,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #digb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,june #be1 #bjad ,mr4
 ,payne introduced the following bill2  
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,financial ,services  ,a ,,bill  ,to    
award posthumously a ,congressional     
,gold ,medal to ,althea ,gibson1 in     
recognition of her groundbreaking       
achievements in athletics and her       
commitment to ending racial             
discrimination and prejudice within the 
world of athletics4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the ,althea  
,gibson ,excellence ,act4  #b4 ,findings
 ,the ,congress finds the following3    
7#a7 ,althea ,gibson was born ,august   
#be1 #aibg1 in ,silver1 ,south          
,carolina4  7#b7 ,althea ,gibson lived  
with her family in ,harlem during the   
#aicjs and #aidjs4 ,she was first       
introduced to tennis on the ,harlem     
,river ,tennis ,courts4 ,she went on to 
dominate the all-,black ,american       
,tennis ,association tournaments        

throughout the early #aidjs1 when racism
 and segregation prevented her from     
participating in tournaments sponsored  
by the ,united ,states ,lawn ,tennis    
,association 7,,uslta74  7#c7 ,althea   
,gibson graduated from ,florida ,a  ,m  
,university in #aiec1 and was an        
athletic instructor at the ,lincoln     
,university in ,jefferson ,city1        
,missouri4  7#d7 ,despite her           
extraordinary athletic prowess1 ,althea 
was repeatedly denied entry into the    
world's top tennis tournaments based on 
the color of her skin4 ,alice ,marble1 a
 four-time ,u4,s4 ,open champion1 wrote 
a historic editorial published in the   
,july #aiej ,american ,lawn ,tennis     
magazine1 condemning the sport of tennis
 for excluding players of ,althea       
,gibson's caliber4  7#e7 ,althea        
excelled in the ,eastern ,grass ,court  
,championships at the ,orange ,lawn     
,tennis ,club in ,south ,orange1 ,new   
,jersey4 ,her outstanding grass play    
caused the ,,uslta to reevaluate its    

policy providing ,althea a bid to       
,forest ,hills4  7#f7 ,althea was the   
first ,african-,american to win         
championships at famous tournaments1    
such as the ,french ,open1 the ,united  
,states ,open1 the ,australian ,doubles1
 and ,wimbledon in the #aiejs4  7#g7    
,althea broke the color barrier to      
become the first ,african-,american     
player1 either male or female1 to be    
allowed to enter the ,forest ,hills1    
,new ,york1 ,championship in #aiej4     
7#h7 ,althea ,gibson's tennis career    
flourished1 even in the face of         
discrimination4 ,she was the first      
,african-,american invited to ,wimbledon
 in #aiea1 eventually winning both the  
women's singles and doubles in #aieg and
 #aieh4  7#i7 ,she would go on to become
 the first ,african-,american woman to  
win the championship at the ,french     
,open in #aief4  7#aj7 ,during her      
career1 she won #ef doubles and singles 
titles before gaining national and      
international acclaim for her athletic  

feats in professional tennis leagues4   
,in the late #aiejs1 ,gibson won eleven 
major titles including three straight   
doubles at the ,french ,open in #aief1  
#aieg1 and #aieh and the ,u4,s4 ,open in
 #aieg and #aieh4  7#aa7 ,althea was the
 first ,african-,american to be named as
 the ,female ,athlete of the ,year by   
the ,associated ,press in #aieg4 ,she   
was given that honor again the following
 year4 ,when she won her second ,u4,s4  
,championship1 she went professional at 
the age of #ca4  7#ab7 ,as further      
evidence to ,althea's athletic gift1    
after finishing her amateur tennis      
career1 she became a professional golfer
 in #aiei4 ,she was also the first      
,african-,american woman to hold a      
membership in the ,ladies ,professional 
,golf ,association 7,,lgpa74  7#ac7     
,after retiring from golf1 ,althea      
,gibson shifted her focus to public     
service4 ,in #aige1 ,althea ,gibson was 
named the ,new ,jersey ,commissioner of 
,athletics4 ,she held this position and 

also served on both the ,state's        
,athletics ,control ,board and the      
,governor's ,council on ,physical       
,fitness4  7#ad7 ,althea ,gibson was    
inducted into the prestigious           
,international ,tennis ,hall of ,fame in
 #aiga and to the ,international        
,women's ,sports ,hall of ,fame in      
#aihj4  7#ae7 ,in #aiia1 the ,national  
,collegiate ,athletic ,association      
7,,ncaa7 honored ,althea ,gibson with   
the ,theodore ,roosevelt ,award1 the    
highest honor the organization may      
confer on an individual4 ,she was the   
first woman ever to receive this        
distinguished honor4  7#af7 ,althea     
passed away in ,east ,orange1 ,,nj1 on  
,september #bh1 #bjjc4  7#ag7 ,althea   
,gibson was a trailblazer whose         
experiences and successes paved the way 
for other great ,african-,american      
tennis players like ,arthur ,ashe4      
7#ah7 ,the legacy of ,althea ,gibson    
continues to serve as an inspiration and
 a shining example for the ,nation's    

youth4  7#ai7 ,joining the ranks of     
other distinguished ,congressional ,gold
 ,medal recipients would be a fitting   
accolade to the achievements of ,althea 
,gibson4  #c4 ,congressional gold medal 
7a7 ,presentation ,authorized ,the      
,speaker of the ,house of               
,representatives and the ,president pro 
tempore of the ,senate shall make       
appropriate arrangements for the        
posthumous presentation1 on behalf of   
the ,congress1 of a gold medal of       
appropriate design in commemoration of  
,althea ,gibson1 in recognition of her  
groundbreaking achievements in athletics
 and her commitment to ending racial    
discrimination and prejudice within the 
world of athletics4  7b7 ,design and    
striking ,for purposes of the           
presentation referred to in subsection  
7a71 the ,secretary of the ,treasury    
7referred to in this ,act as the        
,secretary7 shall strike a gold medal   
with suitable emblems1 devices1 and     
inscriptions1 to be determined by the   

,secretary4  #d4 ,duplicate medals ,the 
,secretary may strike and sell          
duplicates in bronze of the gold medal  
struck pursuant to section #c under such
 regulations as the ,secretary may      
prescribe1 at a price sufficient to     
cover the cost thereof1 including labor1
 materials1 dies1 use of machinery1 and 
overhead expenses1 and the cost of the  
gold medal4  #e4 ,status of medals  7a7 
,national medals ,the medals struck     
pursuant to this ,act are national      
medals for purposes of chapter #ea of   
title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code4  7b7  
,numismatic items ,for purposes of      
section #eacd of title #ca1 ,united     
,states ,code1 all medals struck under  
this ,act shall be considered to be     
numismatic items4  #f4 ,authority ,to   
use fund amounts2 proceeds of sale  7a7 
,authority ,to use fund amounts ,there  
is authorized to be charged against the 
,united ,states ,mint ,public           
,enterprise ,fund1 such amounts as may  
be necessary to pay for the costs of the

 medals struck pursuant to this ,act4   
7b7 ,proceeds of sale ,amounts received 
from the sale of duplicate bronze medals
 authorized under section #d shall be   
deposited into the ,united ,states ,mint
 ,public ,enterprise ,fund4