September 19, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 151 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
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GREG LEMOND CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 151
(House of Representatives - September 19, 2019)
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[Pages H7814-H7816] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] GREG LEMOND CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3589) to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Greg LeMond, in recognition of his service to the Nation as an athlete, activist, role model, and community leader, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 3589 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 ``Greg LeMond Congressional Gold Medal Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The Congress finds the following: (1) Gregory James ``Greg'' LeMond was born in Lakewood, California, on June 26, 1961. (2) Greg began cycling at the age of 14, winning an astonishing 11 straight races to begin his career. (3) Greg took home a full suite of medals at the 1979 Junior World Championships, including gold, silver, and bronze, emerging victorious in the road race and placing in both team and track pursuit events. (4) At age 18, Greg became the youngest cyclist in the history of the sport to be selected for the United States Men's Olympic team. (5) Greg emerged victorious in the 1980 Circuit de la Sarthe, becoming the first American in history and the youngest rider ever to win a major pro-am cycling event on the European continent. (6) At age 19, Greg signed his first professional contract. (7) In 1982, Greg made the first of several remarkable recoveries, returning from a broken collarbone to win the silver medal at the world championships in Great Britain. (8) The Tour de France, the world's preeminent cycling competition, was first held over a century ago, in 1903. (9) The Tour de France takes place over 23 days, covering an extraordinary 2,200 miles, winding through multiple mountain ranges, spanning multiple nations, and is viewed as comparable to running a marathon every day for three consecutive weeks. (10) Greg first competed in the Tour de France in 1984, finishing third, and finishing second the following year, in both years deputizing himself to his teammates, sacrificing a chance to win himself to boost his teammates toward victory. (11) Greg emerged victorious in the 1986 Tour de France, ascending the fabled Alpe D'Huez, defeating the field by more than three full minutes, becoming the first American and the first non-European to win cycling's most prestigious race. (12) In 1987, while recovering from a broken wrist and collarbone, Greg was tragically shot during a turkey hunting accident, leaving him in intensive care, requiring the removal of over 40 shotgun pellets from his abdomen, was deemed unlikely to ever ride a bicycle again, and likely survived only due to the abnormal strength of his cardiovascular system. (13) Greg mounted the greatest comeback in the history of American sports, taking home an astonishing victory at the 1989 Tour de France, following multiple surgeries, life- threatening gunshot wounds, tendon repair, and an appendectomy, winning by eight seconds in the closest finish in the history of the Tour de France. (14) Greg would win a third Tour de France victory in 1990. (15) Greg is the only American to win the Tour de France. (16) Greg has vocally spoken out to champion healthy sport amongst athletes of all ages and competition levels. (17) Greg and his wife, Kathy, are active in numerous nonprofit causes, including healthy sport, assisting victims of sexual abuse and various childhood illnesses. (18) Cycling offers young people a healthy, active, outdoor hobby. (19) Greg completed his professional career having won two World Championships, three Tour de France championships, and twenty-two titles overall. (20) More than any other cyclist, Greg personified the ``breakaway'' culture of American cycling in the 1970s and 80s, viewed universally as the epitome of a young person on a bicycle, attempting to accomplish feats no other American had achieved. (21) Greg has not only reached the pinnacle of international sport, but has devoted his time and resources to assisting his fellow athletes. (22) Greg has demonstrated the commitment to excellence, generosity, community, and tenacity that makes him an example for all to follow. 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 presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Greg LeMond, in recognition of his contributions to the Nation as an athlete, activist, role model, and community leader. (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 3 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. [[Page H7815]] SEC. 6. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Guam (Mr. San Nicolas) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Guam. General Leave Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Guam? There was no objection. Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3589, the Greg LeMond Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2019. I thank the gentleman from California, Representative Thompson, for his work on this bill, which honors a man who, in addition to being one of our Nation's greatest athletes and the greatest American cyclist in history, exemplifies the virtues of sportsmanship, selflessness, and perseverance. Born in Lakewood, California, Greg LeMond is the only American cyclist to win the Tour de France officially, which he won three times. He is also the first American to win a major European cycling tournament and the youngest cyclist in history to be selected for the U.S. men's Olympic team. LeMond is at the pinnacle of American cycling history and ranks firmly among the most accomplished international athletes in U.S. history. In 1987, he suffered a horrific gunshot injury during a hunting accident, which left him with over 40 pellets in his abdomen. He was told he would never ride a bicycle again. Remarkably, in what remains one of the most astonishing recoveries in sports history, LeMond won the 1989 Tour de France on its final day, to win his third yellow jersey in 4 years. That victory--on the heels of gunshot wounds, an appendectomy, a broken wrist, and a fractured collarbone--is a testament to Mr. LeMond's tenacity and training. It still stands as the last time an American officially won the Tour de France. Above and beyond his considerable athletic accomplishments, LeMond has demonstrated a repeated willingness to sacrifice his own individual victories for the sake of his teammates. Outside of the world of sports, LeMond and his wife, Kathy, have worked through various charitable initiatives to support victims of childhood abuse and various childhood illnesses. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Thompson for joining me in introducing this bill this Congress and urge Members to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Greg LeMond Congressional Gold Medal Act. First, I thank my colleague from California (Mr. Thompson) for his work on this important, bipartisan legislation. I support the Greg LeMond Congressional Gold Medal Act. I support it because Greg LeMond is a legend, one of the cycling world's best, and the only American ever to officially win the Tour de France. When fans of cycling think of LeMond, they think of firsts. In 1983, LeMond was the first American to win an elite world road championship. In 1984, LeMond was the first cyclist to sign a million-dollar contract. In 1986, he was the first American to win the Tour de France. Finally, in 1989, he was the first cyclist to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated as Sportsman of the Year. Madam Speaker, Greg ``LeMonster'' LeMond recovered from a near-fatal hunting accident in 1987 to go on to win two more Tours de France. He won those two with buckshot that was lodged in the lining of his heart. What an incredible athlete. What an incredible physical specimen, what a tenacious spirit, and what an icon that is a fantastic representation for our children to understand that you can be an elite athlete and do so abiding by the normal human constraints by which we are all bound. Doing it with intensity, with training, with focus, with practice, and with such a great deal of success over his amazing career, Greg LeMond is an icon in the sports world and is deserving of the Congressional Gold Medal. He represents some of the finest qualities that we have as Americans. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson), chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures. Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3589, my legislation to award American cyclist Greg LeMond with a Congressional Gold Medal. I thank Mr. Graves from Georgia, the coauthor and lead Republican on this bill. This is a bipartisan measure. It is clear by the number of coauthors that Greg LeMond has tremendous respect in this Chamber. It was pointed out that he was born in California, Madam Speaker, but he is your favorite son as well, having grown up in Nevada. Madam Speaker, Greg LeMond stands atop the list of the greatest American cyclists in our history. His accomplishments speak for themselves: the only American in history to officially win the Tour de France, a three-time Tour de France champion, the youngest American ever selected for the U.S. Olympic team, the first American in history to win a major cycling tournament in Europe, and the winner of 22 races overall. These achievements alone would place Greg firmly among the greatest of American athletes, but they don't tell the full story. Greg's career has embodied many of our most cherished and fundamental values: sportsmanship, sacrifice, and being a good teammate. Greg won the Tour de France three times, but he could have won even more. In 1984 and 1985, Greg LeMond was in a position to win the tour, in position to win another title for himself, but instead, both times, Greg LeMond chose to deputize himself to his teammates, sacrificing a chance at the title himself to ensure that one of his teammates would emerge victorious. Greg would continue to demonstrate that selflessness for the rest of his life. In addition, Greg personified the ideals of perseverance and commitment, never more so than during the 1989 Tour de France, because, in 1987, as you heard, while recovering from a broken wrist and collarbone, Greg LeMond was shot during a hunting accident. Doctors removed over 40 shotgun pellets from his abdomen. He was told that he would never ride a bike again. Eighteen months later, Greg LeMond mounted one of the greatest comebacks in American sports history, winning the 1989 Tour de France by 8 seconds, the closest margin of victory in the history of that event. That victory, on the heels of his gunshot wounds, an appendectomy, a broken wrist, and a fractured collarbone, was the last time an American won the Tour de France. In the years since, Greg LeMond has devoted himself to helping others. He and his wife, Kathy, are active in numerous community causes: helping victims of sexual abuse and supporting research into various childhood illnesses. Greg LeMond has worked to promote clean and healthy sporting habits and to encourage young people to live healthy, active, engaged lifestyles. More than any other cyclist in our history, Greg LeMond was the epitome of the ``Breaking Away'' culture: a young kid on a bike, trying to do things no American had ever done. {time} 1745 Madam Speaker, Greg LeMond is one of our Nation's greatest athletes, a tremendous role model, and a force for [[Page H7816]] good in his community. It is fitting and proper that we honor him with the Congressional Gold Medal. I encourage my colleagues to vote for this bill. Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I am pleased to support this bipartisan bill, and I want to thank Mr. Thompson and all the bill's many cosponsors. For decades, Greg LeMond has exemplified the breakaway culture of American cycling and is the embodiment of talent, tenacity, and selflessness that is unparalleled in American sports. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. GRAVES of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3589, the Greg LeMond Congressional Gold Medal, which I've had the honor of working with Mr. Thompson of California on--a great partner and advocate in recognizing Greg LeMond's achievements. Mr. LeMond blazed a trail in American cycling, down which thousands of American cyclists have followed. Over a thirteen-year professional career, he raced to three wins at the Tour de France, one of the most arduous events in endurance sports, and became the first non-European to be crowned its champion. Even today, facilities like the Silver Comet Trail in my district owe their existence in part to Greg's legacy and excitement created by his achievements. Since his retirement, Greg and his wife Kathy have devoted thousands of hours to advocating against doping in sports, promoting athletic integrity, and serving others. As the lead Republican on the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, which includes anti-doping funding, I am only too familiar with the scourge of doping in sports. Greg has earned 750 accolades over his career, and while a Congressional Gold Medal may not rival a yellow jersey, I hope we are able to provide him this recognition. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Guam (Mr. San Nicolas) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3589, as amended. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________
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