.Sep 17, 2024, 09:18 PM ETWASHINGTON-- Billie Jean Master will certainly come to be the very first specific women's professional athlete to be granted the Legislative Gold Medal.Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey announced Tuesday that their bipartisan legislation had actually passed the House of Representatives as well as would certainly be actually sent out to President Joe Biden for his signature.The bill to honor King, the tennis Lobby of Famer as well as lobbyist, had actually currently passed unanimously in the Senate.Sherrill, a Democrat, claimed in a statement that King's "life-time of proposal and effort modified the garden for girls and females on the court, in the class, and also the work environment." The expense was actually launched in September 2023 on the 50th anniversary of King's victory over Bobby Riggs in the "Fight of the Sexes," still the most-watched tennis match of perpetuity. The award, awarded through Congress for recognized achievements as well as payments to community, has actually recently been provided to professional athletes, including pitcher Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente and also golfers Port Nicklaus, Byron Nelson as well as Arnold Palmer.King had currently been actually granted the Governmental Award of Independence in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican politician, states she possesses "busted obstacles, led uncharted roads, as well as motivated numerous individuals to stand proudly along with nerve as well as strong belief in the fight for what corrects.".