[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H.R. 2894 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
2d Session
H. R. 2894
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 19, 2008
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing,
and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of the bicentennial of the writing of the ``Star Spangled Banner'' and
the War of 1812, and for other purposes.
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 ``Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812
Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) During the War of 1812, on September 13, 1814, Francis
Scott Key visited the British fleet in Chesapeake Bay to secure
the release of Dr. William Beanes, who had been captured after
the burning of Washington, DC.
(2) The release was completed, but Key was held by the
British overnight during the shelling of Fort McHenry, one of
the forts defending Baltimore.
(3) In the morning, Key peered through clearing smoke to
see an enormous American flag flying proudly after a 25-hour
British bombardment of Fort McHenry.
(4) He was so delighted to see the flag still flying over
the fort that he began a poem to commemorate the occasion, with
a note that it should be sung to the popular British melody
``To Anacreon in Heaven''.
(5) In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson ordered that it be
played at military and naval occasions.
(6) In 1931, the ``Star-Spangled Banner'' became our
National Anthem.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) $1 Silver Coins.--The Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in
this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue not
more than 350,000 $1 coins in commemoration of the bicentennial of the
writing of the Star-Spangled Banner and the War of 1812, each of which
shall--
(1) weigh 26.73 grams;
(2) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
(3) 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 sections 5134 and 5136 of
title 31, United States Code, all coins minted under this Act shall be
considered to be numismatic items.
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS.
(a) Design Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The design of the coins minted under this
Act shall be emblematic of the War of 1812 and particularly the
Battle for Fort McHenry that formed the basis for the ``Star-
Spangled Banner''.
(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 ``2012''; and
(C) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God
We Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E
Pluribus Unum''.
(b) Selection.--The design for the coins minted under this Act
shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary, after consultation with the
Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission
and the Commission of Fine Arts; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.
(a) Quality of Coins.--Coins minted under this Act shall be issued
in uncirculated and proof qualities.
(b) Mint Facility.--Only one facility of the United States Mint may
be used to strike any particular quality of the coins minted under this
Act.
(c) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins under this
Act only during the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2012.
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 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) Bulk Sales.--The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the coins
issued under this Act at a reasonable discount.
(c) 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 issued under this Act shall
include a surcharge of $10 per 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 paid to the Maryland War of 1812
Bicentennial Commission for the purpose of supporting bicentennial
activities in collaboration with and aiding the Star-Spangled Banner
and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission as it provides coordination,
advice, and assistance to Federal agencies, States, localities, and
other organizations for such bicentennial activities, educational
outreach activities (including supporting scholarly research and the
development of exhibits), and preservation and improvement activities
relating to the sites and structures relating to the War of 1812.
(c) Audits.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall
have the right to examine such books, records, documents, and other
data of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission as may be
related to the expenditures of amounts paid under subsection (b).
(d) Limitation.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), no surcharge may
be included with respect to the issuance under this Act of any coin
during a calendar year if, as of the time of such issuance, the
issuance of such coin would result in the number of commemorative coin
programs issued during such year to exceed the annual 2 commemorative
coin program issuance limitation under section 5112(m)(1) of title 31,
United States Code (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this
Act). The Secretary of the Treasury may issue guidance to carry out
this subsection.
Passed the House of Representatives May 15, 2008.
Attest:
LORRAINE C. MILLER,
Clerk.