,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ecdj  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,december #f1        
#bjai,mr4 ,rush introduced the following
 bill2 which was referred to the        
,committee on ,financial ,services1 and 
in addition to the ,committee on        
,foreign ,affairs1 for a period to be   
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to award posthumously a     
,congressional ,gold ,medal to ,hazel   
,m4 ,johnson1 in recognition of her     
achievements and contributions to the   
environmental justice movement4  #a4    
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,hazel ,m4 ,johnson ,congressional  
,gold ,medal ,act4  #b4 ,findings ,the  
,congress finds the following3  7#a7    
,hazel ,johnson fought for environmental
 justice in ,chicago beginning in the   
#aigjs and continuing through the rest  
of her life4  7#b7 ,when ,johnson       

discovered that the ,south ,side of     
,chicago had the highest cancer rate of 
any area in ,chicago1 she was inspired  
to investigate the cancer rates1 foul   
odors1 and number of children with      
respiratory illnesses in her own        
neighborhood1 the community of ,altgeld 
,gardens on the ,south ,side of         
,chicago4  7#c7 ,she discovered her     
community1 ,altgeld ,gardens1 which is a
 public housing project1 was built on a 
landfill surrounded by toxicity1 which  
polluted the air1 water1 and land4  7#d7
 ,additionally1 the ,altgeld ,gardens   
homes had asbestos and elevated lead    
levels4  7#e7 ,this discovery inspired  
,johnson to create the ,people for      
,community ,recovery1 an organization   
which fights for a safer environment4   
7#f7 ,johnson and the ,people for       
,community ,recovery fought to educate  
and empower the residents of ,altgeld   
,gardens1 including providing workshops 
and trainings1 conducting health        
surveys1 rallying residents to protest  

contamination1 and working with youth in
 the community4  7#g7 ,the ,people for  
,community ,recovery put pressure on the
 ,chicago ,housing ,authority to remove 
asbestos from ,altgeld ,gardens4  7#h7  
,johnson's fight for clean water led to 
the installation of water and sewer     
lines by city health officials in the   
far ,south ,side neighborhood of        
,maryland ,manor1 where the existing    
well water was contaminated with cyanide
 and other toxins4  7#i7 ,johnson used  
her vigilance and activism to give      
low-income minority communities a voice 
and a stake in the environmental justice
 fight by bringing the conversation to  
personal1 immediate1 and urgent concerns
 which directly impact communities      
inhabited by people of color4  7#aj7    
,johnson also strove to hold both       
businesses and the government           
responsible for how their actions impact
 the environment4  7#aa7 ,johnson was   
given the #aiib ,president's            
,environment and ,conservation          

,challenge ,award in recognition of her 
environmental justice work4  7#ab7      
,notably1 ,johnson was instrumental in  
pressuring ,president ,bill ,clinton to 
sign the ,environmental ,justice        
,executive ,order1 which holds the      
,federal ,government accountable for    
urban communities exposed to pollution4 
7#ac7 ,in #bjjd1 sociologist ,david     
,naguib ,pellow credited ,johnson and   
the ,people for ,community ,recovery    
with putting the ,south ,side of        
,chicago on the radar screen for        
activists and policy makers around the  
,united ,states who are concerned about 
environmental racism4  7#ad7 ,on        
,january #ab1 #bjaa1 the ,illinois      
,general ,assembly1 by way of a ,house  
,joint ,resolution1 designated the      
portion of #acjth ,street from the      
,bishop ,ford ,freeway to ,state ,street
 in ,chicago as the ,hazel ,johnson ,,ej
 ,way4  7#ae7 ,johnson was a visionary1 
who was able to foresee the impacts of  
failing to address environmental and    

social justice conditions4  7#af7       
,johnson's work earned her the title of 
mother of the environmental justice     
movement4  #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 to  
,hazel ,m4 ,johnson1 in recognition of  
her achievements and contributions to   
the environmental justice movement4  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  7c7 ,national ,museum  
of ,african ,american ,history and      
,culture  7#a7 ,in general ,following   

the award of the gold medal under       
subsection 7a71 the gold medal shall be 
given to the ,national ,museum of       
,african ,american ,history and ,culture
 of the ,smithsonian ,institution1 where
 it shall be available for display as   
appropriate and made available for      
research4  7#b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it 
is the sense of ,congress that the gold 
medal received under paragraph 7#a7     
should be made available for display    
elsewhere1 particularly at other        
appropriate locations associated with   
,hazel ,m4 ,johnson4  #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