.Sep 17, 2024, 09:18 PM ETWASHINGTON-- Billie Jean King are going to end up being the very first specific females's professional athlete to become rewarded the Legislative Gold Medal.Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania as well as Mikie Sherrill of New Shirt revealed Tuesday that their bipartisan regulations had actually passed our home of Reps as well as would certainly be actually delivered to Head of state Joe Biden for his signature.The bill to recognize King, the tennis Lobby of Famer as well as lobbyist, had actually presently passed all in the Senate.Sherrill, a Democrat, stated in a statement that King's "life time of proposal and also effort altered the garden for girls as well as ladies on the courthouse, in the class, as well as the office." The expense was actually introduced in September 2023 on the 50th wedding anniversary of Master's triumph over Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexual activities," still the most-watched ping pong match of all time. The medal, granted through Congress for distinguished success and also payments to society, has actually recently been actually offered to professional athletes, featuring baseball players Jackie Robinson and also Roberto Clemente and golf players Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.King had presently been granted the Presidential Medal of Flexibility in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican, claims she has "faulty barriers, led undiscovered paths, as well as motivated many people to stand happily with courage and also sentiment in the fight for what corrects.".