Coin Legislation

The schedule of upcoming commemorative coins continues to fill up with the recent passage of H.R. 2097. This bill was introduced back on April 23, 2009 by Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland. It was passed by the House on September 9, 2009 and more recently approved by the Senate on August 2, 2010.

With the President’s signature on August 16, 2010, the bill became Public Law No. 111-232. It requires the Treasury Secretary to issue $5 gold coins and silver dollars to commemorate the bicentennial of the writing of the Star Spangled Banner, the National Anthem of the United States of America.

The maximum two commemorative coin programs per year have now been approved for upcoming years through 2012. The Star Spangled Banner commemorative coins will join previously approved coins for the Army Infantry. For 2011, programs will honor the Medal of Honor and the Army.

For the years 2013 and 2014, one program has already been approved for each year honoring the centennial of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America and the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.

Last week, the President signed the bill H.R. 4684, creating Public Law No: 111-221. This law will require the Secretary of the Treasury to produce commemorative silver medals for the 10th Anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the establishment of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

This program for medals would join two previously approved commemorative coin programs authorized for 2011, which will feature the United States Army and the Medal of Honor.

Up to 2 million of the silver medals may be produced through December 31, 2012. Sales of the medals may begin on January 1, 2011, with no specified ending date. Each medal will contain one ounce of silver and be struck in quality comparable to proof coins.

H.R. 2097: Star-Spangled Banner Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act passed the Senate on August 2, 2010. Since the bill had previously passed in the House of September 9, 2009, the only thing now required to make the bill law is the president’s signature.

The bill, which seeks Star Spangled Banner Commemorative Coins struck in gold and silver would be issued to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the writing of our national anthem. This bill had been introduced on April 23, 2009. Previous attempts had been made to authorize such a program, but past proposals had never progressed to this stage.

After the bill is signed into law, up to 100,000 of the $5 gold coins and 500,000 of the silver dollars could be issued in the year 2012, with designs emblematic of the Battle of Baltimore during War of 1812, which served as the inspiration for the anthem.

H.R. 4684: national September 11 Memorial & Museum Commemorative Medal Act of 2010 passed the House on July 20, 2010 and passed the Senate on July 22, 2010. The bill now awaits the President’s signature.

The bill seeks the production and issuance of commemorative medals struck in one ounce of silver for the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the establishment of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The bill was originally introduced on February 24, 2010 by Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York.

If signed into law, up to 2 million of the silver medals would be produced by the Secretary of the Treasury. The bill requests that the medals be minted half at the Philadelphia Mint and half at the West Point Mint. The medals would be issued beginning January 1, 2011, with production to conclude by December 31, 2012.

On July 13, 2010, S. 3572 was introduced by Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. The bill seeks the production and issuance of commemorative coins for the 225th anniversary of the establishment of the United States Marshals Service.

This represents the fourth introduction of a bill for this purpose, closely following the introduction of H.R. 5680 on July 1, 2010. The text of S. 3572 follows the changes set forth by H.R. 5680, in adjusting the maximum authorized mintages for the $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins.

The reason for the adjustment to the mintages is to meet the ambitious surcharge goals of the program. Each $5 gold coin would carry a surcharge of $35 per coin and each $1 silver coin would carry a surcharge of $10.

The first $5,000,000 of surcharges would be distributed to the Director of the United State Marshals Service National Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The remaining amount of surcharges available would be distributed to the following list of organizations:

• $1,000,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• $1,000,000 to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (A previously issued commemorative coin was the 1997 Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Silver Dollar with surcharges used for the preservation of the memorial.)
• $1,000,000 to the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association
• $500,000 to the William ‘Bill’ Degan Scholarship Fund
• $500,000 to the Robert D. May Scholarship Fund
• $500,000 to the Community Oriented Policing Service
• $500,000 to teh United States Marshals Service Association