.Sep 17, 2024, 09:18 PM ETWASHINGTON-- Billie Jean Master will certainly come to be the initial personal women's athlete to become granted the Legislative Gold Medal.Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mikie Sherrill of New Shirt introduced Tuesday that their bipartisan regulation had actually passed our home of Reps and would certainly be sent to Head of state Joe Biden for his signature.The costs to honor King, the tennis Hallway of Famer and protestor, had presently passed with one voice in the Senate.Sherrill, a Democrat, pointed out in a statement that Master's "life-time of campaigning for and also effort changed the garden for ladies and girls on the court, in the classroom, and also the place of work." The bill was offered in September 2023 on the 50th anniversary of King's triumph over Bobby Riggs in the "War of the Sexual activities," still the most-watched tennis match of all time. The medal, granted through Congress for recognized accomplishments and also additions to society, has formerly been given to athletes, including baseball players Jackie Robinson as well as Roberto Clemente as well as golfers Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson as well as Arnold Palmer.King had already been actually awarded the Presidential Medal of Flexibility in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican politician, states she has "damaged barriers, led undiscovered courses, and influenced plenty of people to stand happily with guts and sentiment in the fight for what is right.".