{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-kaine-cleaver-and-stivers-negro-leagues-baseball-centennial-commemorative-coin-act-heads-to-presidents-desk", "Blunt, Kaine, Cleaver, & Stivers\u2019 Negro Leagues Baseball Centennial Commemorative Coin Act Heads to President\u2019s Desk", "2020-11-17", "2020", "2020-11", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Today, U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Tim\r\nKaine (Va.), along with U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (Mo.) and\r\nSteve Stivers (Ohio), announced that the Negro Leagues Baseball Centennial\r\nCommemorative Coin Act passed the Senate and is on its way to the President's\r\ndesk. The bipartisan legislation directs the U.S. Treasury to mint a coin to\r\ncommemorate the Centennial of Negro Leagues Baseball. The incredible ability, excitement, and sportsmanship that\r\nbaseball icons like Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, and Buck O'Neil brought to\r\nthe game helped break down the barriers of segregation, said Blunt. This\r\ncommemorative coin will honor the leagues' players and support the National\r\nNegro Leagues Baseball Museum's great work to preserve the legacy of\r\nAfrican-American baseball and its impact on our nation's history. I'm glad we\r\nwere able to get this bill through Congress and to the President's desk as we\r\nmark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the leagues. For forty years, the Negro Leagues offered people the\r\nchance to see some of the country's greatest ballplayers at a time when\r\nAfrican-American and Hispanic players were barred from Major League teams,\r\nincluding Virginia-born stars and Baseball Hall of Famers Ray Dandridge, Leon\r\nDay, Pete Hill, and Jud Wilson, said Kaine. I'm proud these players and teams\r\nwill be honored for their historic contributions both on the field and to our\r\ncountry. As we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the creation of\r\nthe Negro Leagues, I'm ecstatic we were able to get this bill safely across\r\nhome plate and on its way to the President's desk, said Cleaver. Not only\r\nwill this honor the legends of the Negro Leaguessome of the greatest\r\nballplayers to ever step on a fieldbut it will also raise significant funding\r\nfor the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City so that future generations\r\ncan learn about the players, the history of the Negro Leagues, and their\r\nsignificance to the civil rights movement in America. I am glad this legislation is headed to the President's\r\ndesk, sending an important message that the athletes' courageous efforts to end\r\nsystematic racism undeniably bettered our nation, said Stivers. These\r\nAmericans created a lasting impact in the fight for equality. Their unwavering\r\ncommitment to making sure all Americans have equal opportunities, on and off\r\nthe field, will continue to make a difference for generations to come. The Negro National League was created in 1920 during a\r\nmeeting of team owners at a YMCA in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to 1920, teams\r\nbarnstormed around the country playing whomever they could. The creation of the\r\nleague brought some structure to the playing schedule, and other regional\r\nleagues were soon formed. The coin comes at no cost to taxpayers and the U.S. Treasury\r\nwill be reimbursed for the costs of issuing the coins. After the U.S. Treasury\r\nhas recouped all of its costs for designing and minting the coins, funds will\r\nbe distributed to the National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which was founded\r\nin 1990 in Kansas City. In addition to Blunt and Kaine, the Senate bill is\r\ncosponsored by 77 senators. In addition to Cleaver and Stivers, the House bill\r\nis cosponsored by 300 representatives.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-kaine-cleaver-and-stivers-negro-leagues-baseball-centennial-commemorative-coin-act-heads-to-presidents-desk"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0068677365779877, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}