[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 958 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 958

 To posthumously award a Congressional gold medal to Clyde Kennard in 
          recognition of his sacrifice for education equality.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 12, 2015

 Mr. Thompson of Mississippi introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To posthumously award a Congressional gold medal to Clyde Kennard in 
          recognition of his sacrifice for education equality.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Clyde Kennard Congressional Gold 
Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that:
            (1) July 4, 2013, marked the 50th anniversary of the one of 
        the largest miscarriages of justice in Mississippi legislative 
        history, as Clyde Kennard was framed to prevent his entrance 
        into the University of Southern Mississippi (U.S.M.).
            (2) Clyde Kennard was a veteran of the United States Army 
        returning home to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, following his 
        stepfather's death to assist his mother at the family's farm.
            (3) Kennard had attended the University of Chicago with aid 
        from the G.I. Bill prior to returning home. In an effort to 
        complete his education, he applied to the University of 
        Southern Mississippi in 1955.
            (4) Kennard was denied entrance to the all White college on 
        the grounds that he could not provide five character references 
        from U.S.M. alumni, making the request nearly impossible.
            (5) President William D. McCain refused to admit Kennard, 
        despite admitting to the Mississippi State Sovereignty 
        Commission that Kennard met all of the requisite admission 
        criteria for U.S.M.
            (6) On December 6, 1958, Kennard wrote a letter to the 
        Hattiesburg American discussing the racial tensions caused by 
        his hopes to attend U.S.M. and chronicling African-American 
        hopes to be viewed as equal.
            (7) The Sovereignty Commission doubled their efforts to 
        discredit Kennard, employing an ex-FBI agent to go through 
        Kennard's records of his six years as a student at the 
        University of Chicago.
            (8) Following Kennard's 1958 letter, Governor James P. 
        Coleman called Kennard to his office where he asked him to hold 
        off on the application to U.S.M. until after the election.
            (9) Following the election, Kennard applied and his 
        University of Chicago transcript was ``lost'' by U.S.M. 
        administration.
            (10) President McCain called Kennard to his office and 
        informed him of the administration's search for the papers.
            (11) As Kennard left the office, two Forrest County 
        constables arrested him, claiming to have followed him from his 
        home for having whiskey in a then dry State.
            (12) He was charged, found guilty and fined $600. As a 
        result, his bank credit was cut off.
            (13) On September 25, 1960, Kennard was arrested for having 
        stolen $25 worth of chicken feed from Forrest County 
        Cooperative warehouse. He was convicted and sentenced to seven 
        years at Parchman Penitentiary.
            (14) While in the Parchman Penitentiary in 1961, Kennard 
        was diagnosed with colon cancer and was refused care.
            (15) By 1963, after the cancer had become untreatable, 
        Governor Ross Barnett indefinitely suspended Kennard's 
        sentence.
            (16) On July 4, 1963, Kennard died of colon cancer.

SEC. 3. 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 posthumous presentation, on behalf of 
the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of 
Clyde Kennard in recognition of his sacrifice for education equality.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the presentation 
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 
(hereinafter 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.
    (c) Award of Medal.--Following the presentation of the gold medal 
referred to in subsection (a), the medal shall be awarded to the 
Mississippi State Conference of the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People, where it shall be available for display 
or temporary loan for display elsewhere, as appropriate.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    (a) The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the 
gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 under such regulations as the 
Secretary may prescribe, 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. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    (a) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to this Act are 
national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States 
Code.
    (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 of title 31, 
United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be 
considered to be numismatic items.
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