117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 697 

AN ACT 

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins in recognition of the Bicentennial of Harriet 

Tubman’s birth. 

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

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Harriet Tubman Bi3 centennial Commemorative Coin Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Harriet Tubman was a formerly enslaved 

7 abolitionist who guided about 70 people from slavery 

8 to freedom in 10 years. 

9 (2) Born in March 1822, Tubman was a nota10 ble abolitionist who not only freed herself, but also 

11 freed others from slavery. 

12 (3) Harriet Ross Tubman, born Araminta 

13 ‘‘Minty’’ Ross, was born enslaved on the plantation 

14 of Anthony Thompson in Dorchester County, Mary15 land. 

16 (4) With the help of the Underground Railroad 

17 network, in the fall of 1849, Tubman escaped from 

18 Poplar Neck in Caroline County, Maryland, heading 

19 north to freedom in Pennsylvania. 

20 (5) With the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act 

21 as part of the Compromise of 1850, the operations 

22 to help enslaved persons escape became dangerous 

23 and she risked her life to rescue them from slavery. 

24 (6) Despite passage of the Compromise of 1850 

25 and the Fugitive Slave Act, Tubman continued her 

26 work, escorting her refugees to Canada instead. 
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1 (7) It was during the 1850s that Tubman made 

2 13 trips back to Maryland, guiding approximately 70 

3 enslaved persons to the North, including family 

4 members, and providing instruction to about 70 

5 more who found their way to freedom on their own. 

6 (8) Regardless of the arduous process of help7 ing fugitive enslaved persons escape through the Un8 derground Railroad, not a single person was recap9 tured under Tubman’s supervision. 

10 (9) During 1859, Tubman aided abolitionist 

11 John Brown by recruiting supporters for his raid on 

12 Harper’s Ferry, a planned insurrection against 

13 slaveholders in Virginia and Maryland. 

14 (10) In the beginning of the Civil War, Tubman 

15 served as a spy, cook, and nurse in South Carolina 

16 and Florida. 

17 (11) Tubman also recruited newly freed Afri18 can-American men to join regiments of African19 American soldiers called United States Colored 

20 Troops. 

21 (12) In recognition of her abilities, Tubman 

22 served as an army scout and spy for Major General 

23 David Hunter and Colonel James Montgomery. Har24 riet Tubman was inducted into the Military Intel25 ligence Corps Hall of Fame. 
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1 (13) Tubman distinguished herself as the first 

2 woman to lead an armed expedition in the Civil War, 

3 the Combahee River Raid, resulting in more than 

4 700 enslaved persons in South Carolina being freed. 

5 (14) After the Civil War, Tubman frequently 

6 sheltered and fed newly freed enslaved persons at 

7 her home on South Street in Auburn, New York, 

8 which she purchased from Secretary of State Wil9 liam Henry Seward, even though she had little 

10 money herself. She found a means to an end by 

11 working as a domestic, selling produce from her gar12 den, taking in donations of food, loans from friends, 

13 and raising pigs on her farm. 

14 (15) Tubman became active in the women’s 

15 movement as early as 1860. She attended meetings 

16 and gave speeches in her home State of New York, 

17 as well as in Boston and Washington, DC. 

18 (16) Tubman was an avid advocate for African19 American women and their civil rights. In 1896, she 

20 was invited as a speaker at the first meeting of the 

21 National Association of Colored Women in Wash22 ington, DC. 

23 (17) Although living in financial insecurity, 

24 Tubman transferred a 25-acre parcel of land to the 

25 African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in 1903, 
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1 which eventually became The Harriet Tubman 

2 Home for the Aged and Indigent Negroes. At the 

3 time, few social services existed for elderly and ill 

4 people of color. 

5 (18) Escaping slavery, risking everything to 

6 save her family and friends, aiding enslaved persons 

7 in escape from slavery, leading a military raid, 

8 championing the cause of women’s suffrage, advo9 cating for civil rights and access to health care, Har10 riet Tubman is an individual that has performed 

11 achievements that have had profound impacts on 

12 history and culture in the United States. 

13 SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 

14 (a) DENOMINATIONS.—In commemoration of Harriet 

15 Tubman, the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter referred 

16 to in this Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall mint and issue 

17 the following coins: 

18 (1) $5 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 50,000 $5 

19 coins, which shall— 

20 (A) weigh 8.359 grams; 

21 (B) be struck on a planchet having a di22 ameter of 0.850 inches; and 

23 (C) contain at least 90 percent gold. 

24 (2) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 400,000 

25 $1 coins, which shall— 
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1 (A) weigh 26.73 grams; 

2 (B) be struck on a planchet having a di3 ameter of 1.500 inches; and 

4 (C) contain at least 90 percent silver. 

5 (3) HALF-DOLLAR CLAD COINS.—Not more 

6 than 750,000 half-dollar coins which shall— 

7 (A) weigh 11.34 grams; 

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

9 (C) be minted to the specifications for half10 dollar coins contained in section 5112(b) of title 

11 31, United States Code. 

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

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

14 title 31, United States Code. 

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

16 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins 

17 minted under this Act shall be considered to be numis18 matic items. 

19 SEC. 4. DESIGNS OF COINS. 

20 (a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The designs of the coins 

22 minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the 

23 legacy of Harriet Tubman as an abolitionist. At 

24 least one obverse design shall bear the image of 

25 Harriet Tubman. 
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1 (2) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On 

2 each coin minted under this Act, there shall be— 

3 (A) an inscription of Harriet Tubman; 

4 (B) a designation of the value of the coin; 

5 (C) an inscription of the year ‘‘2024’’; and 

6 (D) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, 

7 ‘‘In God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of Amer8 ica’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’. 

9 (b) SELECTION.—The designs for the coins minted 

10 under this Act shall be— 

11 (1) selected by the Secretary, after consultation 

12 with the National Underground Railroad Freedom 

13 Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, The Harriet Tubman 

14 Home, Inc. in Auburn, New York, and the Commis15 sion of the Fine Arts; and 

16 (2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory 

17 Committee. 

18 SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 

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

20 Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 

21 (b) MINT FACILITY.—Only 1 facility of the United 

22 States Mint may be used to strike any particular quality 

23 of the coins minted under this Act. 

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

25 issue coins under this Act only during the period begin-
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1 ning on January 1, 2024, and ending on December 31, 

2 2024. 

3 SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 

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

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

6 of— 

7 (1) the face value of the coins; 

8 (2) the surcharge provided under section 7(a) 

9 with respect to the coins; and 

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

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

12 overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping). 

13 (b) BULK SALES.—The Secretary shall make bulk 

14 sales of the coins issued under this Act at a reasonable 

15 discount. 

16 (c) PREPAID ORDERS.— 

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

18 prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act 

19 before the issuance of the coins. 

20 (2) DISCOUNT.—Sale prices with respect to pre21 paid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a rea22 sonable discount. 

23 SEC. 7. SURCHARGES. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—All sales of coins issued under this 

25 Act shall include— 
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1 (1) a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 

2 coins; 

3 (2) a surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 

4 coins; and 

5 (3) a surcharge of $5 per coin for the half-dol6 lar coin. 

7 (b) DISTRIBUTION.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para9 graph (2), subject to section 5134(f) of title 31, 

10 United States Code, all surcharges received by the 

11 Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this 

12 Act shall be promptly paid by the Secretary equally 

13 to the National Underground Railroad Freedom 

14 Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and The Harriet Tub15 man Home, Inc. in Auburn, New York, for the pur16 pose of accomplishing and advancing their missions. 

17 (2) EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding section 

18 5134(f)(1) of title 31, United States Code, if an en19 tity described in paragraph (1) of this subsection 

20 raises funds from private sources in an amount that 

21 is less than the total amount of the proceeds of the 

22 surcharge derived from the sale of the coins issued 

23 under this Act, the Secretary shall promptly pay to 

24 the other entity the proceeds of such surcharge. 
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1 (c) AUDITS.—The National Underground Railroad 

2 Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and The Harriet 

3 Tubman Home, Inc. in Auburn, New York, shall be sub4 ject to the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of title 

5 31, United States Code, with regard to the amounts re6 ceived under subsection (b). 

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

8 no surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance 

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

10 of the time of such issuance, the issuance of such coin 

11 would result in the number of commemorative coin pro12 grams issued during such year to exceed the annual 2 

13 commemorative coin program issuance limitation under 

14 section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code. The 

15 Secretary of the Treasury may issue guidance to carry out 

16 this subsection. 

17 SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES. 

18 The Secretary shall take such actions as may be nec19 essary to ensure that— 

20 (1) minting and issuing coins under this Act 

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

22 Government; and 

23 (2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, 

24 are disbursed to any recipient designated in section 

25 7 until the total cost of designing and issuing all of 
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1 the coins authorized by this Act (including labor, 

2 materials, dies, use of machinery, winning design 

3 compensation, overhead expenses, marketing, and 

4 shipping) is recovered by the United States Treas5 ury, consistent with sections 5112(m) and 5134(f) of 

6 title 31, United States Code. 

Passed the Senate February 17, 2022. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 
117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 697 

AN ACT 

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint 

tennial of Harriet Tubman’s birth. commemorative coins in recognition of the Bicen-