[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2850 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                 S. 2850

To authorize the President to posthumously award a gold medal on behalf 
 of the Congress to Fred McFeely Rogers, in recognition of his lasting 
 contributions to the application of creativity and imagination in the 
early education of our Nation's children, and to his lasting example to 
    the Nation and the world of what it means to be a good neighbor.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 27, 2004

  Mr. Santorum (for himself and Mr. Specter) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, 
                       Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the President to posthumously award a gold medal on behalf 
 of the Congress to Fred McFeely Rogers, in recognition of his lasting 
 contributions to the application of creativity and imagination in the 
early education of our Nation's children, and to his lasting example to 
    the Nation and the world of what it means to be a good neighbor.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) born in 1928 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Fred McFeely 
        Rogers, was raised in an environment where education was highly 
        valued, and which fostered an active imagination;
            (2) Fred Rogers earned his bachelor's degree in music 
        composition at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida in 1951;
            (3) upon graduation, he was hired by NBC television in New 
        York as an assistant producer for ``The Voice of Firestone'', 
        and later as floor director for ``The Lucky Strike Hit 
        Parade'', ``The Kate Smith Hour'', and the ``NBC Opera 
        Theatre'';
            (4) Fred Rogers later studied child development at the 
        University of Pittsburgh, attended Pittsburgh Theological 
        Seminary, and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister;
            (5) in 1953, Fred Rogers began production of the television 
        program ``The Children's Corner'', one of his first efforts as 
        a producer, which was a live, daily, hour-long variety show 
        that incorporated his talents as a musician and puppeteer;
            (6) in 1955, ``The Children's Corner'' won the Sylvania 
        Award for the best locally produced children's program in the 
        country;
            (7) it was on this program that Fred Rogers developed and 
        first introduced us to his puppet characters, such as King 
        Friday XIII, Daniel Striped Tiger, X the Owl, Henrietta 
        Pussycat, and Lady Elaine Fairchilde;
            (8) Fred Rogers produced ``Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', 
        and hosted the show on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) 
        from 1968 until the airing of the final episode in 2001;
            (9) it was through ``Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' that 
        Fred Rogers invited both grownups and children alike to 
        actively engage their imaginations, and through the use of 
        stories, songs, and puppets, Fred Rogers infused laughter and 
        life lessons into each episode;
            (10) time spent in Mr. Rogers' home taught children about 
        being a good neighbor, sharing, and expressing thoughts and 
        emotions;
            (11) transported by the famous trolley to the ``Land of 
        Make Believe'', ``Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' allowed 
        children to escape to a safe place that creatively encouraged 
        them to use their imaginations and showed them the benefits of 
        being a friendly neighbor;
            (12) ``Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' was the longest-
        running program on PBS, and was created and filmed in Fred 
        Rogers' hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
            (13) Fred Rogers' caring, genuine spirit reflected the 
        values shared by the people of southwestern Pennsylvania and by 
        so many neighborhoods throughout the country;
            (14) ``Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' continues to air as a 
        nurturing, educational program for children, emphasizing the 
        value of every individual and helping children understand how 
        they fit into their families, communities, and country;
            (15) each episode of ``Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' was 
        carefully crafted by Fred Rogers to convey wholesome, uplifting 
        messages for the children who watched;
            (16) Fred Rogers was appointed Chairman of the Forum on 
        Mass Media and Child Development of the White House Conference 
        on Youth in 1968;
            (17) winning 4 Emmy Awards, ``Lifetime Achievement'' Awards 
        from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and 
        the TV Critics Association, and 2 George Foster Peabody Awards, 
        Fred Rogers won every major award in television for which he 
        was eligible, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame 
        in 1999;
            (18) President George W. Bush awarded Fred Rogers the 
        Presidential Medal of Honor in 2002, and throughout his 
        lifetime, Fred Rogers was presented with over 40 honorary 
        degrees from colleges and universities; and
            (19) in a country where children face neglect and may live 
        without the benefit of loving parents, Fred McFeely Rogers 
        succeeded, through his simple television program, in connecting 
        with children on an intellectual and emotional level, while 
        teaching them to value themselves and others.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized, on 
behalf of the Congress, to posthumously award a gold medal of 
appropriate design to Fred McFeely Rogers.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose 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.

SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medal struck pursuant to section 2, under such regulations as the 
Secretary may prescribe, and 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.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.

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

SEC. 5. FUNDING.

    (a) Authority to Use Fund Amounts.--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 medals authorized by 
this Act.
    (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.
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