[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2570 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2570

 To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Greg LeMond in recognition of 
 his service to the United States as an athlete, activist, role model, 
                         and community leader.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 26, 2019

  Ms. Sinema (for herself and Mr. Alexander) 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 Greg LeMond in recognition of 
 his service to the United States as an athlete, activist, role model, 
                         and community leader.

    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 ``Greg LeMond Congressional Gold Medal 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Gregory James LeMond (referred to in this section as 
        ``Greg'') was born in Lakewood, California, on June 26, 1961.
            (2) Greg began cycling at 14 years of age, winning an 
        astonishing 11 straight races to begin his career.
            (3) At the 1979 Junior World Championships, Greg took home 
        a full suite of medals, including gold, silver, and bronze, 
        emerged victorious in the road race, and placed in both team 
        and track pursuit events.
            (4) At 18 years of age, Greg became the youngest cyclist in 
        the history of the sport to be selected for the United States 
        Men's Olympic team.
            (5) Greg emerged victorious in the 1980 Circuit de la 
        Sarthe, becoming the first individual from the United States, 
        and the youngest rider ever, to win a major pro-am cycling 
        event on the European continent.
            (6) At 19 years of age, Greg signed his first professional 
        contract.
            (7) In 1982, Greg made the first of several remarkable 
        recoveries, returning from a broken collarbone to win the 
        silver medal at the World Championships in Great Britain.
            (8) The Tour de France, the world's preeminent cycling 
        competition, was first held more than a century ago, in 1903.
            (9) The Tour de France takes place over 23 days, covers an 
        extraordinary 2,200 miles, winds through multiple mountain 
        ranges, spans multiple nations, and is viewed as comparable to 
        running a marathon every day for 3 consecutive weeks.
            (10) Greg first competed in the Tour de France in 1984, 
        when he finished third, and finished second the following year, 
        but, in both years, he deputized himself to his teammates by 
        sacrificing a chance to win himself to boost those teammates 
        toward victory.
            (11) Greg emerged victorious in the 1986 Tour de France, 
        ascending the fabled Alpe D'Huez, defeating the field by more 
        than 3 full minutes, and becoming the first individual from the 
        United States, and the first non-European, to win cycling's 
        most prestigious race.
            (12) In 1987, while recovering from a broken wrist and 
        collarbone, Greg was tragically shot during a turkey hunting 
        accident. After the accident, Greg was in intensive care, 
        required the removal of more than 40 shotgun pellets from his 
        abdomen, was deemed unlikely to ever ride a bicycle again, and 
        likely survived only due to the abnormal strength of his 
        cardiovascular system.
            (13) After the accident described in paragraph (12), Greg 
        mounted the greatest comeback in the history of American 
        sports, taking home an astonishing victory at the 1989 Tour de 
        France and winning by 8 seconds in the closest finish in the 
        history of that race, even though, after surviving life-
        threatening gunshot wounds, he had endured multiple surgeries, 
        including tendon repair and an appendectomy.
            (14) Greg won a third Tour de France victory in 1990.
            (15) Greg is the only individual from the United States to 
        win the Tour de France.
            (16) Greg has vocally spoken out to champion healthy sport 
        among athletes of all ages and competition levels.
            (17) Greg and his wife, Kathy, are active in numerous 
        nonprofit causes, including promoting healthy sport and 
        assisting victims of sexual abuse and various childhood 
        illnesses.
            (18) Cycling offers young people a healthy, active, outdoor 
        hobby.
            (19) Greg completed his professional career having won 2 
        World Championships, 3 Tour de France championships, and 22 
        titles overall.
            (20) More than any other cyclist, Greg personified the 
        ``breakaway'' culture of cycling in the United States in the 
        1970s and 1980s, was viewed universally as the epitome of a 
        young person on a bicycle, and attempted to accomplish feats no 
        other individual from the United States had achieved.
            (21) Greg has not only reached the pinnacle of 
        international sport, but has devoted his time and resources to 
        assisting his fellow athletes.
            (22) Greg has demonstrated the commitment to excellence, 
        generosity, community, and tenacity that makes him an example 
        for all to follow.

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 presentation, on behalf of Congress, 
of a gold medal of appropriate design to Greg LeMond, in recognition of 
his contributions to the United States as an athlete, activist, role 
model, and community leader.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred 
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in 
this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with suitable 
emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    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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