S. 2886 — Introduced in Senate

II 113th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2886 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 18, 2014 Mr. Wicker (for himself, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mr. Cochran) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs A BILL To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner to commemorate the lives they lost 50 years ago in an effort to bring justice and equality to Americans in Mississippi during Freedom Summer. 1. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) June 21, 2014, marks 50 years since the lives of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were brutally taken on the basis of racism and hatred. (2) Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner were assisting Congress of Racial Equality in Mississippi during the Freedom Summer of 1964, wherein they risked their lives leading voting registration efforts for people who were denied the right to vote. (3) Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner were imprisoned in Neshoba County, Mississippi, without due process and released into the dead of the night into the hands of Klansmen. (4) The disappearance of these devoted civil rights activists captured national attention and led to an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (5) Following a 44-day search by Federal agents, the grim remains of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were discovered in an earthen dam. (6) This tragedy galvanized momentum for the Civil Rights Movement and helped to secure the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and later the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and led to the first permanent Federal Bureau of Investigation field office in the State of Mississippi. (7) Justice was delayed 41 years, to the day, for these three brave men and their families until a Neshoba County jury found 1 of the 18 men originally charged in the case guilty on three counts of murder. (8) These three valiant activists are representative of countless individuals who lost their lives on a quest for justice and equality, including Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie More whose bodies were also found during the massive search for Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner. (9) Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner’s legacy of advocacy and unyielding resolve for justice in the face of peril is one that continues to be embodied in young adults across this great country. (10) It is befitting that Congress bestow the highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, in 2014 to James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, posthumously in recognition of the 50th commemoration of their kidnapping and subsequent murders. 2. Congressional Gold Medal (a) Award authorized The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design, collectively, to James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner to commemorate the lives they lost 50 years ago in an effort to bring justice and equality to Americans in Mississippi during Freedom Summer. (b) Design and striking For purposes of the presentation 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. (c) Award of medal Following the award of the gold medal described in subsection (a), the medal shall be given to Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi, where it shall be available for display or temporary loan to be displayed elsewhere, as appropriate. 3. Duplicate medals (a) In general 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 medal, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. (b) National Medals The medals struck under this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. (c) Numismatic Items For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.