Public Law 108-101
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 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 Association 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, General Douglas MacArthur, and Bob Hope in a national poll for the most popular person in America, finishing only behind 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 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 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 educational 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 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 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.
Approved October 29, 2003.