To award congressional gold medals posthumously on behalf of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson in recognition of their contributions to the Nation as pioneers in the effort to desegregate public schools that led directly to the landmark desegregation case of Brown et al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka et al.
Public Law 108-180 · H.R. 3287 · 108th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 15, 2003 · Commemorations
Sponsor: Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC-6)
Cosponsors (299): Rep. Aníbal Acevedo-Vilá, Rep. Neil Abercrombie,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Authorizes the President to award congressional gold medals posthumously, to their next of kin, on behalf of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson, in recognition of their contributions to the Nation as pioneers in South Carolina in the effort to desegregate public schools that led directly to the landmark desegregation case of Brown et al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka et al.
Directs that amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals be deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Financial Services Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 498Related bill
A bill to authorize the President to posthumously award a gold medal on behalf of Congress to Joseph A. De Laine in recognition of his contributions to the Nation.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 14 actions.
- Dec 15, 2003Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-180.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 3, 2003FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Nov 26, 2003FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Nov 25, 2003FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 19, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
- Nov 18, 2003FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3287.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mrs. Biggert moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Oct 22, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology.
- Oct 10, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.