II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 448

To authorize the President to posthumously award a gold medal on behalf 

of Congress to Elizabeth Wanamaker Peratrovich and Roy Peratrovich 

in recognition of their outstanding and enduring contributions to the 

civil rights and dignity of the Native peoples of Alaska and the Nation. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 17, 2005

Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself, Mr. STEVENS, Ms. CANTWELL, and Mrs. MURRAY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL

To authorize the President to posthumously award a gold 

medal on behalf of Congress to Elizabeth Wanamaker 

Peratrovich and Roy Peratrovich in recognition of their 

outstanding and enduring contributions to the civil rights 

and dignity of the Native peoples of Alaska and 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 Congress makes the following findings: 

5 (1) Elizabeth Wanamaker, a Tlingit Indian, 

6 was born on July 4, 1911, in Petersburg, Alaska. 
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•S 448 IS 

1 (2) Elizabeth married Roy Peratrovich, a 

2 Tlingit Indian from Klawock, Alaska, on December 

3 15, 1931. 

4 (3) In 1941, the couple moved to Juneau, Alas5 ka. 

6 (4) Roy and Elizabeth Peratrovich discovered 

7 that they could not purchase a home in the section 

8 of Juneau in which they desired to live due to dis9 crimination against Alaska Natives. 

10 (5) In the early 1940s, there were reports that 

11 some businesses in Southeast Alaska posted signs 

12 reading ‘‘No Natives Allowed’’. 

13 (6) Roy, as Grand President of the Alaska Na14 tive Brotherhood, and Elizabeth, as Grand President 

15 of the Alaska Native Sisterhood, petitioned the Ter16 ritorial Governor and the Territorial Legislature to 

17 enact a law prohibiting discrimination against Alas18 ka Natives in public accommodations. 

19 (7) Rebuffed by the Territorial Legislature in 

20 1943, they again sought passage of an anti-discrimi21 nation law in 1945. 

22 (8) On February 8, 1945, as the Alaska Terri23 torial Senate debated the anti-discrimination law, 

24 Elizabeth, who was sitting in the visitor’s gallery of 
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1 the Senate, was recognized to present her views on 

2 the measure. 

3 (9) The eloquent and dignified testimony given 

4 by Elizabeth that day is widely credited for passage 

5 of the anti-discrimination law. 

6 (10) On February 16, 1945, Territorial Gov7 ernor Ernest Gruening signed into law an act pro8 hibiting discrimination against all citizens within the 

9 jurisdiction of the Territory of Alaska in access to 

10 public accommodations and imposing a penalty on 

11 any person who shall display any printed or written 

12 sign indicating discrimination on racial grounds of 

13 such full and equal enjoyment. 

14 (11) 19 years before Congress enacted the Civil 

15 Rights Act of 1964, and 18 years before the Rev16 erend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his ‘‘I 

17 Have a Dream’’ speech, one of America’s first anti18 discrimination laws was enacted in the Territory of 

19 Alaska, thanks to the efforts of Elizabeth and Roy 

20 Peratrovich. 

21 (12) Since 1989, the State of Alaska has ob22 served Elizabeth Peratrovich Day on February 16 of 

23 each year, and a visitor’s gallery of the Alaska 

24 House of Representatives in the Alaska State Cap25 itol has been named for Elizabeth Peratrovich. 
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•S 448 IS 

1 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

2 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED. —The President is 

3 authorized, on behalf of the Congress, to posthumously 

4 award a gold medal of appropriate design to Elizabeth 

5 Wanamaker Peratrovich and Roy Peratrovich, in recogni6 tion of their outstanding and enduring contributions to the 

7 civil rights and dignity of the Native peoples of Alaska 

8 and the Nation. 

9 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purpose of the 

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

11 of the Treasury (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec12 retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 

13 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec14 retary. 

15 SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

16 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre17 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

18 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 at 

19 a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 

20 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, 

21 and the cost of the gold medal. 

22 SEC. 4. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS. 

23 The medals struck under this Act are national medals 

24 for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. 
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•S 448 IS 

1 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

3 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

4 Public Enterprise Fund such sum as may be appropriate 

5 to pay for the cost of the medals authorized under section 

6 2. 

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

8 sale of duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be 

9 deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise 

10 Fund.

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