108TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1900

AN ACT

To award a congressional gold medal to Jackie

Robinson (posthumously), in recognition of hismany contributions to the Nation, and to expressthe sense of the Congress that there should be anational day in recognition of Jackie Robinson.

108TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1900

AN ACT

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.
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•HR 1900 EH

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

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

4 The Congress makes the following findings:

5 (1) Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born on

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

7 youngest of 5 children.

8 (2) Jackie Robinson attended the University of

9 California Los Angeles where he starred in football,

10 basketball, baseball, and track. His remarkable skills

11 earned him a reputation as the best athlete in Amer12 ica.

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

14 Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first black player

15 to play in Major League Baseball. His signing is

16 considered one of the most significant moments in

17 the history of professional sports in America. For

18 his remarkable performance on the field in his first

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

20 Year Award.

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

22 National League’s Most Valuable Player by the

23 Baseball Writers Association of America.

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

25 Baseball Hall of Fame.
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•HR 1900 EH

1 (6) Although the achievements of Jackie Robin2 son began with athletics, they widened to have a

3 profound influence on civil and human rights in

4 America.

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

6 black player in Major League Baseball occurred be7 fore the United States military was desegregated by

8 President Harry Truman, before the civil rights

9 marches took place in the South, and before the Su10 preme Court issued its historic ruling in Brown v.

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

12 (8) The American public came to regard Jackie

13 Robinson as a person of exceptional fortitude, integ14 rity, and athletic ability so rapidly that, by the end

15 of 1947, he finished ahead of President Harry Tru16 man, General Dwight Eisenhower, General Douglas

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

18 most popular person in America, finishing only be19 hind Bing Crosby.

20 (9) Jackie Robinson was named vice president

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

22 the Freedom National Bank of Harlem.

23 (10) Leading by example, Jackie Robinson in24 fluenced many of the greatest political leaders in

25 America.
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•HR 1900 EH

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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•HR 1900 EH

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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•HR 1900 EH

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.

Passed the House of Representatives October 7,

2003.

Attest:

Clerk.