,,ii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #debh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #ab1 #bjbd ,mr4 ,braun 7for himself and ,mr4 ,warnock7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1 and ,urban ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to award posthumously a ,congressional ,gold ,medal to ,marshall ,walter ,major ,taylor in recognition of his significance to the nation as an athlete1 trailblazer1 role model1 and equal rights advocate4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,marshall ,walter ,major ,taylor ,congressional ,gold ,medal ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,marshall ,walter ,major ,taylor was born in ,indianapolis1 ,indiana1 on ,november #bf1 #ahgh1 to ,black parents who likely had been enslaved in ,kentucky1 and died impoverished on ,june #ba1 #aicb1 in a hospital charity ward in ,chicago1 ,illinois4 7#b7 ,as a child1 ,taylor spent considerable time at the home of a wealthy ,white family in ,indianapolis who employed his father as a coachman1 treated the ,black youngster as an equal to their son1 ,daniel ,southard1 and gave ,taylor his first bicycle4 7#c7 ,taylor acquired the nickname ,major in his youth when he performed bicycle tricks outside his workplace1 the ,hay ,willits bike shop in ,indianapolis1 while wearing a military-style jacket1 and he won his first bike race in #ahij at age #aa4 7#d7 ,taylor moved to ,worcester1 ,massachusetts1 with his employer1 mentor1 and racing manager1 ,louis ,d4 ,birdie ,munger1 in #ahie1 and became known in his sport not only for his lightning sprints but also for his good sportsmanship1 disciplined physical training1 and devotion to his religion4 7#e7 ,taylor received a professional racing license from the ,league of ,american ,wheelmen at age #ah despite the ,league's #ahid whites only rule for amateur membership and made his professional debut in ,december #ahif in a #f-;day race at ,madison ,square ,garden in ,new ,york1 ,new ,york1 defeating national champion ,eddie ,bald in a half-mile exhibition race on the eve of the #f-;day endurance contest and placing eighth in the #f-;day track cycling competition4 7#f7 ,in #ahig1 ,taylor earned a spot alongside #d ,white men on one of the first racially integrated professional sports teams in the ,united ,states1 a #e-man squad that won a ,boston v4 ,philadelphia pursuit race held in ,cambridge1 ,massachusetts4 7#g7 ,taylor set numerous world speed records and held #g world records at the end of #ahih for various distances1 including the coveted #a mile1 and he further lowered the #a-mile world record to #a minute1 #ai seconds in #ahii4 7#h7 ,taylor overcame racial prejudice throughout his career1 showing remarkable dignity in the face of closed doors and open hostility1 including race-based denial of meals and lodging1 racist cartoons and caricatures1 bureaucratic maneuvers that threatened his racing eligibility1 race-based exclusion from certain tracks and competitions on the national circuit1 plots and tactics by ,white opponents to box him in on the track1 cause him to crash1 or prevent him from competing in the first place1 a post-race choking by a competitor on a racetrack in ,taunton1 ,massachusetts1 that left ,taylor unconscious1 objections by ,white neighbors to his purchase of a house in ,worcester1 and a death threat signed ,white ,riders that was delivered in ,savannah1 ,georgia4 7#i7 ,taylor was one of the first ,black athletes to secure corporate sponsorship1 representing bicycle brands such as ,iver ,johnson1 ,sager1 ,stearns1 and ,orient1 and he became one of the wealthiest ,black men in the ,united ,states and a substantial benefactor to his church in ,worcester4 7#aj7 ,taylor pioneered the use of an innovative adjustable handlebar stem1 using the extension to improve his aerodynamic position1 and to this day this type of outrigger is called a ,major ,taylor stem4 7#aa7 ,taylor won the world #a-mile sprint championship in ,montreal on ,august #aj1 #ahii1 becoming the second ,black athlete to win a world title in any sport1 and won the ,united ,states championship later that year4 7#ab7 ,as a devout ,christian1 ,taylor refused for years to race on ,sundays1 and accordingly he turned down lucrative offers to race in ,europe1 until1 by virtue of his international superstardom1 he could negotiate a no ,sundays provision in a ,european racing contract for #aija4 7#ac7 ,finding refuge in ,france1 where he was still often the only ,black racer on the track1 ,taylor defeated every ,european champion during the course of #f tours of ,europe from #aija to #aiji and also had numerous racing successes in ,australia and ,new ,zealand4 7#ad7 ,after retiring from racing in #aiaj and finding little success in the business world1 ,taylor wrote his #aibh autobiography1 ,the ,fastest ,bicycle ,rider in the ,world1 with an appeal for simple justice1 equal rights1 and a square deal for ,african ,americans in sports and every 4 4 4 human endeavor1 as well as advice for youth on good sportsmanship and clean living4 7#ae7 ,drawing on exemplary determination and perseverance1 ,taylor demonstrated not only dominant athletic prowess but also tremendous strength of character as he broke racial barriers1 reached the pinnacle of international sport1 and served as a role model for generations to come4 #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 ,marshall ,walter ,major ,taylor1 in recognition of his significance to the nation as an athlete1 trailblazer1 role model1 and equal rights advocate4 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 ,the design shall bear an image of1 and an inscription of the name of ,marshall ,walter ,major ,taylor4 7c7 ,disposition of medal ,following the presentation of the gold medal under subsection 7a71 the gold medal shall be given to the great-granddaughter of ,marshall ,walter ,major ,taylor1 ,karen ,donovan4 #d4 ,duplicate medals ,the ,secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under section #c1 at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof1 including labor1 materials1 dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead expenses4 #e4 ,status of medals 7a7 ,national medals ,the medals struck under this ,act are national medals for purposes of chapter #ea of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code4 7b7 ,numismatic items ,for purposes of sections #eacd and #eacf 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 ,fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under this ,act4 7b7 ,proceeds of sales ,amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section #d shall be deposited into the ,united ,states ,mint ,public ,enterprise ,fund4