mr. speaker , for the purpose of debate only , i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from florida ( mr. hastings ) xz4001701 , pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
during consideration of this resolution , all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only . 
mr. speaker , this rule provides for 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the committee on financial services . 
it provides that the bill shall be considered as read for the purpose of amendment and makes in order only those amendments printed in the committee on rules report accompanying this resolution . 
it provides that the amendments made in order may be offered only in the order printed in the report , may be offered only by a member designated in the report , shall be considered as read , shall be debatable for the time specified in the report , equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent . 
these amendments shall not be subject to amendment and shall not be subject mr. speaker , i rise today to introduce this fair , structured rule for h.r. 54 , the congressional gold medal enhancement act of 2005 . 
this legislation builds on important reforms that my good friend , the former governor and now member of congress , the gentleman from delaware ( mr. castle ) xz4000700 has made to the commemorative gold coin program almost a decade ago . 
today , we have the opportunity to bring these same improvements to the congressional gold medal program and ensure that the original intent and prestige of the congressional gold medal program as the nation 's highest civilian award and the most distinguished award given by congress is preserved . 
mr. speaker , h.r. 54 will improve the congressional gold medal program by limiting the number of medals awarded by congress to no more than two in any calendar year . 
it would also ensure that the tradition of only awarding these medals to living or recently deceased individuals for their meritorious service continues , as was originally intended by the program . 
the proud tradition of this unique honor began when the first congressional gold medal was authorized in 1776 and presented to george washington in 1790 . 
the tradition of only awarding these medals for military service continued until 1858 when congress awarded dr . 
frederick rose , an assistant surgeon in the british navy , with a medal for the kindness that he showed to sick american naval personnel . 
with dr . 
rose 's receipt of the gold medal , congress also created the medal of honor as the first permanent military decoration . 
the creation of the esteemed medal of honor allowed congress to begin using the gold medal exclusively to recognize individuals that have performed an achievement that has an impact on american history and culture that will be recognized for generations to come . 
over the years since its inception , without strict rules governing how it was awarded , this venerable program has acquired a small problem . 
by a slow process , as currently administered , it has grown much larger than it was originally intended . 
from 1776 , when congress established the award , to 1904 , congress approved only 47 medals . 
in the last 100 years , congress has awarded almost twice as many , 86 medals , including 20 in the past decade alone . 
in the 1990s , congress faced this same problem of proliferation within the commemorative coins program , which has grown out of control and was costing taxpayers far more than ever envisioned when that program began . 
in order to maintain sound fiscal discipline and the prestige of the congressional gold medal program , we are here today to approve the commonsense reforms by the gentleman from delaware ( mr. castle ) xz4000700 , our chairman , and supported by the committee on financial services chairman , the gentleman from ohio ( mr. oxley ) xz4003070 . 
many of these reforms simply codify what is already an existing practice in the house committee on financial services and the senate banking committee . 
by adopting this legislation , congress will be able to move more effectively and efficiently to manage the congressional gold medal program while maintaining the prestige and the purpose for which it was originally created . 
i support this rule and urge my colleagues to do the same . 
mr. speaker , i reserve the balance of my time . 
