NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act

        [Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2921 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

108th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2921

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

October 7, 2004

Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Mr. Breaux, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Hutchison,
and Mr. Sessions) introduced the following bill; which was read twice
and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary
Commemorative Coin Act''.

SEC. 2. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

(a) Denominations.--In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the
establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Secretary of the Treasury (in this
Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue the
following coins:
(1) $10 gold coins.--Not more than 75,000 $10 gold coins of
such specifications as the Secretary determines to be
appropriate.
(2) $5 gold coins.--Not more than 100,000 $5 coins, which
shall--
(A) weigh 8.359 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and
(C) contain 90 percent gold and 10 percent alloy.
(3) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 500,000 $1 coins, which
shall--
(A) weigh 26.73 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
(C) contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent
copper.
(4) Half dollar silver coins.--Not more than 500,000 half
dollar coins which shall--
(A) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and
(B) contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent
copper.
(b) Legal Tender.--The coins minted under this Act shall be legal
tender, as provided in section 5103 of title 31, United States Code.
(c) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 of title 31,
United States Code, all coins minted under this Act shall be considered
to be numismatic items.

SEC. 3. DESIGN OF COINS.

(a) Design Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The design of the coins minted under this
Act shall be emblematic of the 50 years of exemplary and
unparalleled achievements of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
(2) Designation and inscriptions.--On each coin minted
under this Act, there shall be--
(A) a designation of the value of the coin;
(B) an inscription of the year ``2008''; and
(C) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God
We Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E
Pluribus Unum'', and such other inscriptions as the
Secretary may determine to be appropriate for the
designs of the coins.
(3) Coin images.--
(A) $10 coins.--The reverse of the $10 coins issued
under this Act shall bear a design emblematic of the
sacrifice of the United States astronauts who lost
their lives in the line of duty over the course of the
space program.
(B) $5 coins.--The reverse of the $5 coins issued
under this Act shall bear at least 2 different
designs--
(i) 1 of which shall be emblematic of the
Moon missions of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration; and
(ii) 1 of which shall be emblematic of the
Earth missions of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration.
(C) $1 coins.--
(i) Obverse.--The obverse of the $1 coins
issued under this Act shall honor the
achievements of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
and bear an image emblematic of the missions
and achievements of the Laboratory in the
exploration of the solar system.
(ii) Reverse.--The reverse of the $1 coins
issued under this Act shall bear 8 different
designs, each of which shall consist of an
image of 1 of the 8 planets of the solar
system, other than Earth, and be emblematic of
the missions of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration and the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory to such planet.
(D) Half dollar coins.--The reverse of the half
dollar coins issued under this Act shall bear an image
of the universe.
(4) Realistic and scientifically accurate depictions.--The
images for the designs of coins issued under this Act shall be
selected on the basis of the realism and scientific accuracy of
the images and on the extent to which the images are
reminiscent of the dramatic and beautiful artwork on coins of
the so-called ``Golden Age of Coinage'' in the United States,
at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, with the
participation of such noted sculptors and medallic artists as
James Earle Fraser, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Victor David
Brenner, Adolph A. Weinman, Charles E. Barber, and George T.
Morgan.
(b) Selection.--The design for the coins minted under this Act
shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary, after consultation with the
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
and the Commission of Fine Arts; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coin Advisory Committee.

SEC. 4. SYMBOLIC INCLUSION OF PRECIOUS METALS THAT HAVE FLOWN IN SPACE.

(a) Collection.--Each Federal agency and instrumentality of the
United States, including the Department of Defense, the Smithsonian
Institution, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, that has in its possession any craft, or any
part of a craft, that flew in space shall--
(1) retrieve any gold, silver, copper, and other precious
metal that the Director of the United States Mint determines
may be used in the production of any coins under this Act, from
such craft or part, that can be retrieved without harming any
such craft or part that may be of continuing use for its
original purpose or for research, or whose preservation is
appropriate for historical purposes; and
(2) deposit such precious metals so retrieved with the
Director of the United States Mint.
(b) Segregation and Recordkeeping.--Each Federal agency and
instrumentality of the United States which retrieves any precious
metals in accordance with subsection (a), and the Director of the
United States Mint with respect to precious metals deposited with the
Mint in accordance with such subsection, shall maintain such precious
metals separately from other metals not so retrieved or obtained, and
shall maintain accurate and complete records of the retrieval and
deposit of any such precious metals.
(c) Use of Precious Metals in Production of Coins.--Any precious
metals deposited with the Director of the United States Mint under
subsection (a) shall be used in the production of the coins minted
under this Act, by blending such precious metals with other bullion
necessary for the production of such coins so that all of the coins
produced under this Act will contain some proportion of the bullion
obtained from craft or parts of crafts that flew in space, in an amount
appropriate for the types and denominations of the coins and the amount
of precious metals so deposited.

SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.

(a) Quality of Coins.--Coins minted under this Act shall be issued
in uncirculated and proof qualities.
(b) Sets.--In issuing coins minted under this Act, the Secretary
shall make not fewer than 25,000 sets of coins available for issuance,
each of which shall contain the coins of each denomination of the coins
minted under this Act, including a coin bearing each design required
for the reverse of any such denomination of coin.
(c) Mint Facility.--Only 1 facility of the United States Mint may
be used to strike any particular combination of denomination and
quality of the coins minted under this Act.
(d) Commencement of Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins minted
under this Act beginning January 1, 2008.
(e) Termination of Minting Authority.--No coins may be minted under
this Act after December 31, 2008.

SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS.

(a) Sale Price.--The coins issued under this Act shall be sold by
the Secretary at a price equal to the sum of--
(1) the face value of the coins;
(2) the surcharge provided in section 7(a) with respect to
such coins; and
(3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins (including
labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses,
marketing, and shipping).
(b) Prepaid Orders.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall accept prepaid orders
for the coins minted under this Act before the issuance of such
coins.
(2) Discount.--Sale prices with respect to prepaid orders
under paragraph (1) shall be at a reasonable discount.

SEC. 7. SURCHARGES.

(a) In General.--All sales of coins minted under this Act shall
include a surcharge as follows:
(1) A surcharge of $75 per coin for the $10 coin.
(2) A surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin.
(3) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin.
(4) A surcharge of $3 per coin for the half dollar coin.
(b) Distribution.--Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31, United
States Code, all surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of
coins issued under this Act shall be promptly paid by the Secretary to
the NASA Family Assistance Fund, for the purposes of providing need-
based financial assistance to the families of NASA personnel who die as
a result of injuries suffered in the performance of their official
duties.
(c) Audits.--The NASA Family Assistance Fund shall be subject to
the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States
Code, with regard to the amounts received by the under subsection (b).
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