[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 118, 108th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

118 STAT. 1746

Public Law 108-368
108th Congress

An Act


 
To authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf of the
Congress to Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. (posthumously) and
his widow Coretta Scott King in recognition of their contributions to
the Nation on behalf of the civil NOTE: Oct. 25, 2004 -  [S.
1368] rights movement.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress NOTE: 31 USC 5111
note. assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that--
(1) Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. and his widow
Coretta Scott King, as the first family of the civil rights
movement, have distinguished records of public service to the
American people and the international community;
(2) Dr. King preached a doctrine of nonviolent civil
disobedience to combat segregation, discrimination, and racial
injustice;
(3) Dr. King led the Montgomery bus boycott for 381 days to
protest the arrest of Mrs. Rosa Parks and the segregation of the
bus system of Montgomery, Alabama;
(4) in 1963, Dr. King led the march on Washington, D.C.,
that was followed by his famous address, the ``I Have a Dream''
speech;
(5) through his work and reliance on nonviolent protest, Dr.
King was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of
1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965;
(6) despite efforts to derail his mission, Dr. King acted on
his dream of America and succeeded in making the United States a
better place;
(7) Dr. King was assassinated for his beliefs on April 4,
1968, in Memphis, Tennessee;
(8) Mrs. King stepped into the civil rights movement in 1955
during the Montgomery bus boycott, and played an important role
as a leading participant in the American civil rights movement;
(9) while raising 4 children, Mrs. King devoted herself to
working alongside her husband for nonviolent social change and
full civil rights for African Americans;
(10) with a strong educational background in music, Mrs.
King established and performed several Freedom Concerts, which
were well received, and which combined prose and poetry
narration with musical selections to increase awareness and
understanding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(of which Dr. King served as the first president);


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118 STAT. 1747

(11) Mrs. King demonstrated composure in deep sorrow, as she
led the Nation in mourning her husband after his brutal
assassination;
(12) after the assassination, Mrs. King devoted all of her
time and energy to developing and building the Atlanta-based
Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change
(hereafter referred to as the ``Center'') as an enduring
memorial to her husband's life and his dream of nonviolent
social change and full civil rights for all Americans;
(13) under Mrs. King's guidance and direction, the Center
has flourished;
(14) the Center was the first institution built in honor of
an African American leader;
(15) the Center provides local, national, and international
programs that have trained tens of thousands of people in Dr.
King's philosophy and methods, and claims the largest archive of
the civil rights movement; and
(16) Mrs. King led the massive campaign to establish Dr.
King's birthday as a national holiday, and the holiday is now
celebrated in more than 100 countries.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

(a) Presentation Authorized.-- NOTE: President. The President is
authorized to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal of
appropriate design to Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.
(posthumously) and his widow Coretta Scott King, in recognition of their
service to the Nation.

(b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the presentations
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury shall
strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to
be determined by the Secretary.

SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

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

SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.

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

SEC. 5. FUNDING AND PROCEEDS OF SALE.

(a) Authorization.--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.


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118 STAT. 1748

(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.

Approved October 25, 2004.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 1368:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 150 (2004):
Sept. 9, considered and passed Senate.
Oct. 8, considered and passed House.