I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 5955 To posthumously award a Congressional gold medal to Muhammad Ali, in recognition of his contributions to the Nation. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 25, 2020 Mr. CARSON of Indiana introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services A BILL To posthumously award a Congressional gold medal to Mu- hammad Ali, in recognition of his contributions to the Nation. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Muhammad Ali Con- 4 gressional Gold Medal Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 (1) Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., on Janu- 8 ary 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, Muhammad 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5955.IH H5955 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 5955 IH Ali was the first child of Cassius, Sr., and Odessa 1 Clay. 2 (2) Muhammad Ali was one of the most cele- 3 brated athletes of the 20th century. He produced 4 some of America’s greatest sports memories, from 5 winning a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics 6 to lighting the Olympic torch at the 1996 Summer 7 Olympics. 8 (3) After an impressive amateur career, during 9 which he recorded 131 wins and only 7 losses and 10 won 2 National AAU light heavyweight titles, Mu- 11 hammad Ali became the first professional boxer in 12 history to capture the heavyweight title 3 separate 13 times. 14 (4) Muhammad Ali defeated every challenger he 15 faced in the ring. But, on April 28, 1967, he was 16 stripped of his boxing title and barred from com- 17 peting for being a conscientious objector to the war 18 in Vietnam on religious and moral grounds. How- 19 ever, following a unanimous United States Supreme 20 Court decision in 1971, Muhammad Ali’s conscien- 21 tious objector status was confirmed, his boxing li- 22 cense was reinstated, and he was cleared of any 23 wrongdoing. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5955.IH H5955 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 5955 IH (5) As an African American and a Muslim who 1 lived in an era that continued to question his civil 2 rights, Muhammad Ali battled issues of race and re- 3 ligion, and received recognition as one of the cham- 4 pions of the Civil Rights Movement in the United 5 States. 6 (6) Muhammad Ali was the recipient of many 7 awards for his sporting prowess and his support of 8 racial harmony, including the Dr. Martin Luther 9 King Memorial Award, the Spirit of America Award, 10 the Amnesty International Lifetime Achievement 11 Award, the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, the Es- 12 sence Living Legend Award, the Rainbow Coalition 13 Lifetime Achievement Award, the XNBA Human 14 Spirit Award, the Presidential Citizens Medal, and 15 the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 16 (7) Muhammad Ali was acknowledged by many 17 organizations for his achievements both inside and 18 outside the boxing ring, including being crowned 19 ‘‘Sportsman of the Century’’ by Sports Illustrated, 20 being named ‘‘Athlete of the Century’’ by GQ maga- 21 zine, being named ‘‘Sports Personality of the Cen- 22 tury’’ by the British Broadcasting Corporation, 23 being named ‘‘Kentucky Athlete of the Century’’ by 24 the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame, being named 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5955.IH H5955 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 5955 IH ‘‘Kentuckian of the Century’’ by the State of Ken- 1 tucky, being named ‘‘Louisvillian of the Century’’ by 2 the Advertising Club of Louisville, being named 3 ‘‘Boxer of the Century’’ by the World Sports Awards 4 of the Century, being recognized by the Inter- 5 national Boxing Hall of Fame, and receiving hon- 6 orary doctorate degrees from Muhlenberg College 7 and Western Kentucky University, as well as an 8 honorary doctorate of humanities at Princeton Uni- 9 versity’s 260th graduation ceremony. 10 (8) Muhammad Ali received the prestigious 11 ‘‘Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold’’ from the United 12 Nations Association of Germany for his work with 13 the United Nations and the Civil Rights Movement 14 in the United States. 15 (9) Muhammad Ali was selected by the Cali- 16 fornia Bicentennial Foundation for the U.S. Con- 17 stitution for personifying the vitality of the Bill of 18 Rights in various high-profile activities. 19 (10) Despite having been diagnosed with Par- 20 kinson’s Syndrome in the early 1980s, Muhammad 21 Ali dedicated his life to the cause of universal 22 human rights and freedom. His commitment to 23 equal justice and peace touched the lives of hundreds 24 of thousands of people worldwide. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5955.IH H5955 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 5955 IH (11) President Jimmy Carter asked Muhammad 1 Ali to meet with African leaders in Tanzania, Kenya, 2 Nigeria, Liberia, and Senegal as part of President 3 Carter’s diplomatic efforts on behalf of human rights 4 in the 1980s. 5 (12) In 1990, Muhammad Ali traveled to the 6 Middle East to seek the release of American and 7 British hostages that were being held as human 8 shields in the first Gulf War. As a result of his 9 intervention, 15 United States hostages were freed 10 on December 2nd of that year. 11 (13) In 1998, Muhammad Ali was chosen as 12 the ‘‘U.N. Messenger of Peace’’. 13 (14) Several Presidents of the United States 14 recognized Muhammad Ali, including President 15 George W. Bush who, on November 17, 2002, called 16 him ‘‘a man of peace’’ and stated that ‘‘across the 17 world, billions of people know Muhammad Ali as a 18 brave, compassionate, and charming man, and the 19 American people are proud to call Muhammad Ali 20 one of our own’’, President Bill Clinton who stated 21 that Muhammad Ali ‘‘captured the world’s imagina- 22 tion and its heart. Outside the ring, Muhammad Ali 23 has dedicated his life to working for children, feed- 24 ing the hungry, supporting his faith, and standing 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5955.IH H5955 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 5955 IH up for racial equality. He always fought for a just 1 and more humane world, breaking down barriers 2 here in America and around the world. There is no 3 telling how many tens of millions of people had their 4 hearts swell with pride and their eyes swell with 5 tears in 1996 when Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic 6 torch, because we know, now and forever, he is the 7 greatest’’, President Jimmy Carter who cited Mu- 8 hammad Ali as ‘‘Mr. International Friendship’’, and 9 President Barack Obama who, as a Senator, had a 10 framed picture of Muhammad Ali hanging in his of- 11 fice, and before announcing his intentions to run for 12 President, Obama visited with Muhammad Ali at the 13 Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky. 14 (15) Muhammad Ali encouraged humanity 15 through his perseverance and the support of thou- 16 sands of people. He helped such organizations as the 17 Chicago-based adoption agency, The Cradle; the 18 Make-A-Wish Foundation; the Special Olympics’ or- 19 ganization, Best Buddies; and Herbert E. Birch 20 Services, an organization that runs a school for 21 handicapped children and young adults, in addition 22 to a summer camp for children with AIDS. 23 (16) Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie were 24 the founding directors of the Muhammad Ali Par- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5955.IH H5955 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 5955 IH kinson Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and helped raise 1 over $50,000,000 for Parkinson’s research. The 2 Center’s mission is to provide excellence in treat- 3 ment, research, and education for patients and fami- 4 lies affected by Parkinson’s disease and other move- 5 ment disorders, regardless of their ability to pay. 6 (17) Muhammad Ali was an inspiration to 7 countless individuals with Parkinson’s disease, in- 8 cluding members of the Rock Steady Boxing Foun- 9 dation in Indianapolis, Indiana, which was founded 10 to give people with Parkinson’s disease hope by im- 11 proving their quality of life using boxing for fitness. 12 (18) Muhammad Ali was one of the founding 13 members of Athletes for Hope, an organization cre- 14 ated by a few very successful athletes of exemplary 15 character who have a deep commitment to charitable 16 and community causes. 17 (19) Muhammad Ali also established the Mu- 18 hammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville, 19 Kentucky, which promotes respect, hope, and under- 20 standing, and inspires people everywhere to be as 21 great as they can be. A visitor of the Muhammad Ali 22 Center experiences the ‘‘hows’’ of Ali’s life: How he 23 found the courage, the dedication, and the discipline 24 to become a world champion; how he found the con- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5955.IH H5955 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 5955 IH viction to stand up for what he believed; and how he 1 turned his passion for excellence in the ring to a 2 passion for peace on the world stage. 3 (20) Like Muhammad Ali himself, the Muham- 4 mad Ali Center focuses on what brings individuals 5 together, not what sets them apart, and is a ‘‘global 6 gathering place’’ to which people can come, both on- 7 line and in person, to learn, share, and celebrate our 8 commonalities as human beings and to formulate 9 ways of advancing humanity. 10 (21) Muhammad Ali helped to provide more 11 than 22,000,000 aid packets to assist people in 12 need, and until the last years of his life, he traveled, 13 on average, more than 200 days per year for human- 14 itarian causes. 15 (22) Muhammad Ali, known simply as ‘‘the 16 greatest,’’ transcended the glamour and glory of 17 being a sports champion to become not only one of 18 the greatest sports figures, but one of the greatest 19 role models of our time. 20 (23) On June 3, 2016, Muhammad Ali died at 21 the age of 74. 22 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 23 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 24 the House of Representatives and the President pro tem- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5955.IH H5955 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 5955 IH pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 1 for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold 2 medal of appropriate design, to Muhammad Ali, in rec- 3 ognition of his contributions to the Nation. 4 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purpose of the 5 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 6 of the Treasury (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the 7 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable em- 8 blems, devices, and inscriptions to be determined by the 9 Secretary. 10 (c) TRANSFER OF MEDAL AFTER PRESENTATION.— 11 Following the presentation of the gold medal in honor of 12 Muhammad Ali under subsection (a), the gold medal shall 13 be given to his wife, Lonnie Ali. 14 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 15 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre- 16 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 17 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 at 18 a price sufficient to cover the cost of the bronze medals 19 (including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 20 overhead expenses) and the cost of the gold medal. 21 SEC. 5. NATIONAL MEDALS. 22 The medals struck under this Act are national medals 23 for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. 24 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H5955.IH H5955 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS