I

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1406

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

of the 50th anniversary of the Marshall Plan and George Catlett Marshall.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APRIL 5, 1995

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

Committee on Banking and Financial Services

A BILL

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins

in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Marshall Plan and George Catlett Marshall.

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 ‘‘George C. Marshall

5 Commemorative Coin Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

7 (a) DENOMINATIONS.—The Secretary of the Treas8 ury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’

9 shall mint and issue the following coins in commemoration
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1 of the 50th anniversary of the Marshall Plan and George

2 Catlett Marshall:

3 (1) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 700,000

4 1 dollar coins, which shall—

5 (A) weigh 26.73 grams;

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

7 (C) contain 90 percent silver and 10 per8 cent copper.

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

10 than 500,000 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 section

20 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all coins minted

21 under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.

22 SEC. 3. SOURCES OF BULLION.

23 The Secretary shall obtain silver for minting coins

24 under this Act only from stockpiles established under the

25 Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act.
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1 SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS.

2 (a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.—

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

4 minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the

5 50th anniversary of the Marshall Plan, which gave

6 Europe’s war-ravaged countries the economic

7 strength by which they might choose freedom, and

8 George C. Marshall, the author of the plan.

9 (2) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On

10 each coin minted under this Act there shall be—

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

12 (B) an inscription of the year ‘‘1997’’; and

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

14 ‘‘In God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of Amer15 ica’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’.

16 (3) OBVERSE SIDE.—The obverse side of each

17 coin minted under this Act shall bear the likeness of

18 George C. Marshall.

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

20 under this Act shall be—

21 (1) selected by the Secretary after consultation

22 with the George C. Marshall Foundation, the

23 Friends of George C. Marshall, and the Commission

24 of Fine Arts; and

25 (2) reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative

26 Coin Advisory Committee.
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1 SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.

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

3 Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.

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

5 States Mint may be used to strike any particular combina6 tion of denomination and quality of the coins minted under

7 this Act.

8 (c) COMMENCEMENT OF ISSUANCE.—The Secretary

9 may issue coins minted under this Act beginning January

10 1, 1997.

11 (d) TERMINATION OF MINTING AUTHORITY.—No

12 coins may be minted under this Act after December 31,

13 1997.

14 SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS.

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

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

17 of—

18 (1) the face value of the coins;

19 (2) the surcharge provided in subsection (d)

20 with respect to such coins; and

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

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

23 overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping).

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

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

26 discount.
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1 (c) PREPAID ORDERS.—

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

3 prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act

4 before the issuance of such coins.

5 (2) DISCOUNT.—Sale prices with respect to pre6 paid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a rea7 sonable discount.

8 (d) SURCHARGES.—All sales shall include a sur9 charge of—

10 (1) $12 per coin for the $1 coin; and

11 (2) $4 per coin for the half dollar coin.

12 SEC. 7. GENERAL WAIVER OF PROCUREMENT REGULA13 TIONS.

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection

15 (b), no provision of law governing procurement or public

16 contracts shall be applicable to the procurement of goods

17 and services necessary for carrying out the provisions of

18 this Act.

19 (b) EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY.—Sub20 section (a) shall not relieve any person entering into a con21 tract under the authority of this Act from complying with

22 any law relating to equal employment opportunity.
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1 SEC. 8. DISTRIBUTION OF SURCHARGES.

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—All surcharges received by the

3 Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall

4 be promptly paid by the Secretary in equal portions to—

5 (1) the George C. Marshall Foundation for the

6 purpose of supporting the Foundation’s educational

7 and outreach programs to promote the ideals and

8 values of George C. Marshall; and

9 (2) the Friends of George C. Marshall for the

10 sole purpose of constructing and operating the

11 George C. Marshall Memorial and Visitor Center in

12 Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

13 (b) AUDITS.—The Comptroller General of the United

14 States shall have the right to examine such books, records,

15 documents, and other data of the George C. Marshall

16 Foundation and the Friends of George C. Marshall as may

17 be related to the expenditures of amounts paid under sub18 section (a).

19 SEC. 9. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES.

20 (a) NO NET COST TO THE GOVERNMENT.—The Sec21 retary shall take such actions as may be necessary to en22 sure that minting and issuing coins under this Act will

23 not result in any net cost to the United States Govern24 ment.

25 (b) PAYMENT FOR COINS.—A coin shall not be issued

26 under this Act unless the Secretary has received—
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1 (1) full payment for the coin;

2 (2) security satisfactory to the Secretary to in3 demnify the United States for full payment; or

4 (3) a guarantee of full payment satisfactory to

5 the Secretary from a depository institution whose

6 deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insur7 ance Corporation or the National Credit Union Ad8 ministration.

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