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 recogni-
tion 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 Associa-
tion 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, Gen-
eral Douglas MacArthur, and Bob Hope in a national poll
for the most popular person in America, finishing only behind
Bing Crosby.
H. R. 1900—2
(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 Ameri-
cans.
(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 Robin-
son, 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 pur-
pose of recognizing the accomplishments of Jackie Robinson;
and
H. R. 1900—3
(2) the President should issue a proclamation calling on
the people of the United States to observe the day with appro-
priate ceremonies and activities.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.