H. R. 1900

One Hundred Eighth Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE FIRST SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,

the seventh day of January, two thousand and three

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.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of

the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

The Congress makes the following findings:

(1) Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31,

1919, in Cairo, Georgia, and was the youngest of 5 children.

(2) Jackie Robinson attended the University of California

Los Angeles where he starred in football, basketball, baseball,

and track. His remarkable skills earned him a reputation as

the best athlete in America.

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

Dodgers and became the first black player to play in Major

League Baseball. His signing is considered one of the most

significant moments in the history of professional sports in

America. For his remarkable performance on the field in his

first season, he won the National League’s Rookie of the Year

Award.

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

League’s Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

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

Hall of Fame.

(6) Although the achievements of Jackie Robinson began

with athletics, they widened to have a profound influence on

civil and human rights in America.

(7) The signing of Jackie Robinson as the first black player

in Major League Baseball occurred before the United States

military was desegregated by President Harry Truman, before

the civil rights marches took place in the South, and before

the Supreme Court issued its historic ruling in Brown v. Board

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

(8) The American public came to regard Jackie Robinson

as a person of exceptional fortitude, integrity, and athletic

ability so rapidly that, by the end of 1947, he finished ahead

of President Harry Truman, General Dwight Eisenhower, General Douglas MacArthur, and Bob Hope in a national poll

for the most popular person in America, finishing only behind

Bing Crosby.
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(9) Jackie Robinson was named vice president of Chock

Full O’ Nuts in 1957 and later co-founded the Freedom National

Bank of Harlem.

(10) Leading by example, Jackie Robinson influenced many

of the greatest political leaders in America.

(11) Jackie Robinson worked tirelessly with a number of

religious and civic organizations to better the lives of all Americans.

(12) The life and principles of Jackie Robinson are the

basis of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which keeps his

memory alive by providing children of low-income families with

leadership and educational opportunities.

(13) The legacy and personal achievements of Jackie Robinson, as an athlete, a business leader, and a citizen, have had

a lasting and positive influence on the advancement of civil

rights in the United States.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The President is authorized

to present, on behalf of the Congress, to the family of Jackie

Robinson, a gold medal of appropriate design in recognition of

the many contributions of Jackie Robinson to the Nation.

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

referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (in

this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a gold medal

with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined

by the Secretary.

SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the

Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold

medal struck under section 2 at a price sufficient to cover the

costs of the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of

machinery, and overhead expenses.

SEC. 4. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS.

The medals struck under this Act are national medals for

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

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—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 medal authorized under section 2.

(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.

SEC. 6. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of the Congress that—

(1) there should be designated a national day for the purpose of recognizing the accomplishments of Jackie Robinson;

and
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(2) the President should issue a proclamation calling on

the people of the United States to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.