[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 12 (Thursday, February 10, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. 
        Baucus, and Mr. Helms):
  S. 2060. A bill to authorize the President to award a gold medal on 
behalf of the Congress to Charles M. Schulz in recognition of his 
lasting artistic contributions to the Nation and the world, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs.


   legislation to award charles schultz the congressional gold medal

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, on January 3rd, 2000, Charles Schulz 
published his last daily ``Peanuts'' comic strip ending a remarkable 
fifty year run. To commemorate Charles Schulz's extraordinary career, I 
urge my colleagues to join me in awarding him a Congressional Medal of 
Honor.
  Charles Schulz's body of work in the ``Peanuts'' strip deserves 
recognition as a national treasure. For half a century, his cartoon 
illustrations have inspired millions of Americans with its wry humor 
and endearing cast of characters. Who has not been touched by the 
trials and tribulations of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, and the 
rest of the ``Peanuts'' family?
  At its peak, Peanuts appeared in close to 3,000 newspapers in 75 
countries and was published in over 20 different languages to more than 
355 million daily readers. Charles Schulz's television special, ``A 
Charlie Brown Christmas,'' has run for 34 consecutive years. In all, 
more that 60 animated specials have been created based on ``Peanuts'' 
characters. Four feature films, 1,400 books, and a hit Broadway musical 
about the ``Peanuts'' characters also have been produced.
  Charles Schulz's achievements are all the more remarkable because, 
throughout his career, he has worked without any artistic assistants, 
unlike most syndicated cartoonists. Schulz has painstakingly drawn 
every line and frame in his comic strip for 50 years, an unparalleled 
commitment to his art and profession.
  In 1994, while speaking before the National Cartoonists Society, 
Charles Schulz said of his comic strip, ``There's still a market for 
things that are clean and decent.'' Charles Schulz has given 
generations of children a cast of colorful characters to grow up with 
and to teach the small and large lessons of life.
  Seventeen Americans from the arts and entertainment world have been 
awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their achievements in the 
enrichment of American culture. I urge that Charles Schulz become the 
eighteenth individual so honored. Please join me in recognizing the 
lifetime contributions of Charles Schulz by awarding him the 
Congressional Gold Medal.
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