[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 54 (Tuesday, April 20, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H2178]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            AUTHORIZING AWARDING OF GOLD MEDAL TO ROSA PARKS

  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the 
Speaker's table the Senate bill (S. 531) to authorize the President to 
award a gold medal on behalf of the Congress to Rosa Parks in 
recognition of her contributions to the Nation, and ask for its 
immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Alabama?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the Senate bill, as follows:

                                 S. 531

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

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds that--
       (1) Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, 
     Alabama, the first child of James and Leona (Edwards) 
     McCauley;
       (2) Rosa Parks is honored as the ``first lady of civil 
     rights'' and the ``mother of the freedom movement'', and her 
     quiet dignity ignited the most significant social movement in 
     the history of the United States;
       (3) Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955, in 
     Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat on a 
     bus to a white man, and her stand for equal rights became 
     legendary;
       (4) news of Rosa Parks' arrest resulted in 42,000 African 
     Americans boycotting Montgomery buses for 381 days, beginning 
     on December 5, 1955, until the bus segregation laws were 
     changed on December 21, 1956;
       (5) the United States Supreme Court ruled on November 13, 
     1956, that the Montgomery segregation law was 
     unconstitutional, and on December 20, 1956, Montgomery 
     officials were ordered to desegregate buses;
       (6) the civil rights movement led to the Civil Rights Act 
     of 1964, which broke down the barriers of legal 
     discrimination against African Americans and made equality 
     before the law a reality for all Americans;
       (7) Rosa Parks is the recipient of many awards and 
     accolades for her efforts on behalf of racial harmony, 
     including the Springarn Award, the NAACP's highest honor for 
     civil rights contributions, the Presidential Medal of 
     Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian honor, and the first 
     International Freedom Conductor Award from the National 
     Underground Railroad Freedom Center;
       (8) Rosa Parks has dedicated her life to the cause of 
     universal human rights and truly embodies the love of 
     humanity and freedom;
       (9) Rosa Parks was the first woman to join the Montgomery 
     chapter of the NAACP, was an active volunteer for the 
     Montgomery Voters League, and in 1987, cofounded the Rosa and 
     Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development;
       (10) Rosa Parks, by her quiet courage, symbolizes all that 
     is vital about nonviolent protest, as she endured threats of 
     death and persisted as an advocate for the simple, basic 
     lessons she taught the Nation and from which the Nation has 
     benefited immeasurably; and
       (11) Rosa Parks, who has resided in the State of Michigan 
     since 1957, has become a living icon for freedom in America.

     SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

       (a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized 
     to award to Rosa Parks, on behalf of the Congress, a gold 
     medal of appropriate design honoring Rosa Parks in 
     recognition of her contributions to the Nation.
       (b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award 
     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.

       The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of 
     the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2, under such 
     regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, and at a price 
     sufficient to cover the costs thereof, including labor, 
     materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and 
     the cost of the gold medal.

     SEC. 4. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS.

       The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals 
     for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

     SEC. 5. FUNDING.

       (a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--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.

  The Senate bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the 
third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.
  A similar House bill (H.R. 573) was laid on the table.

                          ____________________