[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 27, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S5109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2122. Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for Ms. Stabenow) proposed an amendment to 
the bill S. 452, to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Willie O'Ree, 
in recognition of his extraordinary contributions and commitment to 
hockey, inclusion, and recreational opportunity; as follows:

        Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Willie O'Ree Congressional 
     Gold Medal Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Willie O'Ree was the first Black player to compete in 
     the National Hockey League (NHL), appearing for the Boston 
     Bruins on January 18, 1958, in the throes of the civil rights 
     movement in the United States helping to end racial 
     segregation in the premier professional ice hockey league; he 
     is widely referred to as the ``Jackie Robinson of Hockey''.
       (2) Willie O'Ree was born October 15, 1935, in Fredericton, 
     New Brunswick, Canada; he is the youngest of 13 children and 
     a descendant of Paris O'Ree, whose name appears in the famous 
     historical document ``The Book of Negroes''.
       (3) Willie O'Ree was raised by his parents in Fredericton, 
     a predominantly White town where hockey was deeply rooted 
     within the culture. O'Ree was a standout athlete on the ice 
     and the baseball diamond.
       (4) At age 21, O'Ree was being scouted by professional 
     baseball teams and seriously considered baseball as a career. 
     Upon experiencing the segregated South for the first time 
     while appearing for a minor league tryout, his dream changed 
     and his attention turned solely to ice hockey.
       (5) While playing amateur hockey, Willie was struck in his 
     right eye with a puck and lost his eyesight. He was told by 
     doctors to abandon his hockey career; instead, never 
     disclosing the extent of his injury, he pursued his dream of 
     playing professional hockey.
       (6) At the age of 22, O'Ree was called up from the Quebec 
     Aces of the Quebec Hockey League (QHL) to play for the NHL's 
     Boston Bruins at a time when only 6 teams existed in the 
     league. O'Ree was unaware he had broken the color barrier at 
     the top level of the sport until he read it in the newspaper 
     the following day.
       (7) Blind in 1 eye and a victim of racism at times 
     throughout his career, O'Ree persevered and played 
     professional hockey for 22 years, tallying over 1,000 points.
       (8) In 1996, 17 years after O'Ree retired from professional 
     hockey, the National Hockey League hired O'Ree as the first-
     ever Diversity Ambassador. Having already changed the game 
     forever through his courage and convictions, O'Ree gives new 
     definition to what it means to be a trailblazer.
       (9) In this role as Diversity Ambassador with the NHL, 
     O'Ree set out to grow the sport by providing access, 
     opportunity, and motivation for children of all races, 
     ethnicities, origins, and abilities. With O'Ree providing a 
     vivid example of what is possible and serving as a relentless 
     supporter of children pursuing their dreams, more than 30 
     nonprofit youth organizations, dubbed Hockey is for Everyone 
     programs, were developed across North America, each committed 
     to offering minority and underserved children an opportunity 
     to play hockey, leveraging the sport to build character, 
     foster positive values, and develop important life skills.
       (10) Through Hockey is for Everyone programs, more than 
     120,000 boys and girls have been positively impacted. O'Ree 
     has devoted nearly 2,500 days on the ground with the youth 
     participants, visiting more than 500 schools, community 
     centers, and rinks to speak to hockey's core values and 
     beliefs: stay in school; set goals for yourself; remain 
     committed and disciplined; and always respect your teammates, 
     coaches, and parents.
       (11) Hockey is for Everyone programs have provided 
     important opportunities for youth to partake in physical 
     fitness. Today in the United States, fewer than half of the 
     children ages 6-11 engage in the recommended amount of 
     physical activity, and that number is lower for low-income 
     families. O'Ree has stood as a champion of youth athletic 
     participation and its health benefits for decades.
       (12) Hockey is for Everyone programs provide numerous off-
     ice services to youth: SAT and academic tutoring, mentoring, 
     nutrition education, college counseling, community service 
     opportunities, and more. The program has excelled at using 
     hockey as a vehicle to improve the social and emotional 
     wellness of youth and improve students' academic performances 
     both in primary school and beyond.
       (13) O'Ree was also named a Member of the Order of Canada 
     in 2008 and, in 2018, the City of Boston released an official 
     Proclamation recognizing January 18, the anniversary of the 
     day he broke into the game, as ``Willie O'Ree Day''.
       (14) In November 2018, 60 years after O'Ree entered the 
     NHL, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the 
     ``builder'' category in recognition of his efforts to grow 
     the game, using his position and the platform of hockey to 
     improve the lives of children throughout North America.

     SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

       (a) Award Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate 
     shall make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf 
     of the Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design 
     to Willie O'Ree, or if unavailable, to a member of his 
     family, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions and 
     commitment to hockey, inclusion, and recreational 
     opportunity.
       (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 the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, 
     and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. The 
     design shall bear an image of, and an inscription of the name 
     of, Willie O'Ree.

     SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary may strike and sell 
     duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under section 
     3, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, 
     including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
     overhead expenses.
       (b) Proceeds of Sales.--The amounts received from the sale 
     of duplicate medals under subsection (a) shall be deposited 
     in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
       (c) 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.

     SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

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

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