Authorizes the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to comedian Jerry Lewis in recognition of his outstanding service to the Nation.
[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3035 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3035
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Jerry Lewis in recognition of
his outstanding service to the Nation.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 12, 2007
Mr. Payne (for himself, Mr. Porter, and Mr. Bilirakis) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial
Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Jerry Lewis in recognition of
his outstanding service to the Nation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) A native of New Jersey, Jerry Lewis is a gifted
comedian and has been a fixture in the entertainment community
for more than 5 decades.
(2) Born Joseph Levitch on March 16, 1926, in Newark, New
Jersey, Jerry Lewis began his career by performing in local
nightclubs.
(3) With his hope of breaking into show business fading,
Jerry Lewis was encouraged by his fellow comedians to continue
his act, and soon thereafter, he formed a show business
partnership with Dean Martin that would skyrocket both to fame.
While performing with Martin in New York City, the pair was
approached by a motion picture executive who offered them a
contract with Paramount Pictures. They went on to make 16 major
motion pictures during their 10-year partnership.
(4) Jerry Lewis' talent and enthusiasm kept America
laughing during some of the most turbulent periods in our
history, World War II, the Cold War, and the assassinations of
President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One
of the most successful performers in show business, Jerry Lewis
has received worldwide acclaim for his unique ability and style
with both comedy and drama. He has been the star of stage,
screen, radio, television, print, and recordings. He is
considered among the elite in the history of comedy.
(5) But aside from his comic persona, Jerry Lewis has been
an active champion for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA)
since the early 1950s. In 1966, he began the ``Jerry Lewis MDA
Labor Day Telethon,'' an annual television program that
benefits children and adults affected by muscular dystrophy and
related neuromuscular diseases. Now in its 42nd year, the show,
which is broadcast on some 200 stations nationwide, including
Puerto Rico, and worldwide on the Internet, raises tens of
millions of dollars annually.
(6) Jerry Lewis summed up why he devotes so much of his
time and energy to this cause with the words: ``I shall pass
through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do
or any kindness that I can show to any human being let me do it
now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this
way again.''.
(7) Jerry Lewis has received numerous awards for his
outstanding service to our Nation. He was nominated for the
Nobel Peace Prize for his dedication to the Muscular Dystrophy
Association.
(8) In June of 1978, the communications industry honored
Jerry Lewis with the National Association of Television Program
Executives Award of the Year for his humanitarian efforts in
raising funds to combat neuromuscular diseases. Among his
numerous awards are induction into the French Legion of Honor
as ``Legion Commander,'' the Murray-Green Award for Community
Service, the highest honor that the AFL-CIO bestows upon an
individual, the American Medical Association Lifetime
Achievement Award, and the Governor's Award (Emmy) from the
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
(9) In September of 1976, the United States Senate
unanimously adopted a resolution expressing their appreciation
of his philanthropic endeavors and in particular his fight to
find a cure for muscular dystrophy. In February 2001, Jerry
Lewis led a delegation of MDA scientists and clients to testify
before a subcommittee of the United States Senate resulting in
the introduction and subsequent passage of the MD-Care Act
(Public Law 107-84; 115 Stat. 823), a first step toward
securing a dramatic boost in Federal funding for research into
all forms of muscular dystrophy.
(10) Joining the ranks of distinguished congressional gold
medal recipients would be a fitting accolade to this consummate
entertainer, world-renowned humanitarian and ``living legend''
who has served for some 5 decades as National Chairman of the
Muscular Dystrophy Association.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--The President Pro Tempore of the
Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives are authorized
to make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of
Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Jerry Lewis, in
recognition of his outstanding service to the Nation.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose 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.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the
Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal
struck pursuant to section 2 at a price sufficient to cover the cost
thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold medal.
SEC. 4. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS.
(a) National Medals.--The medals struck under this Act are national
medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
(b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of
title 31, United States Code, all medals struck pursuant to this Act
shall be considered numismatic items.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund, such
sums as may be necessary to pay for the cost of the medals struck
pursuant to this Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate
bronze medals under section 3 shall be deposited in the United States
Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
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