Peter King: “Mr. Speaker, this is a piece of legislation which is long overdue. If there was anyone over the past half century that…”

“Mr. Speaker, this is a piece of legislation which is long overdue. If there was anyone over the past half century that has warranted the Congressional Gold Medal, it is Jackie Robinson. The reason this legislation is on the floor today, the reason it has advanced this far is because of the efforts of the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), the man who initiated this legislation, who has worked relentlessly to get the amount of support necessary to bring it to the floor. I commend the gentleman for it, and I thank him for giving me an opportunity to sign onto the bill as the lead cosponsor. I have a personal interest because as a young kid growing up in New York, Jackie Robinson was certainly one of my heroes. I was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, I attended many games at Ebbets Field, and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) thinks I fantasize these things, but these are true. As a kid, there is probably no ball player who excited New York in that era more than Jackie Robinson. He really just caused all attention to be focused on himself, both through his ability and also because of his dynamism.”