A bill to authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf of the Congress to Rosa Parks in recognition of her contributions to the Nation.
PL 106-26 (S.531), enacted 05/04/1999

113 STAT. 50 
PUBLIC LAW 106-26—MAY 4, 1999 
Public Law 106-26 
106th Congress 
An Act 
May 4, 1999 
[S. 531] 
31 u s e 5111 
note. 
James McCauley. 
Leona McCauley. 
Raymond Parks. 
To authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf of the Congress 
to Rosa Parks in recognition of her contributions to the Nation. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDOJGS. 
The Congress finds that— 
(1) Rosa Parks was bom on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, 
Alabama, the first child of James and Leona (Edwards) 
McCauley; 
(2) Rosa Parks is honored as the "first lady of civil rights" 
and the "mother of the freedom movement", and her quiet 
dignity ignited the most significant social movement in the 
history of the United States; 
(3) Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955, in Mont-
gomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat on a bus 
to a white man, and her stand for equal rights became leg-
endary; 
(4) news of Rosa Parks' arrest resulted in 42,000 African 
Americans boycotting Montgomery buses for 381 days, begin-
ning on December 5, 1955, until the bus segregation laws 
were changed on December 21, 1956; 
(5) the United States Supreme Court ruled on November 
13, 1956, that the Montgomery segregation law was unconstitu-
tional, and on December 20, 1956, Montgomery officials were 
ordered to desegregate buses; 
(6) the civil rights movement led to the Civil Rights Act 
of 1964, which broke down the barriers of legal discrimination 
against African Americans and made equality before the law 
a reality for all Americans; 
(7) Rosa Parks is the recipient of many awards and 
accolades for her efforts on behalf of racial harmony, including 
the Springam Award, the NAACFs highest honor for civil 
rights contributions, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the 
Nation's highest civilian honor, and the first International 
Freedom Conductor Award from the National Undergroxmd 
Railroad Freedom Center; 
(8) Rosa Parks has dedicated her life to the cause of uni-
versal human rights and truly embodies the love of humanity 
and freedom; 
(9) Rosa Parks was the first woman to join the Montgomery 
chapter of the NAACP, was an active volunteer for the Mont-
gomery Voters League, and in 1987, cofounded the Rosa and 
Ra3anond Parks Institute for Self-Development; 
PUBLIC LAW 106-26—MAY 4, 1999 
113 STAT. 51 
(10) Rosa Parks, by her quiet courage, sjonbolizes all that 
is vital about nonviolent protest, as she endured threats of 
death and persisted as an advocate for the simple, basic lessons 
she taught the Nation and from which the Nation has benefited 
immeasurably; and 
(11) Rosa Parks, who has resided in the State of Michigan 
since 1957, has become a living icon for freedom in America. 
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The President is authorized 
to award to Rosa Parks, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal 
of appropriate design honoring Rosa Parks in recognition of her 
contributions to the Nation. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the award 
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 emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined 
by the Secretary. 
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the 
gold medal struck pursuant to section 2, under such regulations 
as the Secretary may prescribe, and at a price sufficient to cover 
the costs thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, 
and overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold medal. 
SEC. 4. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS. 
The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals 
for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. 
SEC. 5. FUNDING. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—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 medals authorized by this Act. 
(b) PROCEEDS OP SALE.—^Amounts received from the sale of 
duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be deposited in the 
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund. 
Approved May 4, 1999. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—8. 531 (H.R. 573): 
C O N G R E S S I O N A L RECORD, Vol. 145 (1999): 
Apr. 19, considered and passed Senate. 
Apr. 20, considered and passed House. 
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 35 (1999): 
May 4, Presidential statement.