[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1900 Engrossed in House (EH)]
1st Session
H. R. 1900
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To award a congressional gold medal to Jackie Robinson (posthumously),
in recognition of his many contributions to the Nation, and to express
the sense of the Congress that there should be a national day in
recognition of Jackie Robinson.
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1900
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To award a congressional gold medal to Jackie Robinson (posthumously),
in recognition of his many contributions to the Nation, and to express
the sense of the Congress that there should be a national day in
recognition of Jackie Robinson.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919,
in Cairo, Georgia, and was the youngest of 5 children.
(2) Jackie Robinson attended the University of California
Los Angeles where he starred in football, basketball, baseball,
and track. His remarkable skills earned him a reputation as the
best athlete in America.
(3) In 1947, Jackie Robinson was signed by the Brooklyn
Dodgers and became the first black player to play in Major
League Baseball. His signing is considered one of the most
significant moments in the history of professional sports in
America. For his remarkable performance on the field in his
first season, he won the National League's Rookie of the Year
Award.
(4) In 1949, Jackie Robinson was voted the National
League's Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers
Association of America.
(5) In 1962, Jackie Robinson was elected to the Baseball
Hall of Fame.
(6) Although the achievements of Jackie Robinson began with
athletics, they widened to have a profound influence on civil
and human rights in America.
(7) The signing of Jackie Robinson as the first black
player in Major League Baseball occurred before the United
States military was desegregated by President Harry Truman,
before the civil rights marches took place in the South, and
before the Supreme Court issued its historic ruling in Brown v.
Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
(8) The American public came to regard Jackie Robinson as a
person of exceptional fortitude, integrity, and athletic
ability so rapidly that, by the end of 1947, he finished ahead
of President Harry Truman, General Dwight Eisenhower, General
Douglas MacArthur, and Bob Hope in a national poll for the most
popular person in America, finishing only behind Bing Crosby.
(9) Jackie Robinson was named vice president of Chock Full
O' Nuts in 1957 and later co-founded the Freedom National Bank
of Harlem.
(10) Leading by example, Jackie Robinson influenced many of
the greatest political leaders in America.
(11) Jackie Robinson worked tirelessly with a number of
religious and civic organizations to better the lives of all
Americans.
(12) The life and principles of Jackie Robinson are the
basis of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which keeps his memory
alive by providing children of low-income families with
leadership and educational opportunities.
(13) The legacy and personal achievements of Jackie
Robinson, as an athlete, a business leader, and a citizen, have
had a lasting and positive influence on the advancement of
civil rights in the United States.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized to
present, on behalf of the Congress, to the family of Jackie Robinson, a
gold medal of appropriate design in recognition of the many
contributions of Jackie Robinson to the Nation.
(b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (in this Act
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with
suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the
Secretary.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the
Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal
struck under section 2 at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the
medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses.
SEC. 4. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS.
The medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes
of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund an amount
not to exceed $30,000 to pay for the cost of the medal authorized under
section 2.
(b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate
bronze medals under section 3 shall be deposited in the United States
Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that--
(1) there should be designated a national day for the
purpose of recognizing the accomplishments of Jackie Robinson;
and
(2) the President should issue a proclamation calling on
the people of the United States to observe the day with
appropriate ceremonies and activities.
Passed the House of Representatives October 7, 2003.
Attest:
Clerk.