I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3035 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Jerry Lewis in recognition of 
his outstanding service to the Nation. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 12, 2007 
Mr. PAYNE (for himself, Mr. PORTER, and Mr. BILIRAKIS) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Jerry Lewis in 
recognition of his outstanding service to the Nation. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
The Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) A native of New Jersey, Jerry Lewis is a 
gifted comedian and has been a fixture in the enter-
tainment community for more than 5 decades. 
(2) Born Joseph Levitch on March 16, 1926, in 
Newark, New Jersey, Jerry Lewis began his career 
by performing in local nightclubs. 
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(3) With his hope of breaking into show busi-
ness fading, Jerry Lewis was encouraged by his fel-
low comedians to continue his act, and soon there-
after, he formed a show business partnership with 
Dean Martin that would skyrocket both to fame. 
While performing with Martin in New York City, the 
pair was approached by a motion picture executive 
who offered them a contract with Paramount Pic-
tures. They went on to make 16 major motion pic-
tures during their 10-year partnership. 
(4) Jerry Lewis’ talent and enthusiasm kept 
America laughing during some of the most turbulent 
periods in our history, World War II, the Cold War, 
and the assassinations of President John F. Ken-
nedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the 
most successful performers in show business, Jerry 
Lewis has received worldwide acclaim for his unique 
ability and style with both comedy and drama. He 
has been the star of stage, screen, radio, television, 
print, and recordings. He is considered among the 
elite in the history of comedy. 
(5) But aside from his comic persona, Jerry 
Lewis has been an active champion for the Muscular 
Dystrophy Association (MDA) since the early 1950s. 
In 1966, he began the ‘‘Jerry Lewis MDA Labor 
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Day Telethon,’’ an annual television program that 
benefits children and adults affected by muscular 
dystrophy and related neuromuscular diseases. Now 
in its 42nd year, the show, which is broadcast on 
some 200 stations nationwide, including Puerto 
Rico, and worldwide on the Internet, raises tens of 
millions of dollars annually. 
(6) Jerry Lewis summed up why he devotes so 
much of his time and energy to this cause with the 
words: ‘‘I shall pass through this world but once. 
Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness 
that I can show to any human being let me do it 
now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not 
pass this way again.’’. 
(7) Jerry Lewis has received numerous awards 
for his outstanding service to our Nation. He was 
nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his dedica-
tion to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. 
(8) In June of 1978, the communications in-
dustry honored Jerry Lewis with the National Asso-
ciation of Television Program Executives Award of 
the Year for his humanitarian efforts in raising 
funds to combat neuromuscular diseases. Among his 
numerous awards are induction into the French Le-
gion of Honor as ‘‘Legion Commander,’’ the Mur-
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ray-Green Award for Community Service, the high-
est honor that the AFL–CIO bestows upon an indi-
vidual, the American Medical Association Lifetime 
Achievement Award, and the Governor’s Award 
(Emmy) from the Academy of Television Arts and 
Sciences. 
(9) In September of 1976, the United States 
Senate unanimously adopted a resolution expressing 
their appreciation of his philanthropic endeavors and 
in particular his fight to find a cure for muscular 
dystrophy. In February 2001, Jerry Lewis led a del-
egation of MDA scientists and clients to testify be-
fore a subcommittee of the United States Senate re-
sulting in the introduction and subsequent passage 
of the MD-Care Act (Public Law 107–84; 115 Stat. 
823), a first step toward securing a dramatic boost 
in Federal funding for research into all forms of 
muscular dystrophy. 
(10) Joining the ranks of distinguished congres-
sional gold medal recipients would be a fitting acco-
lade to this consummate entertainer, world-renowned 
humanitarian and ‘‘living legend’’ who has served for 
some 5 decades as National Chairman of the Mus-
cular Dystrophy Association. 
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SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The President 
Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House 
of Representatives are authorized to make appropriate ar-
rangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, 
of a gold medal of appropriate design to Jerry Lewis, in 
recognition of his outstanding service to the Nation. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purpose of the 
presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 
of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 
‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable em-
blems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the 
Secretary. 
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre-
scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 
bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 at 
a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, 
and the cost of the gold medal. 
SEC. 4. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS. 
(a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck under 
this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 
of title 31, United States Code. 
(b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 
5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 
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struck pursuant to this Act shall be considered numis-
matic items. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS 
OF SALE. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be charged against the United States 
Mint Public Enterprise Fund, such sums as may be nec-
essary to pay for the cost of the medals struck pursuant 
to this Act. 
(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. 
Æ 
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