Lena Horne Recognition Act

Lena Horne Recognition Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of Lena Horne in recognition of her achievements and contributions to American culture and the civil rights movement.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1815 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1815

   To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Lena Horne in 
 recognition of her achievements and contributions to American culture 
                     and the civil rights movement.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2011

    Mr. Hastings of Florida (for himself, Mr. Bachus, Mr. Frank of 
     Massachusetts, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Thompson of 
   Mississippi, Mr. Rangel, Ms. Norton, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Fudge, Mr. 
Hinchey, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. 
Jackson Lee of Texas, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. West, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. 
 Roybal-Allard, Ms. Brown of Florida, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Serrano, 
 Mr. Baca, and Mrs. Christensen) introduced the following bill; which 
          was referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Lena Horne in 
 recognition of her achievements and contributions to American culture 
                     and the civil rights movement.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Lena Horne Recognition Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was born on June 30, 1917, in 
        Brooklyn, New York.
            (2) At the age of 16, Lena Horne was hired as a dancer in 
        the chorus of Harlem's famous Cotton Club, where she was 
        introduced to such legendary jazz performers as Duke Ellington, 
        Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Ethel Waters, and Billie Holiday.
            (3) In 1940, Lena Horne became one of the first African-
        American women to perform with an all-White band when she 
        toured with Charlie Barnet's jazz band as its featured singer.
            (4) Lena Horne was discovered by a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 
        (MGM) talent scout and became the first Black artist to sign a 
        long-term contract with a major studio.
            (5) Despite her extraordinary beauty and talent, Lena Horne 
        was often limited to minor acting roles because of her race.
            (6) Scenes in which she did sing were cut out when they 
        were sent to local distributors in the South and studio 
        executives cast Ava Gardner as Julie in the film version of 
        Show Boat instead of Lena Horne because they did not want it to 
        star a Black actress.
            (7) However, Lena Horne dazzled audiences and critics in a 
        number of films, including Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather.
            (8) During World War II, Lena Horne toured extensively with 
        the United Service Organizations (USO) on the West Coast and in 
        the South in support of the troops and expressed outrage about 
        the way Black soldiers were treated.
            (9) She refused to sing for segregated audiences or to 
        groups in which German prisoners of war were seated in front of 
        African-American servicemen.
            (10) During the period of McCarthyism in the 1950s, Lena 
        Horne was blacklisted as a communist for 7 years because of her 
        civil rights activism and friendship with Paul Robeson and 
        W.E.B. Du Bois.
            (11) Although Lena Horne continued to face discrimination, 
        her musical and acting career flourished.
            (12) In 1957, Lena Horne recorded Lena Horne at the 
        Waldorf-Astoria, which reached the Top 10 and became the best-
        selling album by a female singer in RCA Victor's history.
            (13) Lena Horne rose to international stardom and toured 
        the world, sharing the stage with such names as Count Basie, 
        Tony Bennett, Billy Eckstein, Vic Damone, and Harry Belafonte 
        and also starred in musical and television specials with such 
        giants as Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra.
            (14) Lena Horne used her fame to become a powerful voice 
        for civil rights and equality.
            (15) In 1963, she participated in the historic March on 
        Washington for Jobs and Freedom, at which Dr. Martin Luther 
        King, Jr. delivered his immortal ``I Have a Dream'' speech.
            (16) Lena Horne also performed at rallies throughout the 
        country for the National Council for Negro Women and worked 
        with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
        People (NAACP), of which she was a member since the age of 2, 
        the National Council of Negro Women, the Delta Sigma Theta 
        sorority, and the Urban League.
            (17) Through the end of the 20th century, Lena Horne 
        continued to entertain large audiences of all ages and 
        backgrounds and appeared on numerous television shows, 
        including Sesame Street, Sanford and Son, The Muppet Show, The 
        Cosby Show, and A Different World.
            (18) In 1978, she was in the film adaption of The Wiz.
            (19) In 1981, Ms. Horne captivated audiences with her one-
        woman Broadway show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which 
        enjoyed a 14-month run before going on tour and earned her a 
        special Tony and two Grammy awards.
            (20) In 2002, 73 years after the Academy Awards were first 
        awarded, Halle Berry became the first Black woman to win an 
        Oscar for Best Actress and recognized in her acceptance speech 
        how Lena Horne paved the way for her and other Black actresses.
            (21) Lena Horne passed away in New York City on May 9, 
        2010, at the age of 92.
            (22) Lena Horne was an entertainer, activist, and mother 
        who used her beauty, talent, and intelligence to fight racial 
        discrimination and injustice and rise to international stardom.
            (23) A symbol of elegance and grace, she entertained people 
        of all walks of life for over 60 years and broke barriers for 
        future generations.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

    (a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of 
Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make 
appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of 
the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of 
Lena Horne in recognition of her achievements and contributions to 
American culture and the civil rights movement.
    (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred 
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in 
this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with suitable 
emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

    The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medal struck pursuant to section 2 under such regulations as the 
Secretary may prescribe, 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. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.

    (a) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to this Act are 
national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States 
Code.
    (b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 of title 31, 
United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be 
considered to be numismatic items.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

    (a) 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 
pursuant to this Act.
    (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of duplicate 
bronze medals authorized under section 3 shall be deposited into the 
United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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