PUBLIC LAW 114–148—APR. 29, 2016 

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS 

COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT 


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130 STAT. 360 PUBLIC LAW 114–148—APR. 29, 2016 

Public Law 114–148 

114th Congress 

An Act 

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in recognition of the fight 

against breast cancer. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Breast Cancer Awareness 

Commemorative Coin Act’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

The Congress finds the following: 

(1) Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. Today, about 1 in 8, 

or 12 percent of, women in the United States will develop 

invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. This is an increase 

from 1 in 11, or 9 percent of, women in 1975. 

(2) Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer 

death in women. The chance of dying from breast cancer is 

about 1 in 36. Thanks to earlier detection, increased awareness, 

and improved treatment, death rates from breast cancer have 

decreased since about 1989. 

(3) There is a strong interest among the American public 

to do more to tackle this disease. The National Cancer Institute 

estimates $16.5 billion is spent in the United States each 

year on breast cancer treatment. Assuming that incidence and 

survival rates follow recent trends, it is estimated that $17.2 

billion will be spent on breast cancer care in the United States 

in 2014. 

(4) Finding a cure for breast cancer is a goal of the United 

States Government. 

(5) The National Institutes of Health dedicated an estimated $674 million for breast cancer research in Fiscal Year 

2014. In Fiscal Year 2014, the Department of Defense’s Breast 

Cancer Research Program received $120 million. 

(6) While the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense program on Breast Cancer research remain 

the largest funders of breast cancer research in the United 

States, in 2013, the National Cancer Institute funding was 

reduced by nearly $66 million since 2011. The funding level 

for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program 

has remained consistent since 2012, however this amount represents a 20-percent decrease from 2011 funding levels. 

(7) Additional private sector support for breast cancer 

research will help us find cures for breast cancer even faster. 

Breast Cancer 

Awareness 

Commemorative 

Coin Act. 

31 USC 5112 

note. 

Apr. 29, 2016 

[H.R. 2722] 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–148—APR. 29, 2016 130 STAT. 361 

(8) It is estimated that in the United States 231,840 women 

will be diagnosed with and 40,290 women will die of cancer 

of the breast in 2015. This means that every 13 minutes a 

woman dies of breast cancer in the United States. 

(9) However, due to disease type and lack of adequate 

care, African-American women have the highest death rates 

of all racial and ethnic groups overall and are at least 44 

percent more likely to die of breast cancer as compared to 

other racial and ethnic groups. 

(10) Breast cancer used to be considered a disease of aging 

but recent trends show that more aggressive forms of the 

disease have been increasingly diagnosed in younger women. 

(11) Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer 

among nearly every racial and ethnic group, including AfricanAmerican, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific 

Islander, and Hispanic/Latina women. 

(12) Clinical advances, resulting from research, have led 

to increased survival from breast cancer. Since 1990, death 

rates from breast cancer have dropped over 34 percent. 

(13) Among men in the United States it is estimated that 

there will be 2,350 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 

440 breast cancer deaths in 2015. 

(14) At this time there are more than 3.1 million breast 

cancer survivors in the United States. 

(15) It is estimated that breast cancer costs $12.5 billion 

in lost productivity. Such productivity losses will increase with 

projected growth rate and aging of the U.S. population if cancer 

mortality rates stay constant in the future. 

(16) There is a better chance of survival and there are 

more treatment options with early stage detection through 

mammograms and clinical breast exams. 

(17) Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women 

worldwide, with an estimated 1.7 million new cases of breast 

cancer among women worldwide in 2012. 

(18) Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) is considered one of the most efficient cancer research charities. 

(19) Of every dollar donated to BCRF, $0.91 goes to 

research and awareness programs—88 cents towards research 

and 3 cents towards awareness. 

(20) Founded in 1993, the BCRF has raised more than 

$500 million to fuel discoveries in tumor biology, genetics, 

prevention, treatment, survivorship, and metastasis, making 

BCRF one of the largest private funders of breast cancer 

research in the world. For 2014–2015, BCRF committed $58.6 

million in research, including $11.6 million to the international 

Evelyn H. Lauder Founder’s Fund focused on metastasis, to 

support the work of more than 220 researchers at leading 

medical institutions across 6 continents (25 states and 14 countries). 

SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 

(a) DENOMINATIONS.—The Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter 

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

the following coins: 

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

which shall— 

(A) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and 


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130 STAT. 362 PUBLIC LAW 114–148—APR. 29, 2016 

(B) be made of ‘‘pink gold’’ which contains not less 

than 75 percent gold. 

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

which shall— 

(A) weigh 26.73 grams; 

(B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and 

(C) contain not less than 90 percent silver. 

(3) HALF-DOLLAR CLAD COINS.—Not more than 750,000 halfdollar coins which shall— 

(A) weigh 11.34 grams; 

(B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and 

(C) be minted to the specifications for half-dollar coins 

contained in section 5112(b) of title 31, United States Code. 

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

be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of title 31, United 

States Code. 

(c) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 5134 and 

5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins minted under this 

Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 

SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS. 

(a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.— 

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

this Act shall be emblematic of the fight against breast cancer. 

(2) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On each coin minted 

under this Act there shall be— 

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

(B) an inscription of the year ‘‘2018’’; and 

(C) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, ‘‘In God We 

Trust’’, ‘‘United States of America’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus 

Unum’’. 

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

Act shall be selected by the Secretary based on the winning design 

from a juried, compensated design competition described under 

subsection (c). 

(c) DESIGN COMPETITION.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall hold a competition 

and provide compensation for its winner to design the obverse 

and reverse of the coins minted under this Act. The competition 

shall be judged by an expert jury chaired by the Secretary 

and consisting of three members from the Citizens Coinage 

Advisory Committee who shall be elected by such Committee 

and three members from the Commission of Fine Arts who 

shall be elected by such Commission. 

(2) PROPOSALS.—As part of the competition described in 

this subsection, the Secretary may accept proposals from artists, 

engravers of the United States Mint, and members of the 

general public, and any designs submitted for the design review 

process described herein shall be anonymized until a final 

selection is made. 

(3) ACCOMPANYING DESIGNS; PREFERENCE FOR PHYSICAL

DESIGNS.—The Secretary shall encourage three-dimensional 

designs to be submitted as part of the proposals, and the 

jury shall give a preference for proposals that are accompanied 

by a three-dimensional physical design instead of, or in addition 

to, an electronic design. 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–148—APR. 29, 2016 130 STAT. 363 

(4) COMPENSATION.—The Secretary shall determine compensation for the winning design under this subsection, which 

shall be not less than $5,000. The Secretary shall take into 

account this compensation amount when determining the sale 

price described in section 6(a). 

SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 

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

be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 

(b) PERIOD FOR ISSUANCE.—The Secretary may issue coins 

minted under this Act only during the 1-year period beginning 

on January 1, 2018. 

SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 

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

sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum of— 

(1) the face value of the coins; 

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

to the coins; and 

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

labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses, 

marketing, and shipping). 

(b) BULK SALES.—The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the 

coins issued under this Act at a reasonable discount. 

(c) PREPAID ORDERS.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall accept prepaid orders 

for the coins minted under this Act before the issuance of 

such coins. 

(2) DISCOUNT.—Sale prices with respect to prepaid orders 

under paragraph (1) shall be at a reasonable discount. 

SEC. 7. SURCHARGES. 

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

include a surcharge of— 

(1) $35 per coin for the $5 coin; 

(2) $10 per coin for the $1 coin; and 

(3) $5 per coin for the half-dollar coin. 

(b) DISTRIBUTION.—Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31, United 

States Code, all surcharges which are received by the Secretary 

from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be promptly 

paid by the Secretary to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, 

New York, New York, for the purpose of furthering breast cancer 

research funded by the Foundation. 

(c) AUDITS.—The surcharge recipients under subsection (b) shall 

be subject to the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of title 

31, United States Code, with regard to the amounts received under 

that subsection. 

(d) LIMITATIONS.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), no surcharge 

may be included with respect to the issuance under this Act of 

any coin during a calendar year if, as of the time of such issuance, 

the issuance of such coin would result in the number of commemorative coin programs issued during such year to exceed the annual 

two commemorative coin program issuance limitation under section 

5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code (as in effect on the 

Time period. 


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130 STAT. 364 PUBLIC LAW 114–148—APR. 29, 2016 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 2722: 

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 

Vol. 161 (2015): July 14, 15, considered and passed House. 

Vol. 162 (2016): Apr. 19, considered and passed Senate. 

Æ 

date of the enactment of this Act). The Secretary of the Treasury 

may issue guidance to carry out this subsection. 

Approved April 29, 2016. 


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