# S. 284 (119th): Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act This act reauthorizes through FY2028 the Congressional Award Board, the board that administers the Congressional Award Program, and modifies program medals

Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act This act reauthorizes through FY2028 the Congressional Award Board, the board that administers the Congressional Award Program, and modifies program medals. (The program, established by law in 1979, awards medals to youth ages 14 to 23 who satisfy standards of achievement set by the board. The program aims to promote initiative, achievement, and excellence among youth in the areas of public service, personal development, and physical fitness.) The act removes a requirement for program medals to consist of gold-plate over bronze, rhodium over bronze, or bronze. The reauthorization is effective as if enacted on October 1, 2023 (the date on which a prior reauthorization expired).

## How this bill is scored

Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Lane: civic_education. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: none. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: program_reauthorization. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: youth_development. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Stored polarity: mixed. Only tags the rules mark scoreable on a mixed bill are scored. A yea can draw a penalty or a credit according to the tag. A nay on a tag scored as good can draw a penalty.
Roll 335: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass. Vote type: final_passage.
Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: The bill pursues an ordinary prudential good (youth achievement and public service) and does not directly restrain an evil or defend justice in the sense required for a 'good' classification, nor does it advance any moral harm. The summary supports a prudent high-level judgment, so 'unclear' is not warranted; 'mixed' best reflects a benign administrative reauthorization whose merits are ordinary and prudential rather than a clear moral good under this framework. The title is a generic procedural placeholder, but the summary is sufficient for this classification.
Theological note: The program's stated aims of initiative, service, personal discipline, and physical stewardship in young people are consistent with Christian concern for faithful diligence and the formation of character. The bill itself raises no direct question of life, justice, or the protection of the vulnerable, so its relevance is limited to the general good of youth development and civic virtue.

## Recorded votes

Roll 335: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass. Yea 370 · Nay 22 · Other 41.

HTML: https://justmeasure.org/bill/s-284-119/