PUBLIC LAW 111–302—DEC. 14, 2010 

COIN MODERNIZATION, OVERSIGHT, AND 

CONTINUITY ACT OF 2010 


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124 STAT. 3272 PUBLIC LAW 111–302—DEC. 14, 2010 

Public Law 111–302 

111th Congress 

An Act 

To provide research and development authority for alternative coinage materials 

to the Secretary of the Treasury, increase congressional oversight over coin production, and ensure the continuity of certain numismatic items. 

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 ‘‘Coin Modernization, Oversight, 

and Continuity Act of 2010’’. 

SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ON 

ALL CIRCULATING COINS. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—To accomplish the goals of this Act and 

the requirements of subchapter II of chapter 51 of title 31, United 

States Code, the Secretary of the Treasury may— 

(1) conduct any appropriate testing of appropriate coinage 

metallic materials within or outside of the Department of the 

Treasury; and 

(2) solicit input from or otherwise work in conjunction 

with entities within or outside of the Federal Government 

including independent research facilities or current or potential 

suppliers of the metallic material used in volume production 

of circulating coins, 

to complete the report referred to in this Act and to develop and 

evaluate the use of new metallic materials. 

(b) FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED.—In the conduct of research, 

development, and the solicitation of input or work in conjunction 

with entities within and outside the Federal Government, and in 

reporting to the Congress with recommendations, as required by 

this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury shall consider the following: 

(1) Factors relevant to the potential impact of any revisions 

to the composition of the material used in coin production 

on the current coinage material suppliers. 

(2) Factors relevant to the ease of use and ability to cocirculate of new coinage materials, including the effect on 

vending machines and commercial coin processing equipment 

and making certain, to the greatest extent practicable, that 

any new coins work without interruption in existing coin acceptance equipment without modification. 

(3) Such other factors that the Secretary of the Treasury, 

in consultation with merchants who would be affected by any 

change in the composition of circulating coins, vending machine 

and other coin acceptor manufacturers, vending machine 

31 USC 5112 

note. 

31 USC 5101 

note. 

Coin 

Modernization, 

Oversight, and 

Continuity Act of 

2010. 

Dec. 14, 2010 

[H.R. 6162] 


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PUBLIC LAW 111–302—DEC. 14, 2010 124 STAT. 3273 

owners and operators, transit officials, municipal parking officials, depository institutions, coin and currency handlers, 

armored-car operators, car wash operators, and Americanowned manufacturers of commercial coin processing equipment, 

considers to be appropriate and in the public interest, after 

notice and opportunity for comment. 

SEC. 3. BIENNIAL REPORT TO THE CONGRESS ON THE CURRENT 

STATUS OF COIN PRODUCTION COSTS AND ANALYSIS OF 

ALTERNATIVE CONTENT. 

(a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Before the end of the 2-year period 

beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, and at 2- 

year intervals following the end of such period, the Secretary of 

the Treasury shall submit a report to the Committee on Financial 

Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate analyzing 

production costs for each circulating coin, cost trends for such 

production, and possible new metallic materials or technologies 

for the production of circulating coins. 

(b) DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS.—In preparing and submitting the reports required under subsection (a), the Secretary of 

the Treasury shall include detailed recommendations for any appropriate changes to the metallic content of circulating coins in such 

a form that the recommendations could be enacted into law as 

appropriate. 

(c) IMPROVED PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY.—In preparing and 

submitting the reports required under subsection (a), the Secretary 

of the Treasury shall include recommendations for changes in the 

methods of producing coins that would further reduce the costs 

to produce circulating coins, and include notes on the legislative 

changes that are necessary to achieve such goals. 

(d) MINIMIZING CONVERSION COSTS.—In preparing and submitting the reports required under subsection (a), the Secretary of 

the Treasury, to the greatest extent possible, may not include 

any recommendation for new specifications for producing a circulating coin that would require any significant change to coinaccepting and coin-handling equipment to accommodate changes 

to all circulating coins simultaneously. 

(e) FRAUD PREVENTION.—The reports required under this section shall make no recommendation for a specification change that 

would facilitate or allow the use of a coin with a lesser value 

produced, minted, or issued by another country, or the use of 

any token or other easily or regularly produced metal device of 

minimal value, in the place of a circulating coin produced by the 

Secretary. 

(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—No provision of this Act shall 

be construed as requiring that additional research and development 

be conducted for any report under this Act but any such report 

shall include information on any such research and development 

during the period covered by the report. 

SEC. 4. MEETING DEMAND FOR SILVER AND GOLD NUMISMATIC ITEMS. 

Subsections (e) and (i) of section 5112 of title 31, United States 

Code are each amended by striking ‘‘quantities’’ and inserting 

‘‘qualities and quantities that the Secretary determines are’’. 

SEC. 5. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

Section 5112(u)(1) of title 31, United States Code is amended— 

31 USC 5112 

note. 


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124 STAT. 3274 PUBLIC LAW 111–302—DEC. 14, 2010 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 6162: 

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 156 (2010): 

Sept. 29, considered and passed House. 

Nov. 30, considered and passed Senate. 

Æ 

(1) by striking ‘‘exact duplicates’’ and inserting ‘‘likenesses’’; 

(2) by striking subparagraph (C); 

(3) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) and (E) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respectively; and 

(4) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘of 3.0 inches’’ and 

inserting ‘‘determined by the Secretary that is no less than 

2.5 inches and no greater than 3.0 inches’’. 

SEC. 6. BUDGETARY EFFECT. 

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 House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior 

to the vote on passage. 

Approved December 14, 2010. 


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