[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 141 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 141

 To award a congressional gold medal to John Birks ``Dizzy'' Gillespie.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 1993

  Mr. Conyers (for himself, Mr. Dellums, Mr. Spratt, Mr. Owens of New 
York, Mr. Ravenel, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Towns, Mr. Spence, Mr. Dixon, Mr. de 
  Lugo, Mr. Torricelli, Mrs. Collins of Michigan, and Mr. Jefferson) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                   Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To award a congressional gold medal to John Birks ``Dizzy'' Gillespie.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) John Birks ``Dizzy'' Gillespie is one of the most 
        recognized and beloved artists in the world today, admired not 
        only for his unique musicianship, but for his ability to reach 
        people on a distinctly personal level.
            (2) As a virtuoso musician, pioneer, innovator, composer, 
        arranger, bandleader, raconteur, consummate entertainer, and 
        cultural ambassador extraordinaire, Mr. Gillespie has 
        distinguished himself as one of the truly immortal figures in 
        the history of Jazz, ``a national American Treasure''.
            (3) Mr. Gillespie has received the Kennedy Center Honors, 
        the most prestigious public recognition of an artist's lifetime 
        contributions in the performing arts in the United States, was 
        awarded the Smithsonian Medal from the Smithsonian Institution, 
        and was presented with American Society of Composers, Authors 
        and Publishers' ``Duke'' award for his lifetime achievements as 
        a musician, composer, and bandleader.
            (4) Mr. Gillespie has received many additional honors; the 
        National Medal of Arts, presented by President Bush; the 
        Commandant D'Ordre des Arts et Lettres, the highest honor in 
        the arts in France, presented by Minister of Culture Jack Lang; 
        crowned a traditional African chief, with the title ``Bashere 
        of Iperu'', in Nigeria; and a Grammy lifetime Achievement Award 
        from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
            (5) Mr. Gillespie has performed before numerous royalty and 
        countless world leaders, including 4 American Presidents.
            (6) At the personal invitation of President Sam Nujoma, Mr. 
        Gillespie performed at the State Independence Banquet of 
        Namibia, before the leaders of virtually every country in the 
        world; the audience included kings, presidents, prime 
        ministers, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nelson 
        Mandela, and a host of other dignitaries.
            (7) Mr. Gillespie is acclaimed as a visionary risk-taker 
        whose daring integration of ethnic influences added a vibrant 
        and indelible dimension to jazz, and to music in all of its 
        popular forms.
            (8) Mr. Gillespie and the late Charlie ``Bird'' Parker 
        pioneered Bebop, a new and fresh harmonic and rythmic 
        vocabulary which created a musical revolution that completely 
        transformed jazz and dramatically impacted on 20th Century 
        musical culture.
            (9) Mr. Gillespie is universally credited as the catalyst 
        who incorporated Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and Caribbean music and 
        rhythms into the jazz idiom.
            (10) Mr. Gillespie's third great big band, the United 
        Nation Orchestra, which exemplifies the essence of Mr. 
        Gillespie's universal musical philosophy, has enthralled 
        audiences in 20 countries on the continents of North America, 
        South America, Europe, and Australia, since the band's 
        inception in 1988.
            (11) In 1956, Mr. Gillespie was the firsts jazz artist 
        appointed by the Department of State as Cultural Ambassador to 
        tour on behalf of the United States of America, and his 
        resoundingly successful tours through the Near East, Asia, 
        Eastern Europe, and Latin America were early landmarks in what 
        has been a virtual lifetime of cultural statesmanship by the 
        inimitable jazz master on behalf of his country.
            (12) In January 1989, Mr. Gillespie once again was asked to 
        represent the United States and embarked on a ground-breaking, 
        month-long tour in Africa, sponsored by the United States 
        Information Agency Arts America Program.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized to 
present, on behalf of the Congress, to John Birks ``Dizzy'' Gillespie a 
gold medal of appropriate design, in recognition of over half a century 
of musical genius.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred 
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury shall strike a gold 
medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions to be determined 
by the Secretary.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriation.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated not to exceed $25,000 to carry out this section.

SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    (a) Striking and Sale.--The Secretary of the Treasury may strike 
and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to 
section 2 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a 
price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, materials, 
dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold 
medal.
    (b) Reimbursement of Appropriation.--The appropriation used to 
carry out section 2 shall be reimbursed out of the proceeds of sales 
under subsection (a).

SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.

    The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for 
purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

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