Willie O'ree Congressional Gold Medal Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 452) to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Willie O'Ree, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions and commitment to hockey, inclusion, and recreational opportunity.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: S. 452
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 ``Willie O'Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Willie O'Ree was the first Black player to compete in the National Hockey League (NHL), appearing for the Boston Bruins on January 18, 1958, in the throes of the civil rights movement in the United States helping to end racial segregation in the premier professional ice hockey league; he is widely referred to as the ``Jackie Robinson of Hockey''.
(2) Willie O'Ree was born October 15, 1935, in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada; he is the youngest of 13 children and a descendant of Paris O'Ree, whose name appears in the famous historical document ``The Book of Negroes''.
(3) Willie O'Ree was raised by his parents in Fredericton, a predominantly White town where hockey was deeply rooted within the culture. O'Ree was a standout athlete on the ice and the baseball diamond.
(4) At age 21, O'Ree was being scouted by professional baseball teams and seriously considered baseball as a career. Upon experiencing the segregated South for the first time while appearing for a minor league tryout, his dream changed and his attention turned solely to ice hockey.
(5) While playing amateur hockey, Willie was struck in his right eye with a puck and lost his eyesight. He was told by doctors to abandon his hockey career; instead, never disclosing the extent of his injury, he pursued his dream of playing professional hockey.
(6) At the age of 22, O'Ree was called up from the Quebec Aces of the Quebec Hockey League (QHL) to play for the NHL's Boston Bruins at a time when only 6 teams existed in the league. O'Ree was unaware he had broken the color barrier at the top level of the sport until he read it in the newspaper the following day.
(7) Blind in 1 eye and a victim of racism at times throughout his career, O'Ree persevered and played professional hockey for 22 years, tallying over 1,000 points.
(8) In 1996, 17 years after O'Ree retired from professional hockey, the National Hockey League hired O'Ree as the first- ever Diversity Ambassador. Having already changed the game forever through his courage and convictions, O'Ree gives new definition to what it means to be a trailblazer.
(9) In this role as Diversity Ambassador with the NHL, O'Ree set out to grow the sport by providing access, opportunity, and motivation for children of all races, ethnicities, origins, and abilities. With O'Ree providing a vivid example of what is possible and serving as a relentless supporter of children pursuing their dreams, more than 30 nonprofit youth organizations, dubbed Hockey is for Everyone programs, were developed across North America, each committed to offering minority and underserved children an opportunity to play hockey, leveraging the sport to build character, foster positive values, and develop important life skills.
(10) Through Hockey is for Everyone programs, more than 120,000 boys and girls have been positively impacted. O'Ree has devoted nearly 2,500 days on the ground with the youth participants, visiting more than 500 schools, community centers, and rinks to speak to hockey's core values and beliefs: stay in school; set goals for yourself; remain committed and disciplined; and always respect your teammates, coaches, and parents.
(11) Hockey is for Everyone programs have provided important opportunities for youth to partake in physical fitness. Today in the United States, fewer than half of the children ages 6-11 engage in the recommended amount of physical activity, and that number is lower for low-income families. O'Ree has stood as a champion of youth athletic participation and its health benefits for decades.
(12) Hockey is for Everyone programs provide numerous off- ice services to youth: SAT and academic tutoring, mentoring, nutrition education, college counseling, community service opportunities, and more. The program has excelled at using hockey as a vehicle to improve the social and emotional wellness of youth and improve students' academic performances both in primary school and beyond.
(13) O'Ree was also named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2008 and, in 2018, the City of Boston released an official Proclamation recognizing January 18, the anniversary of the day he broke into the game, as ``Willie O'Ree Day''.
(14) In November 2018, 60 years after O'Ree entered the NHL, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the ``builder'' category in recognition of his efforts to grow the game, using his position and the platform of hockey to improve the lives of children throughout North America. SEC. 3. 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 award, on behalf of the Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design to Willie O'Ree, or if unavailable, to a member of his family, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions and commitment to hockey, inclusion, and recreational opportunity.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. The design shall bear an image of, and an inscription of the name of, Willie O'Ree. SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.
(b) Proceeds of Sales.--The amounts received from the sale of duplicate medals under subsection (a) shall be deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
(c) 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 Act. SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.
(a) National Medal.--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.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 452, the Willie O'Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act.
I thank Michigan Senator Stabenow and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley) for their work on this bill which honors Willie O'Ree, a trailblazer for diversity and inclusion in sports and the first Black player in the National Hockey League.
Born in 1935 in the predominantly White town of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, O'Ree made a name for himself as a standout athlete in both ice hockey and baseball. At age 21, he was being scouted by professional baseball teams in the United States. However, upon experiencing racial discrimination and the effects of segregation firsthand while in the south for minor league tryouts, he shifted his focus solely to ice hockey.
In 1958, at the age of 22, O'Ree was called up to play professionally as a winger for the NHL Boston Bruins. In doing so, he became the first Black professional ice hockey player in the league. Despite being blind in one eye from an injury during his time as an amateur hockey player and enduring racist attacks from hockey fans and players alike, O'Ree persevered and continued to play professional hockey for 22 years.
In 1996, the National Hockey League hired O'Ree as its first-ever diversity ambassador, which set out to transform the predominantly White sport of ice hockey by providing greater access and opportunity for children of all races, ethnicities, and origins.
O'Ree has personally devoted thousands of hours to Hockey is for Everyone programs which provide community outreach and support for youth participants to partake in physical fitness and live out hockey's core values of commitment, discipline, and respect for your teammates, coaches, and parents.
In 2018, 60 years after O'Ree first broke the color barrier for ice hockey, he was inducted into the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame in recognition of his longstanding support for greater access and diversity in the sport.
This bill honors O'Ree's trailblazing legacy both on and off the ice. I thank Ms. Stabenow and Mr. Quigley for their work on this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge members to vote ``yes'' and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. DEAN. Pressley).
Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 452, the Willie O'Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act.
Willie O'Ree, which has been already said, was a trailblazer for hockey both on and off the ice. He was to the National Hockey League what Jackie Robinson was to Major League Baseball.
As the first Black player in the National Hockey League, he endured racism, bigotry, and prejudice from both players and fans. Despite this, he played more than two decades in the National Hockey League and in the minor leagues developing his skills and later becoming the National Hockey League's diversity ambassador.
Willie O'Ree broke down historic barriers and paved the way for young athletes in marginalized communities. In 2012, he visited my community for the Willie O'Ree Skills Weekend hosted by the National Hockey League Buffalo Sabres. Today we honor his dedication to improving diversity and accessibility in sports which makes him most deserving of this high honor.
He is an inspiration to all athletes, and particularly to young athletes of color in western New York and throughout the Nation. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.
Willie O'Ree is often referred to as the ``Jackie Robinson of ice hockey'' for helping to end racial segregation in the National Hockey League. Mr. O'Ree's positive impact on the sport of ice hockey goes far beyond his role in ending racial segregation in the sport.
This bill honors O'Ree for both his barrier-breaking role and his decades of championing diversity and greater youth access to the sport. I thank Ms. Stabenow and Mr. Quigley, the lead sponsor of the House version of the bill, and our other colleagues who worked so hard on this bill for ensuring that Mr. O'Ree and his trailblazing legacy of sportsmanship and inclusion receive the recognition he so richly deserves.
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Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
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