Title 2, The CongressRelease 119-110

§831 John Heinz Competitive Excellence Award

Title 2 › CHAPTER 19A — JOHN HEINZ COMPETITIVE EXCELLENCE AWARD › § 831

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates the John Heinz Competitive Excellence Award and a national medal. The United States Mint will make the medal. It must be 3 inches across and made from recycled bronze. The Treasury Secretary will decide the final look and wording after talking with the Senate and House leaders and Senator Heinz’s family. Each year up to two awards can be given: one to a person and one to an organization, school, or business. An 8-person selection panel reviews nominees; the panel has 2 appointees from each of these leaders: the Senate Majority Leader, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the House, and the House Minority Leader. A member of Congress must nominate anyone for the award. The Office of Technology Assessment will do a detailed review of nominees and share summaries with them. The panel uses those reviews to recommend winners to the congressional leaders, who present the awards in ceremonies. Winners may publicize the award but cannot win again in the same category for 5 years. The Office of Technology Assessment will also share a public summary of each winner’s competitiveness strategy, without proprietary information unless the winner agrees. The congressional leaders may accept gifts to help pay award costs.

Full Legal Text

Title 2, §831

The Congress, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Establishment

There is hereby established the John Heinz Competitive Excellence Award, which shall be evidenced by a national medal bearing the inscription “John Heinz Competitive Excellence Award”. The medal, to be minted by the United States Mint and provided to the Congress, shall be of such design and bear such additional inscriptions as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe, in consultation with the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate, the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and the family of Senator John Heinz. The medal shall be—

(1)three inches in diameter; and

(2)made of bronze obtained from recycled sources.

(b)Award categories

(1)In general

Two separate awards may be given under this section in each year. One such award may be given to a qualifying individual (including employees of any State or local government, or the Federal Government), and 1 such award may be given to a qualifying organization, institution, or business.

(2)Limitation

No award shall be made under this section to an entity in either category described in paragraph (1) in any year if there is no qualified individual, organization, institution, or business recommended under subsection (c) for an award in such category in that year.

(c)Qualification criteria for award

(1)Selection panel

A selection panel shall be established, comprised of a total of 8 persons, including—

(A)2 persons appointed by the Majority Leader of the Senate;

(B)2 persons appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate;

(D)2 persons appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(2)Qualification

An individual, organization, institution, or business may qualify for an award under this section only if such individual, organization, institution, or business—

(A)is nominated to the Majority or Minority Leader of the Senate or to the Speaker or the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives by a member of the Senate or the House of Representatives;

(B)permits a rigorous evaluation by the Office of Technology Assessment of the way in which such individual, organization, institution, or business has demonstrated excellence in promoting United States industrial competitiveness; and

(C)meets such other requirements as the selection panel determines to be appropriate to achieve the objectives of this section.

(3)Evaluation

An evaluation of each nominee shall be conducted by the Office of Technology Assessment. The Office of Technology Assessment shall work with the selection panel to establish appropriate procedures for evaluating nominees.

(4)Panel review

The selection panel shall review the Office of Technology Assessment’s evaluation of each nominee and may, based on those evaluations, recommend 1 award winner for each year for each category described in subsection (b)(1) to the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate and the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(d)Presentation of award

(1)In general

The Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate and the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives shall make the award to an individual and an organization, institution, or business that has demonstrated excellence in promoting United States industrial competitiveness in the international marketplace through technological innovation, productivity improvement, or improved competitive strategies.

(2)Ceremonies

The presentation of an award under this section shall be made by the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate and the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, with such ceremonies as they may deem proper.

(3)Publicity

An individual, organization, institution, or business to which an award is made under this section may publicize its receipt of such award and use the award in its advertising, but it shall be ineligible to receive another award in the same category for a period of 5 years.

(e)Publication of evaluations

(1)Summary of evaluations

The Office of Technology Assessment shall ensure that all nominees receive a detailed summary of any evaluation conducted of such nominee under subsection (c).

(2)Summary of competitiveness strategy

The Office of Technology Assessment shall also make available to all nominees and the public a summary of each award winner’s competitiveness strategy. Proprietary information shall not be included in any such summary without the consent of the award winner.

(f)Reimbursement of costs

The Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate and the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives are authorized to seek and accept gifts from public and private sources to defray the cost of implementing this section.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

2 U.S.C. § 831

Title 2, The Congress

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110