I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1900
To award a congressional gold medal to Jackie Robinson (posthumously), 
in recognition of his many contributions to the Nation, and to express 
the sense of the Congress that there should be a national day in recogni-
tion of Jackie Robinson. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 30, 2003
Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts (for himself, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. FORD, 
Mr. BECERRA, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. RUSH, Mr. WYNN, 
Ms. JACKSON-LEE
of Texas, Mr. WATT, Mr. WAXMAN, Mrs. 
CHRISTENSEN, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. OWENS, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 
CUMMINGS, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. UPTON, Mr. BROWN of 
Ohio, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. OLVER, Mr. FERGUSON, Ms. LEE, Mr. NEY, 
Mr. BALLANCE, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. FATTAH, Ms. 
MAJETTE, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. 
BOEHLERT, Ms. NORTON, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. SWEENEY, and Mr. JOHN-
SON of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To award a congressional gold medal to Jackie Robinson 
(posthumously), in recognition 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 Representa-
tives 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 Amer-
ica. 
(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 Association of America. 
(5) In 1962, Jackie Robinson was elected to the 
Baseball Hall of Fame. 
(6) Although the achievements of Jackie Robin-
son 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 be-
fore the United States military was desegregated by 
President Harry Truman, before the civil rights 
marches took place in the South, and before the Su-
preme 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, integ-
rity, and athletic ability so rapidly that, by the end 
of 1947, he finished ahead of President Harry Tru-
man, General Dwight Eisenhower, General Douglas 
MacArthur, and Bob Hope in a national poll for the 
most popular person in America, finishing only be-
hind Bing Crosby. 
(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 in-
fluenced 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 Americans. 
(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 edu-
cational opportunities. 
(13) The legacy and personal achievements of 
Jackie Robinson, as an athlete, a business leader, 
and a citizen, have had a lasting and positive influ-
ence 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 ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 
devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec-
retary.
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 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 purpose of recognizing the accomplishments 
of Jackie Robinson; and
(2) the President should issue a proclamation 
calling on the people of the United States to observe 
the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
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