IIB 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2993

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 29, 2004

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

Urban Affairs 

AN ACT

To provide for a circulating quarter dollar coin program 

to honor the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 

of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United 

States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands, and for other purposes.
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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 ‘‘District of Columbia 

5 and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar 

6 Program Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. ISSUANCE OF REDESIGNED QUARTER DOLLARS 

8 HONORING THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND 

9 EACH OF THE TERRITORIES. 

10 Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is 

11 amended by inserting after subsection (m) the following 

12 new subsection: 

13 ‘‘(n) REDESIGN AND ISSUANCE OF CIRCULATING

14 QUARTER DOLLAR HONORING THE DISTRICT OF COLUM15 BIA AND EACH OF THE TERRITORIES.—

16 ‘‘(1) REDESIGN IN 2009.—

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the 

18 fourth sentence of subsection (d)(1) and sub19 section (d)(2) and subject to paragraph (6)(B), 

20 quarter dollar coins issued during 2009, shall 

21 have designs on the reverse side selected in ac22 cordance with this subsection which are em23 blematic of the District of Columbia and the 

24 territories. 
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1 ‘‘(B) FLEXIBILITY WITH REGARD TO

2 PLACEMENT OF INSCRIPTIONS.—Notwith3 standing subsection (d)(1), the Secretary may 

4 select a design for quarter dollars issued during 

5 2009 in which—

6 (i) the inscription described in the sec7 ond sentence of subsection (d)(1) appears 

8 on the reverse side of any such quarter 

9 dollars; and 

10 (ii) any inscription described in the 

11 third sentence of subsection (d)(1) or the 

12 designation of the value of the coin ap13 pears on the obverse side of any such quar14 ter dollars. 

15 ‘‘(2) SINGLE DISTRICT OR TERRITORY DE16 SIGN.—The design on the reverse side of each quar17 ter dollar issued during 2009 shall be emblematic of 

18 one of the following: The District of Columbia, the 

19 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American 

20 Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the 

21 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

22 ‘‘(3) SELECTION OF DESIGN.—

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each of the 6 designs 

24 required under this subsection for quarter dol25 lars shall be—
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1 ‘‘(i) selected by the Secretary after 

2 consultation with—

3 ‘‘(I) the chief executive of the 

4 District of Columbia or the territory 

5 being honored, or such other officials 

6 or group as the chief executive officer 

7 of the District of Columbia or the ter8 ritory may designate for such purpose; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(II) the Commission of Fine 

11 Arts; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage 

13 Advisory Committee. 

14 ‘‘(B) SELECTION AND APPROVAL PROC15 ESS.—Designs for quarter dollars may be sub16 mitted in accordance with the design selection 

17 and approval process developed by the Sec18 retary in the sole discretion of the Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(C) PARTICIPATION.—The Secretary may 

20 include participation by District or territorial 

21 officials, artists from the District of Columbia 

22 or the territory, engravers of the United States 

23 Mint, and members of the general public. 

24 ‘‘(D) STANDARDS.—Because it is impor25 tant that the Nation’s coinage and currency 
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1 bear dignified designs of which the citizens of 

2 the United States can be proud, the Secretary 

3 shall not select any frivolous or inappropriate 

4 design for any quarter dollar minted under this 

5 subsection. 

6 ‘‘(E) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN REP7 RESENTATIONS.—No head and shoulders por8 trait or bust of any person, living or dead, and 

9 no portrait of a living person may be included 

10 in the design of any quarter dollar under this 

11 subsection. 

12 ‘‘(4) TREATMENT AS NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For 

13 purposes of sections 5134 and 5136, all coins mint14 ed under this subsection shall be considered to be 

15 numismatic items. 

16 ‘‘(5) ISSUANCE.—

17 ‘‘(A) QUALITY OF COINS.—The Secretary 

18 may mint and issue such number of quarter 

19 dollars of each design selected under paragraph 

20 (4) in uncirculated and proof qualities as the 

21 Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

22 ‘‘(B) SILVER COINS.—Notwithstanding 

23 subsection (b), the Secretary may mint and 

24 issue such number of quarter dollars of each 

25 design selected under paragraph (4) as the Sec-
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1 retary determines to be appropriate, with a con2 tent of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. 

3 ‘‘(C) TIMING AND ORDER OF ISSUANCE.—

4 Coins minted under this subsection honoring 

5 the District of Columbia and each of the terri6 tories shall be issued in equal sequential inter7 vals during 2009 in the following order: the 

8 District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 

9 Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the 

10 United States Virgin Islands, and the Common11 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

12 ‘‘(6) OTHER PROVISIONS.—

13 ‘‘(A) APPLICATION IN EVENT OF ADMIS14 SION AS A STATE.—If the District of Columbia 

15 or any territory becomes a State before the end 

16 of the 10-year period referred to in subsection 

17 (l)(1), subsection (l)(7) shall apply, and this 

18 subsection shall not apply, with respect to such 

19 State. 

20 ‘‘(B) APPLICATION IN EVENT OF INDE21 PENDENCE.—If any territory becomes inde22 pendent or otherwise ceases to be a territory or 

23 possession of the United States before quarter 

24 dollars bearing designs which are emblematic of 

25 such territory are minted pursuant to this sub-
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1 section, this subsection shall cease to apply with 

2 respect to such territory. 

3 ‘‘(7) TERRITORY DEFINED.—For purposes of 

4 this subsection, the term ‘territory’ means the Com5 monwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, 

6 the United States Virgin Islands, and the Common7 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.’’.

Passed the House of Representatives March 25, 

2004. 

Attest: JEFF TRANDAHL, 

Clerk.