[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 300 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 300

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 Congress that there should be a national day in 
                    recognition of Jackie Robinson.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 4, 2003

   Mr. Kerry (for himself Mr. McCain, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Daschle, Mr. 
 Schumer, and Mr. Lieberman) introduced the following bill; which was 
read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
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 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.

    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 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 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.
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