[106th Congress Public Law 26] [From the U.S. Government Printing Office] <DOC> [DOCID: f:publ026.106] Public Law 106-26 106th Congress An Act 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. <<NOTE: May 4, 1999 - [S. 531]>> Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: 31 USC 5111 note.>> SECTION 1. FINDINGS. The Congress finds that-- (1) <<NOTE: James McCauley. Leona McCauley.>> Rosa Parks was born 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 Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, and her stand for equal rights became legendary; (4) news of Rosa Parks' arrest resulted in 42,000 African Americans boycotting Montgomery buses for 381 days, beginning 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 unconstitutional, 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 Springarn Award, the NAACP's 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 Underground Railroad Freedom Center; (8) Rosa Parks has dedicated her life to the cause of universal human rights and truly embodies the love of humanity and freedom; (9) <<NOTE: Raymond Parks.>> Rosa Parks was the first woman to join the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP, was an active volunteer for the Montgomery Voters League, and in 1987, cofounded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self- Development; (10) Rosa Parks, by her quiet courage, symbolizes 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 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. Approved May 4, 1999. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 531 (H.R. 573): --------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONGRESSIONAL 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. <all>