I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 573

To authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf of the Congress

to Rosa Parks in recognition of her contributions to the Nation.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 4, 1999

Ms. CARSON (for herself, Mr. HOUGHTON, Mr. CONDIT, Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma, Mr. SHOWS, Mr. HORN, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr.

POMEROY, Mr. GIBBONS, Mr. EDWARDS, Mrs. MORELLA, Mr. FATTAH,

Mr. DIXON, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr.

MCDERMOTT, Ms. RIVERS, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. FORD, Mr. WEYGAND,

Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. ROEMER, Mr. VISCLOSKY,

Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. UNDERWOOD, Ms. LEE, Mr.

CUMMINGS, Mr. HILLIARD, Mr. WAXMAN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. SPRATT,

Mr. FROST, Mr. GEJDENSON, Mr. WYNN, Mr. SCOTT, Mr. RUSH, Ms.

JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. LANTOS, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. CONYERS, Ms.

PELOSI, Mrs. MEEK of Florida, Mr. STARK, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr.

BALDACCI, Mr. REYES, Mrs. THURMAN, Mr. LAMPSON, Ms. WATERS,

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. KUCINICH, Mrs.

JONES of Ohio, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr.

GREEN of Texas, Ms. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSEN, Mr. HILL of Indiana,

Mr. TRAFICANT, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. HASTINGS

of Florida, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. CLAY, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr.

JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. JEFFERSON, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of

Texas, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. OWENS,

Mr. PAYNE, Mr. WATT of North Carolina, Mr. OLVER, Mr. BARRETT of

Wisconsin, Mr. STUPAK, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr.

ENGEL, Mr. VENTO, Mr. ALLEN, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr.

CLYBURN, Mr. SKELTON, Mrs. MINK of Hawaii, and Mr. SNYDER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Banking

and Financial Services

A BILL

To authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf
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of the Congress to Rosa Parks in recognition of her

contributions to the Nation.

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) Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913,

6 in Tuskegee, Alabama, the first child of James and

7 Leona (Edwards) McCauley.

8 (2) Rosa Parks is honored as the ‘‘first lady of

9 civil rights’’ and the ‘‘mother of the freedom move10 ment’’; her quiet dignity ignited the most significant

11 social movement in the history of the United States.

12 (3) Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1,

13 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give

14 up her seat on a bus to a white man, and her stand

15 for equal rights became legendary.

16 (4) News of Rosa Parks’ arrest resulted in

17 42,000 African Americans boycotting Montgomery

18 buses for 381 days beginning on December 5, 1955,

19 until the bus segregation laws were changed on De20 cember 21, 1956.

21 (5) The United States Supreme Court ruled on

22 November 13, 1956, that the Montgomery segrega23 tion law was unconstitutional, and on December 20,
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1 1956, Montgomery officials were ordered to deseg2 regate buses.

3 (6) The civil rights movement led to the Civil

4 Rights Act of 1964 which broke down the barriers

5 of legal discrimination against African Americans

6 and made equality before the law a reality for all

7 Americans.

8 (7) Rosa Parks is the recipient of many awards

9 and accolades for her efforts on behalf of racial har10 mony, including the Springarn Award, the NAACP’s

11 highest honor for civil rights contributions, the Pres12 idential Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest ci13 vilian honor, and the first International Freedom

14 Conductor Award from the National Underground

15 Railroad Freedom Center.

16 (8) Rosa Parks has dedicated her life to the

17 cause of universal human rights and truly embodies

18 the love of humanity and freedom.

19 (9) Rosa Parks was the first woman to join the

20 Montgomery chapter of the NAACP, was an active

21 volunteer for the Montgomery Voters League, and in

22 1987 cofounded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Insti23 tute for Self-Development.

24 (10) Rosa Parks, by her quiet courage, symbol25 izes all that is vital about nonviolent protest; she en-
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1 dured threats of death and persisted as an advocate

2 for the simple, basic lessons she taught the Nation

3 and from which the Nation has benefited immeas4 urably.

5 (11) Rosa Parks has become a living icon for

6 freedom in America.

7 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

8 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The President is

9 authorized to award to Rosa Parks, on behalf of the Con10 gress, a gold medal of appropriate design honoring Rosa

11 Parks in recognition of her contributions to the Nation.

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

13 award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the

14 Treasury (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall

15 strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and

16 inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.

17 SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

18 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in

19 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2

20 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe,

21 and at a price sufficient to cover the costs thereof, includ22 ing labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead

23 expenses, and the cost of the gold medal.
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1 SEC. 4. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS.

2 The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national

3 medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United

4 States Code.

5 SEC. 5. FUNDING.

6 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is

7 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint

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

9 to pay for the cost of the medals authorized by this Act.

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

11 sale of duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be

12 deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise

13 Fund.

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