[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 151 (Thursday, September 19, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H7812-H7814]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HIDDEN FIGURES CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT

  Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 1396) to award Congressional Gold Medals to Katherine 
Johnson and Dr. Christine Darden, to posthumously award Congressional 
Gold Medals to Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, and to award a 
Congressional Gold Medal to honor all of the women who contributed to 
the success of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration during 
the Space Race, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1396

       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 ``Hidden Figures Congressional 
     Gold Medal Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) In 1935, the National Advisory Committee for 
     Aeronautics (referred to in this section as ``NACA'') hired 5 
     women to serve as the first ``computer pool'' at the Langley 
     Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory where those women took on 
     work making calculations that male engineers had made 
     previously.
       (2) During the 1940s, NACA began recruiting African-
     American women to work as computers and initially separated 
     those women from their White counterparts in a group known as 
     the ``West Area Computers'' where the women were restricted 
     to segregated dining and bathroom facilities.
       (3) Katherine Johnson was born on August 26, 1918, in White 
     Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
       (4) In 1953, Katherine Johnson began her career in 
     aeronautics as a computer in the segregated West Area 
     Computing unit described in paragraph (2).
       (5) As a member of the Flight Research Division, Katherine 
     Johnson analyzed data from flight tests. After NACA was 
     reformulated into the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration (referred to in this section as ``NASA''), 
     Katherine Johnson--
       (A) calculated the trajectory for Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 
     mission in 1961, which was the first human spaceflight by an 
     individual from the United States;
       (B) coauthored a report that provided the equations for 
     describing orbital spaceflight with a specified landing 
     point, which made her the first woman to be recognized as an 
     author of a report from the Flight Research Division;
       (C) was asked to verify the calculations when electronic 
     computers at NASA were used to calculate the orbit for John 
     Glenn's Friendship 7 mission; and
       (D) provided calculations for NASA throughout her career, 
     including for the Apollo missions.
       (6) Katherine Johnson retired from NASA in 1986.
       (7) Dr. Christine Darden was born on September 10, 1942, in 
     Monroe, North Carolina.
       (8) In 1962, Dr. Christine Darden graduated from Hampton 
     Institute with a B.S. in Mathematics and a teaching 
     credential.
       (9) Dr. Christine Darden attended Virginia State University 
     where she studied aerosol physics and earned an M.S. in 
     Applied Mathematics.
       (10) Dr. Christine Darden began her career in aeronautics 
     in 1967 as a data analyst at NASA's Langley Research Center 
     (referred to in this section as ``Langley'') before being 
     promoted to aerospace engineer in 1973. Her work in this 
     position resulted in the production of low-boom sonic 
     effects, which revolutionized aerodynamics design.
       (11) Dr. Christine Darden completed her education by 
     earning a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from George 
     Washington University in 1983.
       (12) While working at NASA, Dr. Christine Darden--
       (A) was appointed to be the leader of the Sonic Boom Team, 
     which worked on designs to minimize the effects of sonic 
     booms by testing wing and nose designs for supersonic 
     aircraft;
       (B) wrote more than 50 articles on aeronautics design; and
       (C) became the first African American to be promoted to a 
     position in the Senior Executive Service at Langley.
       (13) Dorothy Vaughan was born on September 20, 1910, in 
     Kansas City, Missouri.
       (14) Dorothy Vaughan began working for NACA in 1943. 
     Dorothy Vaughan--
       (A) started at NACA as a member of the West Area Computing 
     unit;
       (B) was promoted to be the head of the West Area Computing 
     unit, becoming NACA's first African-American supervisor, a 
     position that she held for 9 years; and
       (C) became an expert programmer in FORTRAN as a member of 
     NASA's Analysis and Computation Division.
       (15) Dorothy Vaughan retired from NASA in 1971 and died on 
     November 10, 2008.
       (16) Mary Jackson was born on April 9, 1921, in Hampton, 
     Virginia.
       (17) Mary Jackson started her career at NACA in 1951, 
     working as a computer as a member of the West Area Computing 
     unit.
       (18) After petitioning the City of Hampton to allow her to 
     take graduate-level courses in math and physics at night at 
     the all-White Hampton High School, Mary Jackson was able to 
     complete the required training to become an engineer, making 
     her NASA's first female African-American engineer.
       (19) Mary Jackson--
       (A) while at NACA and NASA--
       (i) worked in the Theoretical Aerodynamics Branch of the 
     Subsonic-Transonic Aerodynamics Division at Langley where she 
     analyzed wind tunnel and aircraft flight data; and
       (ii) published a dozen technical papers that focused on the 
     boundary layer of air around airplanes; and
       (B) after 21 years working as an engineer at NASA, 
     transitioned to a new job as Langley's Federal Women's 
     Program Manager where she worked to improve the prospects of 
     NASA's female mathematicians, engineers, and scientists.
       (20) Mary Jackson retired from NASA in 1985 and died in 
     2005.
       (21) These 4 women, along with the other African-American 
     women in NASA's West Area Computing unit, were integral to 
     the success of the early space program. The stories of these 
     4 women exemplify the experiences of hundreds of women who 
     worked as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at NACA 
     beginning in the 1930s and their handmade calculations played 
     an integral role in--
       (A) aircraft testing during World War II;
       (B) supersonic flight research;
       (C) sending the Voyager probes to explore the solar system; 
     and
       (D) the United States landing the first man on the lunar 
     surface.

     SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS.

       (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 5 gold medals of appropriate design as 
     follows:
       (1) One gold medal to Katherine Johnson in recognition of 
     her service to the United States as a mathematician.
       (2) One gold medal to Dr. Christine Darden for her service 
     to the United States as an aeronautical engineer.

[[Page H7813]]

       (3) In recognition of their service to the United States 
     during the Space Race--
       (A) 1 gold medal commemorating the life of Dorothy Vaughan; 
     and
       (B) 1 gold medal commemorating the life of Mary Jackson.
       (4) One gold medal in recognition of all women who served 
     as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at the National 
     Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration between the 1930s and 
     the 1970s (referred to in this section as ``recognized 
     women'').
       (b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the awards 
     under subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred 
     to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike each gold 
     medal described in that subsection with suitable emblems, 
     devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
       (c) Transfer of Certain Medals After Presentation.--
       (1) Smithsonian institution.--
       (A) In general.--After the award of the gold medal 
     commemorating the life of Dorothy Vaughan under subsection 
     (a)(3)(A) and the award of the gold medal in recognition of 
     recognized women under subsection (a)(4), those medals shall 
     be given to the Smithsonian Institution where the medals 
     shall be--
       (i) available for display, as appropriate; and
       (ii) made available for research.
       (B) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medals 
     received under subparagraph (A) available for--
       (i) display, particularly at the National Museum of African 
     American History and Culture; or
       (ii) loan, as appropriate, so that the medals may be 
     displayed elsewhere.
       (2) Transfer to family.--After the award of the gold medal 
     in honor of Mary Jackson under subsection (a)(3)(B), the 
     medal shall be given to her granddaughter, Wanda Jackson.

     SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

       Under regulations that the Secretary may promulgate, the 
     Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the 
     gold medals struck under this Act, at a price sufficient to 
     cover the cost of the medals, including labor, materials, 
     dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.

     SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

       (a) National Medals.--The 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 sections 5134 and 
     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.

     SEC. 7. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Guam (Mr. San Nicolas) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
McHenry) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Guam.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material 
thereon.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Guam?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1396, the Hidden 
Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019.
  I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Johnson) for her work on this 
bill, which honors the women mathematicians and engineers who helped 
win the Space Race. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 
Moon space landing, a shining beacon of bold American innovation and 
ingenuity, made possible by tireless and often unacknowledged and 
under-appreciated contributions of the women working as computers, 
mathematicians, and engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration.
  These women faced challenges that exemplified the period of 
segregation in which they lived and the male-dominated culture at NASA 
and its precursors, despite the contributions they made to space 
exploration. They faced lower pay, were not allowed to submit their 
work under their own names and did not receive the promotions that 
their male colleagues did. They also faced segregated dining 
facilities, water fountains, and bathrooms.
  It was only right that the experiences of these women were brought to 
light by a popular book by Dr. Christine Darden published in 2016, 
which also became a successful movie. This book described her and the 
struggles of Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Dorothy Vaughan in 
this difficult environment.
  The women computers, mathematicians, and engineers of NACA and NASA 
overcame these challenges. They made critical contributions not only to 
the Space Race, as depicted in the film based on Dr. Darden's book, but 
also to World War II aircraft development and research into faster-
than-sound flight.
  The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award bestowed 
by the Congress. It is awarded to persons who have performed an 
achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is 
likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient's field 
long after the achievement.
  The Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act awards five 
Congressional Gold Medals; one each to Katherine Johnson, Dr. Christine 
Darden, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, and one medal to honor the 
contributions of the hundreds of women computers, mathematicians, and 
engineers whose names have largely been lost to history.
  Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Johnson) for 
introducing this bill this Congress, and I urge members to vote 
``yes''.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1396, the Hidden Figures 
Congressional Gold Medal Act. I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Johnson) for her work on this important bipartisan legislation.
  This bill awards a Congressional Gold Medal to Katherine Johnson, Dr. 
Christine Darden, and posthumously, to Dorothy Vaughan and Mary 
Jackson, to honor all the women who contributed to NASA's successful 
race to space.

                              {time}  1730

  These women worked tirelessly to send a man to space, despite being 
segregated in workrooms, bathrooms, and cafeterias in the workspace of 
NASA.
  They provided invaluable work, as has been outlined in a very 
popular, well-received, highly regarded movie.
  Without their effort, it is possible we may not have been able to 
witness John Glenn orbit the Earth, Apollo 11's flight to the Moon, or 
watch the astronauts of Apollo 13 return safely to Earth and land in 
the South Pacific Ocean.
  In fact, Madam Speaker, when Apollo 13's James Lovell and John 
Swigert--who is actually here in the National Statuary Hall collection, 
a statue from his home State--when they famously announced, ``Houston, 
we've got a problem,'' when that message reached mission control, it 
was Katherine Johnson who crunched the numbers to get our folks home.
  This was at a time when everything was going wrong, and she had a 
cool head and an incredibly brilliant mind to put this complex data 
together. This is not hoping the computer spits out the right 
information. This is the long work that we all dreaded as kids when it 
was simple math, and this was of the longest, most complex nature, the 
type of math that they had to do very quickly.
  These women deserve the Congressional Gold Medal. They deserve this 
recognition.
  Madam Speaker, I support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to pass 
this piece of legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman

[[Page H7814]]

from Texas (Ms. Johnson), chairwoman of the House Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology.
  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 
1396, the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act.
  I thank the ranking member of the committee, Mr. Lucas, for joining 
me in introducing this bill and for his efforts to help secure the 
necessary support to bring the bill to the floor.
  I also thank Senator Coons for his leadership in championing an 
identical companion bill in the Senate, which passed out of the Senate 
by unanimous consent in March.
  I also wish to thank the 309 bipartisan cosponsors in the House.
  The ``Hidden Figures'' of NASA include the now-well-known women 
mathematicians and engineers Katherine Johnson, Dr. Christine Darden, 
Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson.
  Their stories, portrayed in the 2016 ``Hidden Figures'' book and 
film, represent the stories of hundreds of women computers, 
mathematicians, and engineers working at NASA and its precursor 
organization, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, NACA, 
from the 1930s to the 1970s.
  In the early days of the space program, women and their talents were 
critically important but often overlooked. Women were typically not 
permitted to serve in any visible position or recognized publicly for 
their contributions.
  Women of color faced the additional daily indignity of racial 
discrimination.
  In spite of these challenges, these women chose to apply their 
considerable talents to help achieve what was, arguably, one of the 
Nation's crowning technological achievements: landing the first humans 
on the Moon.
  The success of the NASA space program was due, in large part, to 
their brilliance, hard work, and perseverance in the face of adversity.
  What better example can we hope to give our sons and daughters?
  This bill will bestow Congress' highest civilian honor in recognition 
of the achievements of Katherine Johnson, Dr. Christine Darden, Dorothy 
Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and all the other women computers, 
mathematicians, and engineers at NACA and NASA during this important 
time in our history.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
  Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased that this bill has wide bipartisan 
support, and I thank the entire House Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology for its efforts in ensuring that this incredible story is 
not lost in the annals of history.
  Given the place the Moon landing holds in our Nation's collective 
consciousness, a national expression of gratitude for these women and 
their contributions is long overdue.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
important piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Guam (Mr. San Nicolas) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1396, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________