To provide for the continued minting and issuance of certain $1 coins in 2008.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this bill before us is truly a technical amendment that deals with the Native American $1 coin. It is a good bill for collectors. It does no harm to the Nation. It does not cost the taxpayers a dime, or in this case, it doesn't cost them a dollar. I urge its immediate passage.

Mr. Speaker, the bill before us is a technical amendment only. When the Native American $1 Coin Act passed the House last spring, it was envisioned the one-dollar coins with a regularly changed reverse celebrating different Native American themes would start being issued by the Mint last month--January 2008.

However, due to the press of other important business, the Senate was unable to pass the bill until the end of July and the minor changes made there required House approval. The result was that this very laudable program did not get to the President's desk until September, which triggered language in the text intended to ensure that the U.S. Mint had enough time to properly design the first coin, and so the program wills start next January instead.

To avoid having to send the bill back to the Senate again and further elongate the timeline, no attempt was made to change language that ended the production of the then-current design of the Sacagawea dollar coin, so that there would not be two designs co-circulating. That meant that the Sacagawea dollar by law cannot be produced this year, for the 5-10 million U.S. Mint proof sets that otherwise would have contained it.

Mr. Speaker, this bill merely corrects that issue, so that collectors will be able to get the last of that design of the dollar coin during 2008 in their collectible sets. Next year new dollar coins will start circulating alongside the Presidential dollars, still bearing the image of Sacagawea on the front but once a year having a different reverse design representing the contributions of Native Americans to our heritage.

This bill will be good for collectors, will do no harm and will not cost the taxpayers a dime--or a dollar. I urge its immediate passage.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5478) to provide for the continued minting and issuance of certain $1 coins in 2008.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5478 corrects an oversight made in the Native American $1 Coin Act which passed the House by voice vote on June 12, 2007, and became public law on September 20, 2007.

The Native American $1 Coin Act authorized the minting of the ``Sacagawea Design'' golden dollar coin for circulation beginning in January, 2009. In that legislation, we purposely did not require the production of 2008 Sacagawea coins for circulation; however, the act unintentionally eliminated the Mint's authority to issue ``Sacagawea Design'' golden dollars in 2008 for coin collection purposes.

As a result, many of the standard U.S. Mint products the coin- collecting public is expecting to order and receive this year, such as annual proof and uncirculated sets, will not include a 2008 Sacagawea dollar.

The legislation before us would correct this oversight and immediately authorize the continued minting and issuance of 2008 ``Sacagawea Design'' golden dollars for numismatic purposes only. This is an important bill for coin collectors nationwide and for the popularity of the Sacagawea dollar coin.

I urge all Members to support its passage.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I have no other speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Banking Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 5478 and the Senate proceed to its consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; and that any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record.