I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 660
To award a congressional gold medal to Ossie Davis in recognition of his 
many contributions to the Nation. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 8, 2005
Mr. RANGEL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To award a congressional gold medal to Ossie Davis in 
recognition of his many contributions 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. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ossie Davis Congres-
sional Gold Medal Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Raiford Chatman ‘‘Ossie’’ Davis was born 
on December 18, 1917, in Cogdell, Georgia, the eld-
est of 5 children, and died at the age of 87 in 
Miami, Florida, on February 4, 2005. 
(2) A gifted actor, playwright, producer, screen-
writer, director, and author, Ossie Davis was ad-
mired as a trailblazing entertainer and an unwaver-
ing advocate for social justice. 
(3) Over a 50-year career, Ossie Davis por-
trayed the lives and times of African Americans in 
many memorable performances on stage, television, 
and film. 
(4) Ossie Davis wrote numerous plays, books, 
and musicals that raised the Nation’s awareness of 
the challenges faced by African Americans in this 
country, and highlighted the nobility of their cause. 
(5) Ossie Davis portrayed positive and inspira-
tional images of African Americans in their strug-
gles under slavery and segregation, and served as a 
role model for future generations of American per-
formers and artists. 
(6) A steadfast voice for equality and social jus-
tice, Ossie Davis was an advocate for the dispos-
sessed and disenfranchised through his performing 
arts, civic engagement, and public activism. 
(7) Among his many noteworthy and acclaimed 
accomplishments, Ossie Davis wrote and starred in
the theatrical production ‘‘Purlie Victorious’’, di-
rected the movie ‘‘Cotton Comes to Harlem’’, and 
starred in the stage play ‘‘A Raisin in the Sun’’. 
(8) Ossie Davis and his wife of 56 years, Ruby 
Dee, were one of the most respected couples of the 
American entertainment industry, appearing to-
gether in several stage productions, television series, 
and movies, and producing ‘‘Countdown to Kusini’’, 
the first American feature film to be recorded en-
tirely in Africa by black professionals. 
(9) In recognition of his theatrical achieve-
ments, Ossie Davis received the Silver Circle Award 
from the National Academy of Television Arts and 
Sciences, the National Medal of Arts awarded by the 
President, the Life Achievement Award from the 
Screen Actors Guild, and the Kennedy Center Hon-
ors, the most prestigious public recognition of an 
artist’s lifetime contributions in the performing arts 
in the United States. 
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—In recognition of 
the many contributions of Ossie Davis to the Nation, the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Presi-
dent pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate 
arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of the Con-
gress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to the per-
sonal representative of Ossie Davis. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purpose of the 
presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 
of the Treasury (hereinafter 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. 4. 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 under section 3 at a price 
sufficient to cover the costs of the gold and bronze medals, 
including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
overhead expenses. 
SEC. 5. NATIONAL MEDALS. 
The medals struck under this Act are national medals 
for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. 
SEC. 6. FUNDING. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 
authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 
Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec-
essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant 
to this Act.
(b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 
sale of duplicate bronze medals under section 4 shall be 
deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise 
Fund.
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