I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1900

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 the Congress that there should be a national day in recognition of Jackie Robinson. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 30, 2003

Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts (for himself, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. FORD, 

Mr. BECERRA, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. RUSH, Mr. WYNN, 

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. WATT, Mr. WAXMAN, Mrs. 

CHRISTENSEN, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. OWENS, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 

CUMMINGS, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. UPTON, Mr. BROWN of 

Ohio, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. OLVER, Mr. FERGUSON, Ms. LEE, Mr. NEY, 

Mr. BALLANCE, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. FATTAH, Ms. 

MAJETTE, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. 

BOEHLERT, Ms. NORTON, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. SWEENEY, and Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Financial Services 

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 the Congress 

that there should be a national day in recognition of 

Jackie Robinson.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

2 The Congress makes the following findings: 

3 (1) Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born on 

4 January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, and was the 

5 youngest of 5 children. 

6 (2) Jackie Robinson attended the University of 

7 California Los Angeles where he starred in football, 

8 basketball, baseball, and track. His remarkable skills 

9 earned him a reputation as the best athlete in Amer10 ica. 

11 (3) In 1947, Jackie Robinson was signed by the 

12 Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first black player 

13 to play in Major League Baseball. His signing is 

14 considered one of the most significant moments in 

15 the history of professional sports in America. For 

16 his remarkable performance on the field in his first 

17 season, he won the National League’s Rookie of the 

18 Year Award. 

19 (4) In 1949, Jackie Robinson was voted the 

20 National League’s Most Valuable Player by the 

21 Baseball Writers Association of America. 

22 (5) In 1962, Jackie Robinson was elected to the 

23 Baseball Hall of Fame. 

24 (6) Although the achievements of Jackie Robin25 son began with athletics, they widened to have a 
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1 profound influence on civil and human rights in 

2 America. 

3 (7) The signing of Jackie Robinson as the first 

4 black player in Major League Baseball occurred be5 fore the United States military was desegregated by 

6 President Harry Truman, before the civil rights 

7 marches took place in the South, and before the Su8 preme Court issued its historic ruling in Brown v. 

9 Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). 

10 (8) The American public came to regard Jackie 

11 Robinson as a person of exceptional fortitude, integ12 rity, and athletic ability so rapidly that, by the end 

13 of 1947, he finished ahead of President Harry Tru14 man, General Dwight Eisenhower, General Douglas 

15 MacArthur, and Bob Hope in a national poll for the 

16 most popular person in America, finishing only be17 hind Bing Crosby. 

18 (9) Jackie Robinson was named vice president 

19 of Chock Full O’ Nuts in 1957 and later co-founded 

20 the Freedom National Bank of Harlem. 

21 (10) Leading by example, Jackie Robinson in22 fluenced many of the greatest political leaders in 

23 America. 
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1 (11) Jackie Robinson worked tirelessly with a 

2 number of religious and civic organizations to better 

3 the lives of all Americans. 

4 (12) The life and principles of Jackie Robinson 

5 are the basis of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, 

6 which keeps his memory alive by providing children 

7 of low-income families with leadership and edu8 cational opportunities. 

9 (13) The legacy and personal achievements of 

10 Jackie Robinson, as an athlete, a business leader, 

11 and a citizen, have had a lasting and positive influ12 ence on the advancement of civil rights in the United 

13 States. 

14 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

15 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The President is 

16 authorized to present, on behalf of the Congress, to the 

17 family of Jackie Robinson, a gold medal of appropriate 

18 design in recognition of the many contributions of Jackie 

19 Robinson to the Nation. 

20 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 

21 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 

22 of the Treasury (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec23 retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 

24 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec25 retary. 
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1 SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

2 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre3 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

4 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 2 at a price 

5 sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 

6 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

7 SEC. 4. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS. 

8 The medals struck under this Act are national medals 

9 for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. 

10 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

11 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

12 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

13 Public Enterprise Fund an amount not to exceed $30,000 

14 to pay for the cost of the medal authorized under section 

15 2. 

16 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 

17 sale of duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be 

18 deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise 

19 Fund. 

20 SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

21 It is the sense of the Congress that—

22 (1) there should be designated a national day 

23 for the purpose of recognizing the accomplishments 

24 of Jackie Robinson; and 
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1 (2) the President should issue a proclamation 

2 calling on the people of the United States to observe 

3 the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

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