WASHINGTON – Billie Jean King will be the first an individual female athlete will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mickey Sherrill of New Jersey announced Tuesday that their bipartisan legislation has passed the House and will be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.
The bill honoring Tennis Hall of Famer and activist King had already passed the Senate unanimously.
Sherrill, a Democrat, said in a statement that King “changed the landscape for women and girls in court, in the classroom and in the workplace through her lifetime of advocacy and hard work.”
The bill was presented in September last year 50th anniversary of King’s Battle of the Sexes victory over Bobby Riggs is still the most watched tennis match of all time. Awarded by Congress for outstanding achievement and contributions to society, the medal has previously been awarded to athletes including baseball players Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, and golfers Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.
King was already awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican, says he has “surpassed benefits, traveled uncharted paths, and inspired countless people to stand proudly with courage and conviction in the fight for truth.”
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