[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 824 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 824

 To award a congressional gold medal to Ray Charles in recognition of 
                 his many contributions to the Nation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 15, 2005

  Mr. Rangel introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To award a congressional gold medal to Ray Charles in recognition of 
                 his many contributions to the Nation.

    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) Ray Charles, one of America's greatest and most 
        influential musical artists and an international cultural icon, 
        died in Los Angeles on June 10, 2004.
            (2) In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Ray 
        Charles enjoyed immense fame across America and the world, 
        among all races, ages and classes of people and was the 
        recipient of 12 Grammy awards, including the Grammy for 
        Lifetime Achievement in 1987.
            (3) With his unique baritone voice and vibrant personality, 
        he broke all musical conventions, blending blues, gospel, jazz, 
        pop and rock music to create his own incomparable musical 
        songbook.
            (4) His rendition of ``America the Beautiful'' has been 
        described as the country's national hymn, while his rendition 
        of ``Georgia'' was designated the official State song of 
        Georgia.
            (5) Among the Nation's most renowned artists of any genre, 
        Ray Charles was honored by the Kennedy Center for the 
        Performing Arts in 1986 as one of the most respected singers of 
        his generation.
            (6) Ray Charles, who was as popular among White as Black 
        audiences, shattered traditional divisions between Black and 
        White music.
            (7) His multiracial appeal enhanced the movement toward 
        racial equality during the Civil Rights movement.
            (8) As a supporter of that Movement, he performed benefit 
        concerts and provided additional financial support to causes 
        led by his friend, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.
            (9) He was a strong opponent of the racist Apartheid system 
        in South Africa, refusing to perform for segregated audiences 
        in that country.
            (10) A financial backer of the state of Israel, Ray Charles 
        once described Blacks and Jews as ``bound together by a common 
        history of persecution''.
            (11) Ray Charles was born on September 23, 1930, in Albany, 
        Georgia, grew up in extreme poverty with his mother and 2 
        siblings in Greenville, Florida, lost his sight at the age of 
        7, due to glaucoma, and was orphaned at 15.
            (12) He overcame poverty, racial discrimination, and 
        personal failures to become an immensely respected and dazzling 
        figure in American culture, a fighter against injustice at home 
        and abroad.
            (13) Whether plaintive or rousing, the music of Ray Charles 
        transformed the everyday lives, pain, and joy of the common 
        people into songs that resonated with and inspired people of 
        all nationalities, races, and classes.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of 
Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall make 
appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of the 
Congress, to the personal representative of Ray Charles a gold medal of 
appropriate design in recognition of his many contributions to the 
Nation.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the presentation 
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter 
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 medals 
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. 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; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is hereby 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.
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