[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 4, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1909-S1910]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. McCain, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Daschle, 
        Mr. Schumer, and Mr. Lieberman):
  S. 300. A bill to award a congressional gold medal to Jackie Robinson 
(posthumously), in recognition of his many contributions to the Nation, 
and to express the sense of Congress that there should be a national 
day in recognition of Jackie Robinson; to the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I am proud to join today with my good 
friend Senator McCain to introduce our bill to award Jackie Robinson 
the Congressional Gold Medal. Bestowing upon Jackie Robinson this great 
honor recognizes not only his stunning athletic accomplishments but 
also his profound contribution to the advancement of civil rights in 
the United States.
  Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, GA 
and was the youngest of 5 children. Robinson attended the University of 
California at Los Angeles where he lettered in football, basketball, 
baseball, and track, and he was widely regarded as the finest all-
around athlete at that time. After a three-year stint in the U.S. Army, 
Jackie Robinson began playing professional baseball, at first in the 
American Negro League. Then in 1947, in a historic move that ended 
decades of discrimination against blacks in baseball, Jackie Robinson 
became the first African-American to sign a Major League Baseball 
contract. That same year he won the National League's Rookie of the 
Year Award. In 1949, he was voted the National League's Most Valuable 
Player by the Baseball Writers Association, and in 1962, he was elected 
to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
  Jackie Robinson's signing to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 is so 
significant because it came before the United States military was 
desegregated, before the civil rights marches in the South, and before 
the historic ruling in Brown v. The Board of Education, and it engaged 
the American people in a constructive conversation about race. Off the 
field Jackie Robinson was a business leader, a civil rights leader, and 
a human rights leader. As one of the most popular people in America, in 
one poll in 1947 he finished ahead of President Harry Truman, General 
Dwight Eisenhower, General Douglas MacArthur, and Bob Hope, finishing 
only behind Bing Crosby, Jackie Robinson encouraged the fair treatment 
of all people. His ideas and principles influenced some of America's 
greatest politicians, including John F. Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower.
  Jackie Robinson was more than a sports hero he was an American hero. 
And it is time for Congress to recognize his heroic contributions. On 
January 31, 2003 on what would have been Jackie Robinson's 84th 
birthday, a seminar entitled ``Red Sox Tribute to Jackie Robinson'' was 
held at Fenway Park in Boston. During that tribute Larry Lucchino, 
President and CEO of the Boston Red Sox, aptly summed up Jackie 
Robinson's off-field contributions to American society. He said, 
``Martin Luther King once said that he could not do what he was doing 
unless Jackie Robinson had done what he did.''
  I urge my colleagues to join us in honoring this great American by 
cosponsoring our bill to award him the Congressional Gold Medal.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 300

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

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, 
     in Cairo, Georgia, and was the youngest of 5 children.
       (2) Jackie Robinson attended the University of California 
     Los Angeles where he starred in football, basketball, 
     baseball, and track. His remarkable skills earned him a 
     reputation as the best athlete in America.
       (3) In 1947, Jackie Robinson was signed by the Brooklyn 
     Dodgers and became the first black player to play in Major 
     League Baseball. His signing is considered one of the most 
     significant moments in the history of professional sports in 
     America. For his remarkable performance on the field in his

[[Page S1910]]

     first season, he won the National League's Rookie of the Year 
     Award.
       (4) In 1949, Jackie Robinson was voted the National 
     League's Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers 
     Association of America.
       (5) In 1962, Jackie Robinson was elected to the Baseball 
     Hall of Fame.
       (6) Although the achievements of Jackie Robinson began with 
     athletics, they widened to have a profound influence on civil 
     and human rights in America.
       (7) The signing of Jackie Robinson as the first black 
     player in Major League Baseball occurred before the United 
     States military was desegregated by President Harry Truman, 
     before the civil rights marches took place in the South, and 
     before the Supreme Court issued its historic ruling in Brown 
     v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
       (8) The American public came to regard Jackie Robinson as a 
     person of exceptional fortitude, integrity, and athletic 
     ability so rapidly that, by the end of 1947, he finished 
     ahead of President Harry Truman, General Dwight Eisenhower, 
     General Douglas MacArthur, and Bob Hope in a national poll 
     for the most popular person in America, finishing only behind 
     Bing Crosby.
       (9) Jackie Robinson was named vice president of Chock Full 
     O' Nuts in 1957 and later co-founded the Freedom National 
     Bank of Harlem.
       (10) Leading by example, Jackie Robinson influenced many of 
     the greatest political leaders in America.
       (11) Jackie Robinson worked tirelessly with a number of 
     religious and civic organizations to better the lives of all 
     Americans.
       (12) The life and principles of Jackie Robinson are the 
     basis of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which keeps his 
     memory alive by providing children of low-income families 
     with leadership and educational opportunities.
       (13) The legacy and personal achievements of Jackie 
     Robinson, as an athlete, a business leader, and a citizen, 
     have had a lasting and positive influence on the advancement 
     of civil rights in the United States.

     SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

       (a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized 
     to present, on behalf of Congress, to the family of Jackie 
     Robinson, a gold medal of appropriate design in recognition 
     of the many contributions of Jackie Robinson to the Nation.
       (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation 
     referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 
     (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.

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

     SEC. 4. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS.

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

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--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 medal authorized under section 2.
       (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.

     SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) there should be designated a national day for the 
     purpose of recognizing the accomplishments of Jackie 
     Robinson; and
       (2) the President should issue a proclamation calling on 
     the people of the United States to observe the day with 
     appropriate ceremonies and activities.

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