[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2861 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2861

 To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Billie Jean King, an American 
icon, in recognition of a remarkable life devoted to championing equal 
               rights for all, in sports and in society.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 20, 2023

 Mrs. Gillibrand (for herself, Mrs. Capito, and Ms. Sinema) 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 Billie Jean King, an American 
icon, in recognition of a remarkable life devoted to championing equal 
               rights for all, in sports and in society.

    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 ``Billie Jean King Congressional Gold 
Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Billie Jean King, born Billie Jean Moffitt on November 
        22, 1943, in Long Beach, California, demonstrated athletic 
        prowess from a young age. She was introduced to tennis at the 
        age of 11, and soon after, Billie Jean purchased her first 
        tennis racket using money she earned working various jobs in 
        her neighborhood.
            (2) Billie Jean broke numerous barriers to become a number 
        one professional tennis player. She dominated women's tennis 
        with 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles, 
        including a record 20 championships at Wimbledon. She also was 
        a member of 3 World TeamTennis championship teams.
            (3) After growing in prominence, Billie Jean used her 
        platform as a celebrity to fight for equal rights and 
        opportunities for equality for all in sports, and society, in 
        the United States.
            (4) Billie Jean played an instrumental role in the passage 
        of title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 
        1681 et seq.), a law that mandates equal funding for women's 
        and men's sports programs in schools and colleges. This 
        legislation has unlocked a world of opportunities for girls and 
        women in education and sports.
            (5) During Billie Jean's career, the pay difference between 
        prize money for men and women in tennis continued to expand. By 
        the early 1970s, the pay gap in prize money reached ratios of 
        as much as 12 to 1. Fewer and fewer tournaments were hosting 
        women's events. Billie Jean harnessed the energy of the women's 
        rights movement to create a women's tennis tour that would 
        elevate women's tennis and establish pay equity within the 
        sport. Along with 8 other women tennis players, she formed an 
        independent women's professional tennis circuit, the Virginia 
        Slims Series.
            (6) In 1973, Billie Jean founded the Women's Tennis 
        Association, today's principal governing body for women's 
        professional tennis.
            (7) Billie Jean helped found womenSports magazine and 
        founded the Women's Sports Foundation. Both have been at the 
        forefront of advancing women's voice in sports.
            (8) Billie Jean successfully lobbied for equal prize money 
        for men and women at the 1973 US Open Tennis Championships. It 
        would take another 34 years for the other 3 major tournaments 
        to all offer equal prize money.
            (9) In 1973, Billie Jean played a tennis match against 
        Bobby Riggs, a former World Number 1 player who sought to 
        undermine the credibility and prominence of women in sports. 
        Billie Jean defeated Riggs in what became a firm declaration of 
        women's role in sports and society.
            (10) Billie Jean King was the first tennis player and woman 
        to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year, one 
        of the ``100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century'' by 
        LIFE magazine, was the recipient of the 1999 Arthur Ashe Award 
        for Courage, and has been admitted to the International Women's 
        Sports Hall of Fame, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and 
        the National Women's Hall of Fame.
            (11) In 2006, the United States Tennis Association 
        recognized Billie Jean's immeasurable impact on the sport of 
        tennis by renaming the site of the US Open in her honor as the 
        USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which is located 
        in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York. This was 
        the first time a major sporting complex was named after a 
        woman.
            (12) In 2009, Billie Jean was awarded the Presidential 
        Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United 
        States, by President Barack Obama for her impactful work 
        advocating for the rights of women. She was the first female 
        athlete to receive this honor.
            (13) In 2014, Billie Jean King founded the Billie Jean King 
        Leadership Initiative to empower companies and individuals to 
        create inclusive work environments that celebrate and promote 
        diversity and equality in the workplace.
            (14) In 2020, Fed Cup, the world cup of women's tennis, was 
        renamed the Billie Jean King Cup, making it the first global 
        team competition to be named after a woman.
            (15) Billie Jean King's extraordinary courage, leadership, 
        and activism helped propel the women's movement forward, and 
        open doors for countless people in the United States. On and 
        off the court, Billie Jean has served as an inspiration to 
        millions of people the world over. Few women and men have had a 
        greater impact on their sport and on our society than Billie 
        Jean King.

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 Billie Jean King, in 
recognition of her contribution to the United States and her courageous 
and groundbreaking leadership advancing equal rights for women in 
athletics, education, and our society.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation 
described 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. The design shall bear an image of, and inscription of the 
name of, Billie Jean King.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medal struck pursuant to section 3 at a price sufficient to cover the 
costs of the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of 
machinery, and overhead expenses.

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    (a) National Medals.--Medals struck under this Act are national 
medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
    (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 and section 
5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act 
shall be considered to be numismatic items.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

    (a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to be 
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such 
amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck 
under this Act.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the 
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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