H.R. 4083

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4083 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4083

To award a Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Marshall Walter 
``Major'' Taylor in recognition of his significance to the nation as an 
athlete, trailblazer, role model, and equal rights advocate.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 23, 2025

Mr. Jackson of Illinois (for himself, Mr. Baird, Mr. Johnson of 
Georgia, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Fields, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. 
David Scott of Georgia, Mrs. Dingell, Ms. Norton, Ms. Wilson of 
Florida, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. McGovern, Mr. 
Mfume, Mrs. McIver, Mr. Veasey, Ms. Waters, Mr. Frost, Ms. Sherrill, 
Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Carson, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Davids of 
Kansas, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Casten, Ms. Brown, Mr. 
Thanedar, Ms. Plaskett, Ms. Crockett, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Garamendi, Ms. 
Pressley, Mr. Lieu, Ms. Balint, Mr. Kennedy of New York, Ms. Barragan, 
Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Garcia of 
California, Ms. Titus, Mr. Horsford, Mr. Figures, and Mr. Davis of 
North Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To award a Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Marshall Walter 
``Major'' Taylor in recognition of his significance to the nation as an 
athlete, trailblazer, role model, and equal rights advocate.

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 as the ``Marshall `Major' Taylor 
Congressional Gold Medal Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) Marshall Walter ``Major'' Taylor was born in 
Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 26, 1878, to Black parents 
who likely had been enslaved in Kentucky, and died impoverished 
on June 21, 1932, in a hospital charity ward in Chicago, 
Illinois.
(2) As a child, Taylor spent considerable time at the home 
of a wealthy White family in Indianapolis who employed his 
father as a coachman, treated the Black youngster as an equal 
to their son, Daniel Southard, and gave Taylor his first 
bicycle.
(3) Taylor acquired the nickname ``Major'' in his youth 
when he performed bicycle tricks outside his workplace, the Hay 
& Willits bike shop in Indianapolis, while wearing a military-
style jacket, and he won his first bike race in 1890 at age 11.
(4) Taylor moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, with his 
employer, mentor, and racing manager, Louis D. ``Birdie'' 
Munger, in 1895, and became known in his sport not only for his 
lightning sprints but also for his good sportsmanship, 
disciplined physical training, and devotion to his religion.
(5) Taylor received a professional racing license from the 
League of American Wheelmen at age 18 despite the League's 1894 
``whites only'' rule for amateur membership and made his 
professional debut in December 1896 in a six-day race at 
Madison Square Garden in New York, defeating national champion 
Eddie Bald in a half-mile exhibition race on the eve of the 
six-day endurance contest and placing eighth in the six-day 
track cycling competition.
(6) In 1897, Taylor earned a spot alongside 4 White men on 
one of the first racially integrated professional sports teams 
in the nation, a five-man squad that won a Boston vs. 
Philadelphia pursuit race held in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
(7) Taylor set numerous world speed records and held 7 
world records at the end of 1898 for various distances, 
including the coveted 1 mile, and he further lowered the 1-mile 
world record to 1 minute, 19 seconds in 1899.
(8) Taylor overcame racial prejudice throughout his career, 
showing remarkable dignity in the face of closed doors and open 
hostility, including race-based denial of meals and lodging; 
racist cartoons and caricatures; bureaucratic maneuvers that 
threatened his racing eligibility; race-based exclusion from 
certain tracks and competitions on the national circuit; White 
opponents' plots and tactics to box him in on the track, cause 
him to crash, or prevent him from competing in the first place; 
a post-race choking by a competitor on a racetrack in Taunton, 
Massachusetts, that left Taylor unconscious; White neighbors' 
objections to his purchase of a house in Worcester; and a death 
threat signed ``White Riders'' that was delivered in Savannah, 
Georgia.
(9) Taylor was one of the first Black athletes to secure 
corporate sponsorship, representing bicycle brands such as Iver 
Johnson, Sager, Stearns, and Orient, and he became one of the 
wealthiest Black men in America and a substantial benefactor to 
his church in Worcester.
(10) Taylor pioneered the use of an innovative adjustable 
handlebar stem, using the extension to improve his aerodynamic 
position, and to this day this type of outrigger is called a 
Major Taylor stem.
(11) Taylor won the world 1-mile sprint championship in 
Montreal on August 10, 1899, becoming the second Black athlete 
to win a world title in any sport, and won the United States 
championship later that year.
(12) As a devout Christian, Taylor refused for years to 
race on Sundays, and accordingly he turned down lucrative 
offers to race in Europe, until, by virtue of his international 
superstardom, he could negotiate a ``no Sundays'' provision in 
a European racing contract for 1901.
(13) Finding refuge in France, where he was still often the 
only Black racer on the track, Taylor defeated every European 
champion during the course of six tours of Europe from 1901 to 
1909 and also had numerous racing successes in Australia and 
New Zealand.
(14) After retiring from racing in 1910 and finding little 
success in the business world, Taylor wrote his 1928 
autobiography, ``The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World,'' with 
an appeal for ``simple justice, equal rights, and a square 
deal'' for African Americans in sports and ``every . . . human 
endeavor,'' as well as advice for youth on good sportsmanship 
and clean living.
(15) Drawing on exemplary determination and perseverance, 
Taylor demonstrated not only dominant athletic prowess but also 
tremendous strength of character as he broke racial barriers, 
reached the pinnacle of international sport, and served as a 
role model for generations to come.

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 
Marshall Walter ``Major'' Taylor, in recognition of his significance to 
the nation as an athlete, trailblazer, role model, and equal rights 
advocate.
(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. 
The design shall bear an image of, and inscription of the name of 
Marshall Walter ``Major'' Taylor.
(c) Disposition of Medal.--Following the award of the gold medal 
under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the great-
granddaughter of Marshall Walter ``Major'' Taylor, Karen Donovan.

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold 
medal struck pursuant to section 3 at a price sufficient to cover the 
cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and 
overhead expenses.

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 and 5136 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.--The amounts received from the sale of 
duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited 
into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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