PUBLIC LAW 112–209—DEC. 18, 2012 

MARCH OF DIMES COMMEMORATIVE COIN 

ACT OF 2012 


kgrant on DSKHRRP4G1PROD with PUBLAWS
126 STAT. 1510 PUBLIC LAW 112–209—DEC. 18, 2012 

Public Law 112–209 

112th Congress 

An Act 

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in recognition and celebration 

of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the March of Dimes Foundation. 

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 ‘‘March of Dimes Commemorative 

Coin Act of 2012’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

The Congress finds the following: 

(1) President Franklin Roosevelt’s personal struggle with 

polio led him to create the National Foundation for Infantile 

Paralysis (now known as the March of Dimes) on January 

3, 1938, at a time when polio was on the rise. 

(2) The Foundation established patient aid programs and 

funded research for polio vaccines developed by Jonas Salk, 

MD, and Albert Sabin, MD. 

(3) Tested in a massive field trial in 1954 that involved 

1.8 million schoolchildren known as ‘‘polio pioneers’’, the Salk 

vaccine was licensed for use on April 12, 1955 as ‘‘safe, effective, 

and potent’’. The Salk and Sabin polio vaccines funded by 

the March of Dimes ended the polio epidemic in the United 

States. 

(4) With its original mission accomplished, the Foundation 

turned its focus to preventing birth defects, prematurity, and 

infant mortality in 1958. The Foundation began to fund 

research into the genetic, prenatal, and environmental causes 

of over 3,000 birth defects. 

(5) The Foundation’s investment in research has led to 

13 scientists winning the Nobel Prize since 1954, including 

Dr. James Watson’s discovery of the double helix. 

(6) Virginia Apgar, MD, creator of the Apgar Score, helped 

develop the Foundation’s mission for birth defects prevention; 

joining the Foundation as the head of its new birth defects 

division in 1959. 

(7) In the 1960s, the Foundation created over 100 birth 

defects treatment centers, and then turned its attention to 

assisting in the development of Neonatal Intensive Care Units, 

or NICUs. 

(8) With March of Dimes support, a Committee on Perinatal 

Health released Toward Improving the Outcome of Pregnancy 

in 1976, which included recommendations that led to the 

regionalization of perinatal health care in the United States. 

March of Dimes 

Commemorative 

Coin Act of 2012. 

31 USC 5112 

note. 

Dec. 18, 2012 

[H.R. 3187] 


kgrant on DSKHRRP4G1PROD with PUBLAWS
PUBLIC LAW 112–209—DEC. 18, 2012 126 STAT. 1511 

(9) Since 1998, the March of Dimes has advocated for 

and witnessed the passage of the Birth Defects Prevention 

Act, Children’s Health Act, PREEMIE Act, and Newborn 

Screening Save Lives Act. 

(10) In 2003, the March of Dimes launched a Prematurity 

Campaign to increase awareness about and reduce the incidence 

of preterm birth, infant mortality, birth defects, and lifelong 

disabilities and disorders. 

(11) The March of Dimes actively promotes programs for 

and funds research into newborn screening, pulmonary surfactant therapy, maternal nutrition, smoking cessation, folic acid 

consumption to prevent neural tube defects, increased access 

to maternity care, and similar programs to improve maternal 

and infant health. 

SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 

(a) $1 SILVER COINS.—In recognition and celebration of the 

founding and proud service of the March of Dimes, the Secretary 

of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 

shall mint and issue not more than 500,000 $1 coins, which shall— 

(1) weigh 26.73 grams; 

(2) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and 

(3) contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. 

(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 mission and programs 

of the March of Dimes, and its distinguished record of generating Americans’ support to protect our children’s health. 

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

under this Act, there shall be— 

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

(B) an inscription of the year ‘‘2015’’; 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— 

(1) contain motifs that represent the past, present, and 

future of the March of Dimes and its role as champion for 

all babies, such designs to be consistent with the traditions 

and heritage of the March of Dimes; 

(2) be selected by the Secretary, after consultation with 

the March of Dimes and the Commission of Fine Arts; and 

(3) be reviewed by the Citizens Coin Advisory Committee. 

SEC. 5. ISSUANCE. 

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

be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 

(b) MINT FACILITY.—For the coins minted under this Act, at 

least 1 facility of the United States Mint shall be used to strike 


kgrant on DSKHRRP4G1PROD with PUBLAWS
126 STAT. 1512 PUBLIC LAW 112–209—DEC. 18, 2012 

proof quality coins, while at least 1 other such facility shall be 

used to strike the uncirculated quality coins. 

(c) PERIOD FOR ISSUANCE.—The Secretary of the Treasury may 

issue coins minted under this Act only during the 1-year period 

beginning on January 1, 2015. 

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 such 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 minted under this Act 

shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin. 

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

States Code, all surcharges received by the Secretary from the 

sale of coins issued under this Act shall be promptly paid by 

the Secretary to the March of Dimes to help finance research, 

education, and services aimed at improving the health of women, 

infants, and children. 

(c) AUDITS.—The March of Dimes 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 subsection (b). 

(d) LIMITATION.—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 

2 commemorative coin program issuance limitation under section 

5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code. The Secretary may 

issue guidance to carry out this subsection. 

SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES. 

The Secretary shall take such actions as may be necessary 

to ensure that— 

(1) minting and issuing coins under this Act will not result 

in any net cost to the United States Government; and 

(2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, shall be disbursed to any recipient designated in section 7 until the total 

cost of designing and issuing all of the coins authorized by 

this Act (including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, 

overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping) is recovered by 

the United States Treasury, consistent with sections 5112(m) 

and 5134(f) of title 31, United States Code. 


kgrant on DSKHRRP4G1PROD with PUBLAWS
PUBLIC LAW 112–209—DEC. 18, 2012 126 STAT. 1513 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 3187: 

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 158 (2012): 

Aug. 1, considered and passed House. 

Dec. 10, considered and passed Senate. 

Æ 

SEC. 9. BUDGET COMPLIANCE. 

The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 

with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined 

by reference to the latest statement titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of 

PAYGO Legislation’’ for this Act, submitted for printing in the 

Congressional Record by the Chairman of the Committee on the 

Budget of the House of Representatives, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage. 

Approved December 18, 2012. 


kgrant on DSKHRRP4G1PROD with PUBLAWS