II

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1208

To authorize the minting of coins to commemorate the historic buildings

in which the Constitution of the United States was written.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JULY 1 (legislative day, JUNE 30), 1993

Mr. WOFFORD introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred

to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

A BILL

To authorize the minting of coins to commemorate the historic buildings in which the Constitution of the United

States was written.

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 ‘‘Independence Hall

5 Commemorative Coin Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 The Congress makes the following findings:

8 (1) Two hundred years ago, in 1793, George

9 Washington was sworn in to his second term as

10 President of the United States of America in the
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1 Senate chamber of Congress Hall in Philadelphia,

2 Pennsylvania;

3 (2) For 150 years, the historic buildings in

4 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known as Congress Hall,

5 the Old City Hall, and Independence Hall (which

6 housed the Liberty Bell, the symbol of the heritage

7 of free people in the United States) were under the

8 occasional care of local government units.

9 (3) Later, the Federal Government, through the

10 National Park Service, assumed responsibility for

11 the preservation and maintenance of these and other

12 related historic sites for present and future genera13 tions of Americans.

14 (4) In recent years, financial exigencies and the

15 increased responsibilities of the National Park Serv16 ice have prevented the Federal Government from

17 meeting the capital needs of these historic sites.

18 (5) The minting and issuance of a United

19 States coin is an appropriate way to commemorate

20 these historic buildings and to aid in funding their

21 necessary maintenance and preservation.

22 SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

23 (a) ONE DOLLAR SILVER COINS.—

24 (1) ISSUANCE.—The Secretary of the Treasury

25 (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’)
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1 shall issue not more than 1,000,000 $1 coins, which

2 shall weigh 26.73 grams, have a diameter of 1.500

3 inches, and shall contain 90 percent silver and 10

4 percent copper.

5 (2) DESIGN.—The design of the coins issued

6 under this Act shall be emblematic of the national

7 shrines of liberty and shall show the Liberty Bell on

8 one side and Independence Hall on the other side.

9 On each such coin there shall be a designation of the

10 value of the coin, an inscription of the year ‘‘1994’’,

11 and inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, ‘‘In God

12 We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of America’’, and ‘‘E

13 Pluribus Unum’’.

14 (b) LEGAL TENDER.—The coins issued under this

15 Act shall be legal tender as provided in section 5103 of

16 title 31, United States Code.

17 SEC. 4. SOURCES OF BULLION.

18 The Secretary shall obtain silver for the coins minted

19 under this Act only from stockpiles established under the

20 Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act.

21 SEC. 5. SELECTION OF DESIGN.

22 The design for the coins authorized by this Act shall

23 be selected by the Secretary after consultation with the

24 Commission of Fine Arts. As required by section 5135 of

25 title 31, United States Code, the design shall also be re-
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1 viewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory

2 Committee.

3 SEC. 6. ISSUANCE OF THE COINS.

4 (a) QUALITY OF COINS.—The coins authorized under

5 this Act may be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.

6 (b) MINT FACILITY.—Not more than 1 facility of the

7 United States Mint may be used to strike any particular

8 quality of the coins minted under this Act.

9 (c) PERIOD OF AUTHORITY.—The coins authorized

10 under this Act may be minted beginning 30 days after

11 the date of enactment of this Act and for a period of not

12 more than 1 year after such date.

13 SEC. 7. SALE OF THE COINS.

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

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

16 of the face value of the coins, the surcharge provided in

17 subsection (d) with respect to such coins, and the cost of

18 designing and issuing such coins (including labor, mate19 rials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses, market20 ing, and shipping).

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

22 sales at a reasonable discount.

23 (c) PREPAID ORDERS.—The Secretary shall accept

24 prepaid orders for the coins authorized under this Act
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1 prior to the issuance of such coins. Sales under this sub2 section shall be at a reasonable discount.

3 (d) SURCHARGE REQUIRED.—All sales shall include

4 a surcharge of $7 per coin.

5 SEC. 8. GENERAL WAIVER OF PROCUREMENT REGULA6 TIONS.

7 No provision of law governing procurement or public

8 contracts shall be applicable to the procurement of goods

9 or services necessary for carrying out the provisions of this

10 Act. Nothing in this section shall relieve any person enter11 ing into a contract under the authority of this Act from

12 complying with any law relating to equal employment op13 portunity.

14 SEC. 9. DISTRIBUTION OF SURCHARGES.

15 Of the total surcharges collected by the Secretary

16 from the sale of the coins issued under this Act—

17 (1) 50 percent shall be returned to the United

18 States Treasury for purposes of reducing the na19 tional debt; and

20 (2) 50 percent shall be promptly paid by the

21 Secretary to the Independence Hall Preservation

22 Fund to assist the Fund’s efforts to—

23 (A) create an endowment fund to finance

24 capital improvements in Independence National

25 Historic Park;
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1 (B) fund capital replacement projects for

2 the buildings in Independence National Historic

3 Park; and

4 (C) meet such other needs as the Directors

5 of the Independence Hall Preservation Fund

6 deem appropriate to foster and increase respect

7 and admiration for Independence National His8 toric Park.

9 SEC. 10. AUDITS.

10 The Comptroller General of the United States shall

11 have the right to examine such books, records, documents,

12 and other data of the Independence Hall Preservation

13 Fund as may be related to the expenditure of amounts

14 paid under section 9.

15 SEC. 11. NUMISMATIC PUBLIC ENTERPRISE FUND.

16 The coins issued under this Act are subject to the

17 provisions of section 5134 of title 31, United States Code,

18 relating to the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.

19 SEC. 12. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES.

20 (a) NO NET COST TO THE GOVERNMENT.—The Sec21 retary shall take all actions necessary to ensure that the

22 issuance of the coins authorized by this Act shall result

23 in no net cost to the United States Government.
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1 (b) ADEQUATE SECURITY FOR PAYMENT RE2 QUIRED.—No coin shall be issued under this Act unless

3 the Secretary has received—

4 (1) full payment therefore;

5 (2) security satisfactory to the Secretary to in6 demnify the United States for full payment; or

7 (3) a guarantee of full payment satisfactory to

8 the Secretary from a depository institution whose

9 deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insur10 ance Corporation or the National Credit Union Ad11 ministration Board.

Æ