I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4940 

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration 

of the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the Nation’s first 

statewide investigative law enforcement agency, the Ranger Division of 

the Texas Department of Public Safety. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 31, 2019 

Mr. FLORES introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins 

in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the Nation’s first statewide investigative law 

enforcement agency, the Ranger Division of the Texas 

Department of Public Safety. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Texas Ranger Divi5 sion’s 200th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Established in 1823, the Texas Ranger Di2 vision of the Texas Department of Public Safety is 

3 the oldest serving statewide law enforcement agency 

4 in the Nation and will commemorate their 200th an5 niversary in 2023. 

6 (2) The Texas Rangers began as a multicul7 tural agency, and over two centuries have included 

8 Native Americans, Tejanos, Anglo Europeans, Afri9 can Americans, and Asian Americans serving in all 

10 ranks. Women have also served in both field and 

11 command ranks. 

12 (3) Through the centuries, the Texas Rangers 

13 have served first as a citizen militia protecting 

14 ranches, farms, and settlements against hostile 

15 raids; they became frontier law enforcement. After 

16 the Civil War they became frontier peace officers 

17 protecting against outlaws and banditry and pro18 viding law enforcement to new towns and settle19 ments on burgeoning railroad routes and cattle 

20 trails. With the turn of the 20th century they be21 came a State Police handling lawlessness in oil 

22 boomtowns, violations of Prohibition, and gangsters. 

23 (4) In 1935, the Texas Rangers were incor24 porated into one of the first Departments of Public 

25 Safety in the Nation. Today, they are internationally 


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1 respected for conducting major criminal investiga2 tions, suppression of organized crime, border recon3 naissance, SWAT, bomb squad, special rapid re4 sponse, crisis negotiation, joint intelligence center 

5 management, and investigation of unsolved crimes. 

6 Pioneering initiatives such as the interdiction for the 

7 protection of children have resulted in invitations 

8 from law enforcement agencies throughout the Na9 tion and internationally from Australia to Great 

10 Britain to help initiate similar law enforcement ini11 tiatives. 

12 (5) The Texas Rangers have partnered with 

13 Federal agencies on numerous public safety and re14 lief initiatives such as in the aftermath of Hurricane 

15 Harvey and with the Federal Bureau of Investiga16 tions on numerous occasions, including the pursuit 

17 of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. 

18 (6) The Texas Rangers are also an icon of 

19 American popular culture. Songs, books, and novels 

20 have been written about them since the 1840s. They 

21 are America’s largest and oldest multimedia ‘‘fran22 chise’’ dating back to the earliest years of film, 

23 radio, and television. They have been featured in 

24 more than 225 movies and seven television series. 


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1 After the Alamo, the Texas Rangers are the best 

2 internationally known historical symbol of Texas. 

3 (7) The Texas Ranger Division Commemorative 

4 Coin will be the first commemorative coin to honor 

5 the Ranger Division of the Texas Department of 

6 Public Safety. 

7 (8) The United States should pay tribute to the 

8 Nation’s oldest statewide investigative law enforce9 ment agency, the Ranger Division of the Texas De10 partment of Public Safety, by minting and issuing 

11 commemorative coins, as provided in this Act. 

12 (9) A commemorative coin will bring national 

13 and international attention to the lasting legacy of 

14 this Nation’s statewide investigative law enforcement 

15 agency. 

16 (10) The proceeds from a surcharge on the sale 

17 of such commemorative coins will assist the financ18 ing of the State museum, charitable organizations, 

19 and educational scholarship. 

20 SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 

21 (a) DENOMINATIONS.—The Secretary of the Treas22 ury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 

23 shall mint and issue the following coins: 

24 (1) $5 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 100,000 

25 $5 gold coins, which shall— 


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1 (A) weigh 8.359 grams; 

2 (B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and 

3 (C) contain not less than 90 percent gold. 

4 (2) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 500,000 

5 $1 coins, which shall— 

6 (A) weigh 26.73 grams; 

7 (B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and 

8 (C) contain not less than 90 percent silver. 

9 (3) HALF DOLLAR CLAD COINS.—Not more 

10 than 750,000 half dollar coins, which shall— 

11 (A) weigh 11.34 grams; 

12 (B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and 

13 (C) be minted to the specifications for half 

14 dollar coins contained in section 5112(b) of title 

15 31, United States Code. 

16 (b) LEGAL TENDER.—The coins minted under this 

17 Act shall be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of 

18 title 31, United States Code. 

19 (c) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 

20 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins 

21 minted under this Act shall be considered to be numis22 matic items. 

23 SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS. 

24 (a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The design of the coins 

2 minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the 

3 200 years of exemplary and unparalleled achieve4 ments of the Texas Ranger Division. 

5 (2) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On 

6 each coin minted under this Act there shall be— 

7 (A) a designation of the value of the coin; 

8 (B) an inscription of— 

9 (i) the mint date ‘‘2023’’; 

10 (ii) the years ‘‘1823’’ and ‘‘2023’’; 

11 and 

12 (iii) the inscription, ‘‘Courage Integ13 rity Perseverance’’; and 

14 (C) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, 

15 ‘‘In God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of Amer16 ica’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’, and such other 

17 inscriptions as the Secretary may determine to 

18 be appropriate for the designs of the coins. 

19 (3) COIN IMAGES.— 

20 (A) OBVERSE.—The obverse of the coins 

21 issued under this Act shall bear an image of a 

22 Texas Ranger badge designed with the word 

23 ‘‘Texas’’ at the top, a star in the center of the 

24 badge, and the word ‘‘Rangers’’ at the bottom 


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1 of the badge emblematic of the Texas Ranger 

2 Division and its history. 

3 (B) REVERSE.—The reverse of the coins 

4 issued under this Act shall bear an image em5 blematic of the Texas Rangers legendary status 

6 in America’s cultural landscape. The image 

7 should depict Texas Rangers on the western 

8 frontier, including their geographic, political, or 

9 cultural history. 

10 (4) REALISTIC AND HISTORICALLY ACCURATE

11 DEPICTIONS.—The images for the designs of coins 

12 issued under this Act shall be selected on the basis 

13 of the realism and historical accuracy of the images 

14 and on the extent to which the images are reminis15 cent of the dramatic and beautiful artwork on coins 

16 of the so-called ‘‘Golden Age of Coinage’’ in the 

17 United States, at the beginning of the 20th century, 

18 with the participation of such noted sculptors and 

19 metallic artists as James Earle Fraser, Augustus 

20 Saint-Gaudens, Victor David Brenner, Adolph A. 

21 Weinman, Charles E. Barber, and George T. Mor22 gan. 

23 (b) SELECTION.—The design for the coins minted 

24 under this Act shall be— 


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1 (1) selected by the Secretary, after consultation 

2 with the Chief of the Ranger Division of the Texas 

3 Department of Public Safety and the Commission of 

4 Fine Arts; and 

5 (2) reviewed by the Citizens Coin Advisory 

6 Committee. 

7 SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 

8 (a) QUALITY OF COINS.—Coins minted under this 

9 Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 

10 (b) MINT FACILITIES.—Only 1 facility of the United 

11 States Mint may be used to strike any particular quality 

12 of the coins minted under this Act. 

13 (c) PERIOD FOR ISSUANCE.—The Secretary may 

14 issue coins under this Act only during the period begin15 ning on January 1, 2023, and ending on December 31, 

16 2023. 

17 SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 

18 (a) SALE PRICE.—The coins issued under this Act 

19 shall be sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum 

20 of— 

21 (1) the face value of the coins; 

22 (2) the surcharge provided in section 7(a) with 

23 respect to such coins; and 


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1 (3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins 

2 (including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, 

3 overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping). 

4 (b) PREPAID ORDERS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall accept 

6 prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act 

7 before the issuance of such coins. 

8 (2) DISCOUNT.—Sale prices with respect to pre9 paid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a rea10 sonable discount. 

11 SEC. 7. SURCHARGES. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—All sales of coins minted under 

13 this Act shall include a surcharge as follows: 

14 (1) A surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 gold 

15 coin. 

16 (2) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 sil17 ver coin. 

18 (3) A surcharge of $3 per coin for the half dol19 lar coin. 

20 (b) DISTRIBUTION.—Subject to section 5134(f) of 

21 title 31, United States Code, the Secretary shall promptly 

22 distribute all surcharges received from the sale of coins 

23 issued under this Act as follows: 

24 (1) The first $2,500,000 available for distribu25 tion under this section, to the National Center for 


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1 Missing & Exploited Children, to further the Cen2 ter’s efforts to provide training, technical assistance, 

3 and resources to law enforcement personnel and oth4 ers who investigate crimes against children, specifi5 cally cases of missing and exploited children. 

6 (2) The next $2,500,000 available for distribu7 tion under this section to the National Law Enforce8 ment Officers Memorial Fund, to further assist the 

9 Fund in telling the story of American law enforce10 ment, honoring the fallen, and making it safer for 

11 those officers who serve. 

12 (3) Of amounts available for distribution after 

13 the payments under paragraphs (1) and (2)— 

14 (A) 50 percent shall be distributed to the 

15 Texas Ranger Foundation Scholarship Program 

16 for students to pursue higher education. 

17 (B) 50 percent shall be distributed to the 

18 Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum for 

19 the preservation, maintenance, and display of 

20 artifacts and documents. 

21 (c) AUDITS.—All organizations, associations, and 

22 funds shall be subject to the audit requirements of section 

23 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code, with regard 

24 to the amounts received under subsection (b). 


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1 (d) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), 

2 no surcharge may be included with respect to this issuance 

3 under this Act of any coin during a calendar year if, as 

4 of the time of such issuance, the issuance of such coin 

5 would result in the number of commemorative coin pro6 grams issued during such year to exceed the annual com7 memorative coin program issuance limitation under sec8 tion 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code (as in ef9 fect on the date of the enactment of this Act). The Sec10 retary of the Treasury may issue guidance to carry out 

11 this subsection. 

12 SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES. 

13 The Secretary shall take such actions as may be nec14 essary to ensure that— 

15 (1) minting and issuing coins under this Act 

16 will not result in any net cost to the United States 

17 Government; and 

18 (2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, 

19 shall be disbursed to any recipient designated in sec20 tion 7 until the total cost of designing and issuing 

21 all of the coins authorized by this Act (including 

22 labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead ex23 penses, marketing, and shipping) is recovered by the 

24 United States Treasury, consistent with sections 


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1 5112(m) and 5134(f) of title 31, United States 

2 Code. 

Æ 


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