President Donald Trump signed into law the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act, authored by Congressman Pete Stauber (R-MN). The bipartisan legislation honors the 1980 United States Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team for their historic victory over the Soviet Union in the Winter Olympics. In attendance at the signing ceremony was Rep. Stauber and Babbitt’s own Buzz Schneider, a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress, recognizing individuals or groups with profound, enduring impact on American history and culture. Stauber’s bill authorizes three medals: one for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota (in MN-08); one for the Lake Placid Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York; and one for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In order for a Congressional Gold Medal bill to move through Congress, the legislation must receive 290 cosponsors in the House and 67 in the Senate, of which the bill received 299 and 75 cosponsors, respectively. Stauber’s advocacy for the bill was built on personal ties to hockey and the Iron Range’s deep roots in the sport, rallying huge bipartisan support.
