[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4040 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4040

To provide for the award of a gold medal on behalf of Congress to Jack 
   Nicklaus in recognition of his service to the Nation in promoting 
               excellence and good sportsmanship in golf.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 15, 2012

    Mr. Baca (for himself, Mr. Rooney, Mr. Tiberi, and Mr. Austria) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the award of a gold medal on behalf of Congress to Jack 
   Nicklaus in recognition of his service to the Nation in promoting 
               excellence and good sportsmanship in golf.

    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) Jack Nicklaus is a world famous golf professional, a 
        highly successful business executive, a prominent advertising 
        spokesman, a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, and a 
        man with a common touch that has made him one of those most 
        popular and accessible public figures in history.
            (2) Jack Nicklaus amassed 118 victories in professional 
        competition of national or international stature by the end of 
        2005, 73 of which came on the Professional Golf Association 
        Tour, and 18 professional major-championship titles. He is the 
        only player in golf history to have won each major championship 
        at least three times and is the only player to complete a 
        career ``Grand Slam'' on the regular and senior tours.
            (3) Jack Nicklaus' magnetic personality and unfailing sense 
        of kindness and thoughtfulness have endeared him to millions 
        throughout the world.
            (4) Jack Nicklaus has been the recipient of countless 
        athletic honors, including the Muhammad Ali Sports Legend Award 
        and the first-ever ESPY Lifetime Achievement Award. He became 
        the first golfer and only the third athlete to receive the 
        Vince Lombardi Award of Excellence and is also a five-time 
        winner of the PGA Player of the Year Award. He was also 
        selected as Golfer of the Century by GOLF Magazine, Best 
        Individual Male Athlete of the 20th Century and Sportsman of 
        the Year by Sports Illustrated, and he was also inducted into 
        the World Golf Hall of Fame.
            (5) Jack Nicklaus has received numerous honors outside the 
        world of sports, including several architectural awards for his 
        work in golf course designs, such as The Old Tom Morris Award 
        which is the highest honor given by the Golf Course 
        Superintendents Association of America, and both the Donald 
        Ross Award given by the American Society of Golf Course 
        Architects and the Don A. Rossi Award given by the Golf Course 
        Builders Association of America.
            (6) Jack Nicklaus has been involved in the design of 275 
        golf courses worldwide and his business, Nicklaus Design, has 
        346 courses open for play globally.
            (7) Jack Nicklaus served as the Global Ambassador for a 
        campaign to include golf in the Olympic Games, which was 
        achieved and will begin in the 2016 Olympic Program.
            (8) Jack Nicklaus was honored by President George W. Bush 
        in 2005 by receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the 
        highest honor given to any U.S. civilian.
            (9) Jack Nicklaus has a long standing commitment to 
        numerous charitable events such as supporting the Nicklaus 
        Children's Health Care Foundation, which provides pediatric 
        health care services in a five county area including Palm Beach 
        County, Florida, has assisted in raising over $12 million in 
        just five years for the cause, and continues to support several 
        scholarship foundations, other children's hospitals, and junior 
        golf initiatives.
            (10) Jack Nicklaus continues to manage The Memorial 
        Tournament in his home state of Ohio, in which contributions 
        generated through the support of over 2,600 volunteers are 
        given to Nationwide Children's Hospital fund. This has garnered 
        more than $5.7 million for programs and services at this 
        hospital since 1976, so that Central Ohio will continue to have 
        one of the best children's hospitals in the United States.
            (11) Jack Nicklaus and his wife serve as honorary chairman 
        and active chairwoman of the Nicklaus Children's Health Care 
        Foundation in North Palm Beach, Florida, which provides free of 
        charge health assistance and services to more than 4,000 
        children and their families through Child Life programs 
        (support therapeutic interventions for children with chronic 
        and acute conditions during hospitalization), Miami Children's 
        Hospital Nicklaus Care Centers (to offer a new option to Palm 
        Beach County area families with children who require pediatric 
        specialty care), and Safe Kids program (aimed at keeping 
        children injury free and offer safety education in an effort to 
        decrease accidental injuries in children).
            (12) Jack Nicklaus established an annual pro-am golf 
        tournament called ``The Jake'' to honor his 17-month-old 
        grandson who passed in 2005, and it serves as a primary 
        fundraiser for the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation, 
        which has raised over $3 million over the last several years.
            (13) Jack Nicklaus and General John Shalikashvili (ret.) 
        serve as honorary chairs of the American Lake Veterans Golf 
        Course in Tacoma, Washington, which is designed for the 
        rehabilitation of wounded and disabled veterans. Nicklaus has 
        donated his design services for the improvement of the course, 
        and raised contributions for the addition of nine new holes, 
        the construction of the Rehabilitation and Learning Center, and 
        for the upgrade of the maintenance facilities through a two-day 
        event in Palm Desert, CA, called the ``Nicklaus Nine''.
            (14) Jack Nicklaus serves as a spokesperson and Trustee for 
        The First Tee program which brings the game of golf to children 
        who would not otherwise be exposed to it.
            (15) Jack Nicklaus remains active in tournament golf, 
        although he retired from competition in the major championships 
        in 2005, when he played his final British Open, his final 
        Masters Tournament, and led the United States to a thrilling 
        victory in the Presidents Cup.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Authorization.--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, of a gold 
medal of appropriate design to Jack Nicklaus in recognition of his 
service to the Nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship.
    (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.

    Under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may 
prescribe, the Secretary may strike duplicate medals in bronze of the 
gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 and sell such duplicate medals 
at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the duplicate medals 
(including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses) 
and the cost of the golf 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) 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 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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