[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2560 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2560

  To award congressional gold medals to Jean Brown Trickey, Carlotta 
    Walls LaNier, Melba Patillo Beals, Terrence Roberts, Gloria Ray 
Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed Wair, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, and 
  Jefferson Thomas, commonly referred to collectively as the ``Little 
Rock Nine'' on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the integration 
            of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 25, 1997

 Mr. Thompson introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Banking and Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To award congressional gold medals to Jean Brown Trickey, Carlotta 
    Walls LaNier, Melba Patillo Beals, Terrence Roberts, Gloria Ray 
Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed Wair, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, and 
  Jefferson Thomas, commonly referred to collectively as the ``Little 
Rock Nine'' on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the integration 
            of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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

SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.

    The Congress hereby finds the following:
            (1) Jean Brown Trickey, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Melba 
        Patillo Beals, Terrence Roberts, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma 
        Mothershed Wair, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, and Jefferson 
        Thomas, hereafter in this section referred to as the ``Little 
        Rock Nine'', voluntarily subjected themselves to the bitter 
        stinging pains of racial bigotry.
            (2) The Little Rock Nine are civil rights pioneers whose 
        selfless acts considerably advanced the civil rights debate in 
        this country.
            (3) The Little Rock Nine risked their lives to integrate 
        Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, and subsequently 
        the Nation.
            (4) The Little Rock Nine sacrificed their innocence to 
        protect the American principle that we are all ``one nation, 
        under God, indivisible''.
            (5) The Little Rock Nine have indelibly left their mark on 
        the history of this Nation.
            (6) The Little Rock Nine have continued to work towards 
        equality for all Americans.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized to 
present, on behalf of the Congress, to Jean Brown Trickey, Carlotta 
Walls LaNier, Melba Patillo Beals, Terrence Roberts, Gloria Ray 
Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed Wair, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, and 
Jefferson Thomas, commonly referred to collectively as the ``Little 
Rock Nine'', gold medals of appropriate design, in recognition of the 
selfless heroism such individuals ex- hibited and the pain they 
suffered in the cause of civil rights by integrating Central High 
School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
    (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 for each recipient
    (c) Authorization of Appropriation.--Effective October 1, 1997, 
there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary 
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 medals 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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