HR 6701 IHCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To provide for a program for circulating quarter dollar coins that are emblematic of prominent civil rights leaders and important events that have advanced civil rights in America.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

July 31, 2008CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. WATT (for himself, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. HONDA, and Ms. WATERS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial ServicesCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To provide for a program for circulating quarter dollar coins that are emblematic of prominent civil rights leaders and important events that have advanced civil rights in America.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Civil Rights Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

TITLE I--CIVIL RIGHTS QUARTER DOLLARSCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 101. ISSUANCE OF REDESIGNED QUARTER DOLLARS EMBLEMATIC OF PROMINENT CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS AND CIVIL RIGHTS EFFORTS IN AMERICA.

Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) by redesignating subsection (r) (as added by section 622 of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 110-161) as subsection (s); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(t) Redesign and Issuance of Quarter Dollars Emblematic of Prominent Civil Rights Leaders and Civil Rights Efforts in America-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) REDESIGN BEGINNING UPON COMPLETION OF PRIOR PROGRAM-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) IN GENERAL- Notwithstanding the fourth sentence of subsection (d)(1) and subsection (d)(2), quarter dollars issued after the end of the program established under subsection (s) shall have designs on the reverse selected in accordance with this subsection which are emblematic of prominent civil rights leaders and important events that have advanced civil rights in America.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) FLEXIBILITY WITH REGARD TO PLACEMENT OF INSCRIPTIONS- Notwithstanding subsection (d)(1), the Secretary may select a design for quarter dollars referred to in subparagraph (A) in which--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) the inscription described in the second sentence of subsection (d)(1) appears on the reverse side of any such quarter dollars; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(ii) any inscription described in the third sentence of subsection (d)(1) or the designation of the value of the coin appears on the obverse side of any such quarter dollars.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) SELECTION OF CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS AND EVENTS AND DESIGN- The designs selected for the reverse of the coins described under this subsection--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS AND EVENTS-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) IN GENERAL- The selection of prominent civil rights leaders and events that have advanced civil rights in America to be honored with a coin under this subsection shall be chosen by the Secretary after consultation with the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(ii) Coins may depict individuals and events such as--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(I) Martin Luther King, Jr.;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(II) Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(III) The Little Rock Nine;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(IV) Rosa Parks;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(V) Cesar Chavez;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(VI) Antonia Pantoja;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(VII) Dionisio (Dennis) Chavez;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(VIII) Patsy Mink;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(IX) Philip Vera Cruz; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(X) Thurgood Marshall.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(iii) No portrait of a living individual shall be selected for a coin under this subsection.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(iv) 40 civil rights leaders and events shall be selected to be commemorated with coins under this subsection.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(v) The selection process under clause (i) for--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(I) the first 32 coin designs shall be completed before the end of the 2-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of the Civil Rights Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(II) the remaining coin designs shall be completed before the end of the 2-year period beginning on the date the first coin is issued that bears the first design selected under this subsection.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) DESIGN- Each of the designs required under this subsection for quarter dollars shall be--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) selected by the Secretary after consultation with--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(I) the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(II) the Secretary of the Interior; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(III) the Commission of Fine Arts;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(ii) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(iii) in the case of a design depicting the contribution of an individual civil rights leader, shall not depict the individual in a size such that the coin could be considered to be a ‘2-headed’ coin.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) ISSUANCE OF COINS-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) RATE OF ISSUANCE- The quarter dollar coins bearing designs of civil rights leaders and events under this subsection shall be issued at the rate of 5 new designs during each year of the period of issuance under this subsection.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) NUMBER OF EACH OF 5 COIN DESIGNS IN EACH YEAR- Of the quarter dollar coins issued during each year of the period of issuance, the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe, on the basis of such factors as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, the number of quarter dollars which shall be issued with each of the designs selected for such year.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(C) DURATION- Subject to paragraph (2), the program established under this subsection shall continue in effect until a each of the selected civil rights leaders and events have been honored with a coin.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(4) TREATMENT AS NUMISMATIC ITEMS- For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136, all coins minted under this subsection shall be considered to be numismatic items.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(5) ISSUANCE-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) QUALITY OF COINS- The Secretary may mint and issue such number of quarter dollars of each design selected under paragraph (3) in uncirculated and proof qualities as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) SILVER COINS- Notwithstanding subsection (b), the Secretary may mint and issue such number of quarter dollars of each design selected under paragraph (3) as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, with a content of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(6) DESIGNS AFTER END OF PROGRAM- Upon the completion of the coin program under this subsection, the design on--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) the obverse of the quarter dollar shall revert to the same design containing an image of President Washington in effect for the quarter dollar before the institution of the 50-State quarter dollar program; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) notwithstanding the fourth sentence of subsection (d)(1), the reverse of the quarter dollar shall contain an image of General Washington crossing the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

TITLE II--BULLION INVESTMENT PRODUCTSCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 201. SILVER BULLION COIN.

Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting after subsection (t) (as added by title I of this Act) the following new subsection:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(u) Silver Bullion Investment Product-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall strike and make available for sale such number of bullion coins as the Secretary determines to be appropriate that are exact duplicates of the quarter dollars issued under subsection (t), each of which shall--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) have a diameter of 3.0 inches and weigh 5.0 ounces;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) contain .999 fine silver;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(C) have incused into the edge the fineness and weight of the bullion coin;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(D) bear an inscription of the denomination of such coin, which shall be ‘Quarter Dollar’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(E) not be minted or issued by the United States Mint as so-called ‘fractional’ bullion coins or in any size other than the size described in paragraph (A).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) AVAILABILITY FOR SALE- Bullion coins minted under paragraph (1)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) shall become available for sale no sooner than the first day of the calendar year in which the circulating quarter dollar of which such bullion coin is a duplicate is issued; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) may only be available for sale during the year in which such circulating quarter dollar is issued.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink