officer, after considering the various recommendations received after the close of the pertinent calendar year, may nominate therefrom no more than two candidates for the Young American Medal for Bravery and no more than two candidates for the Young American Medal for Service. Nominated individuals should have, in the opinion of the appropriate official, shown by the facts and circumstances to be the most worthy and qualified candidates from the jurisdiction to receive consideration for awards of the above-named medals.

(3) Nominations of candidates for either medal must be submitted no later than 120 days after notification that the Department of Justice is seeking nominations under this program for a specific calendar year. Each nomination must contain the necessary documentation establishing eligibility, must be submitted by the Governor or Chief Executive Officer, together with any comments, and should be submitted to the address published in the notice.

(4) Nominations of candidates for medals will be considered only when received from the Governor or Chief Executive Officer of a State, territory, or possession of the United States.

(5) The Young American Medals Committee will select, from nominations properly submitted, those candidates who are shown by the facts and circumstances to be eligible for the award of the medals. The Committee shall make recommendations to the Attorney General based on its evaluation of the nominees. Upon consideration of these recommendations, the Attorney General may select up to the maximum allowable recipients for each medal for the calendar year.

(g) Presentation. (1) The Young American Medal for Bravery and the Young American Medal for Service will be presented personally by the President of the United States to the candidates selected. These medals will be presented in the name of the President and the Congress of the United States. Presentation ceremonies shall be held at such times and places selected by the President in consultation with the Attorney General.

(2) The Young American Medals Committee will officially designate two adults (preferably the parents of the candidate) to accompany each candidate selected to the presentation ceremonies. The candidates and persons designated to accompany them will be furnished transportation and other appropriate allowances.

(3) There shall be presented to each recipient an appropriate Certificate of Commendation stating the circumstances under which the act of bravery was performed or describing the outstanding recognition for character and service, as appropriate for the medal awarded. The Certificate will bear the signature of the President of the United States and the Attorney General of the United States.

(4) There also shall be presented to each recipient of a medal, a miniature replica of the medal awarded in the form of a lapel pin.

(h) Posthumous awards. In cases where a medal is awarded posthumously, the Young American Medals Committee will designate the father or mother of the deceased or other suitable person to receive the medal on behalf of the deceased. The decision of the Young American Medals Committee in designating the person to receive the posthumously awarded medal, on behalf of the deceased, shall be final.

(i) Young American Medals Committee. The Young American Medals Committee shall be represented by the following:

(1) Director of the FBI, Chairman;

(2) Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Member;

(3) Director of the U.S. Marshals Service, Member; and

(4) Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, Member and Executive Secretary.

(Authority: The United States Department of Justice is authorized under 42 U.S.C. § 1921 et seq. to promulgate rules and regulations establishing medals, one for bravery and one for service. This authority was enacted by chapter 520 of Pub. L. 81-638 (August 3, 1950).)[61 FR 49260, Sept. 19, 1996]