I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4539 

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

of the 400th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower and settlement 

of Plymouth Colony, the signing of the Mayflower Compact near 

Provincetown, and the role of the indigenous Wampanoag Tribes in 

the realization of the settlement. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 4, 2017 

Mr. KEATING (for himself and Mr. FOSTER) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins 

in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower and settlement of Plymouth Colony, 

the signing of the Mayflower Compact near 

Provincetown, and the role of the indigenous Wampanoag 

Tribes in the realization of the settlement. 

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 ‘‘Plymouth 400th Anni5 versary Commemorative Coin Act of 2017’’. 


dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 4539 IH

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 The Congress finds that— 

3 (1) the arrival of the Pilgrims in Massachusetts 

4 in 1620 is an important landmark event in the his5 tory of the United States; 

6 (2) the United States is poised for an anniver7 sary of national and international significance, in 

8 2020 with the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower’s 

9 voyage, signing of the Mayflower Compact, and the 

10 founding of Plymouth Colony; 

11 (3) the Plymouth 400th anniversary will high12 light the cultural contributions and United States 

13 traditions that began with the interaction of the in14 digenous Wampanoag and English peoples, a story 

15 that significantly shaped the building of the United 

16 States; 

17 (4) the settlers, now known as the Pilgrims, 

18 and their ship the Mayflower, have come to rep19 resent national and international symbols of freedom 

20 and law; 

21 (5) the indigenous Wampanoag people, and 

22 their interaction with the Pilgrims, created an im23 portant legacy through their assistance and associa24 tion, including participation in the first shared har25 vest, which serves as an indelible iconic moment in 

26 United States history; 


dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 4539 IH

1 (6) the ‘‘Mayflower Compact’’, signed near 

2 Provincetown before the Pilgrims explored Province3 town and Cape Cod and subsequently landed in 

4 Plymouth, was the colonial cornerstone for self-gov5 ernance in the New World and had a profound influ6 ence on later developments related to the Constitu7 tion of the United States and the Bill of Rights; 

8 (7) the story of the Wampanoag people, the Pil9 grims, and the Mayflower are iconic symbols for the 

10 world representing freedom, family, law, and justice; 

11 (8) today, people from across the 50 States and 

12 around the world visit Massachusetts to see the 

13 sights of the first landing in Provincetown, early ex14 ploration of the New World along Cape Cod, and the 

15 ultimate landing and settlement in Plymouth (com16 memorated by Plymouth Rock), as well as to visit 

17 the re-created Mayflower and Plimoth Plantation, 

18 trace their ancestry, and learn about the indigenous 

19 Wampanoag and their integral role in the history of 

20 the United States; 

21 (9) there are more than 20,000,000 descend22 ants worldwide who trace their ancestry back to the 

23 Mayflower passengers arriving in 1620 and on sub24 sequent ships in the 1620s; 


dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 4539 IH

1 (10) there are two federally recognized Indian 

2 Tribes in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts—the 

3 Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and the 

4 Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe—that have tribal mem5 bers or citizens who descend from the historical 

6 Wampanoag Indian people whose sachem Massasoit 

7 signed the Wampanoag Treaty of 1621; 

8 (11) in 1897, the General Society of Mayflower 

9 Descendants was formed with the purpose of cre10 ating permanent records of those with lineage to the 

11 Mayflower Pilgrims, and to educate the public about 

12 the impact the Pilgrims had on Western civilization; 

13 (12) in 2009, a nonprofit organization, Plym14 outh 400, Inc., was established to ensure a suitable 

15 national observance of the Plymouth 400th anniver16 sary to include the themes of exploration, innova17 tion, immigration, self-governance, religious freedom, 

18 and thanksgiving, which are legacies that were 

19 sparked by these historic events and that continue 

20 today as cornerstones of the United States; 

21 (13) Plymouth 400, Inc. will lead, support, and 

22 facilitate legislative and marketing efforts for a com23 memorative coin series, United States postage 

24 stamps, and related activities for the Plymouth 


dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 4539 IH

1 400th anniversary observances and commemorations 

2 in 2020; 

3 (14) a commemorative coin series will bring na4 tional and international attention to the lasting leg5 acy of Plymouth Colony, the indigenous Wampanoag 

6 Tribes, and the Pilgrim settlers; and 

7 (15) the proceeds from a surcharge on the sale 

8 of such commemorative coins will assist the financ9 ing of a suitable national observance in 2020 and 

10 2021 of the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim land11 ing and historic events, including the signing of the 

12 Mayflower Compact, the first shared harvest, inter13 action with the indigenous Wampanoag people, and 

14 other significant events of the period. 

15 SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 

16 (a) DENOMINATIONS.—The Secretary of the Treas17 ury (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 

18 shall mint and issue the following coins: 

19 (1) $5 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 100,000 

20 $5 coins, which shall— 

21 (A) weigh 8.359 grams; 

22 (B) have diameter of 0.85 inches; and 

23 (C) contain 90 percent gold and 10 percent 

24 alloy. 


dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 4539 IH

1 (2) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 500,000 

2 $1 coins, which shall— 

3 (A) weigh 26.73 grams; 

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

5 (C) contain not less than 90 percent silver. 

6 (3) HALF-DOLLAR CLAD COINS.—Not more 

7 than 750,000 half-dollar coins which shall— 

8 (A) weigh 11.34 grams; 

9 (B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and 

10 (C) be minted to the specifications for half11 dollar coins described in section 5112(b) of title 

12 31, United States Code. 

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

14 Act shall be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of 

15 title 31, United States Code. 

16 (c) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 

17 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins 

18 minted under this Act shall be considered to be numis19 matic items. 

20 SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS. 

21 (a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.— 

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

23 minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the 

24 landing and settlement of Plymouth Colony, the 

25 signing of the Mayflower Compact, and the role of 


dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 4539 IH

1 the indigenous Wampanoag Tribes in the realization 

2 of the settlement. 

3 (2) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On 

4 each coin minted under this Act there shall be— 

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

6 (B) an inscription of the year ‘‘2020’’; and 

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

8 ‘‘In God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of Amer9 ica’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’. 

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

11 under this Act shall be— 

12 (1) selected by the Secretary after consulting 

13 with— 

14 (A) Plymouth 400, Inc.; 

15 (B) the General Society of Mayflower De16 scendants; 

17 (C) the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe; 

18 (D) the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head 

19 (Aquinnah); 

20 (E) the Pilgrim Society; 

21 (F) Plimoth Plantation, Inc.; 

22 (G) the Pilgrim Monument and Province23 town Museum; 

24 (H) Provincetown 400; 

25 (I) the Plymouth Antiquarian Society; 


dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 4539 IH

1 (J) the Massachusetts Cultural Council; 

2 and 

3 (K) the Massachusetts Historical Society; 

4 and 

5 (2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory 

6 Committee. 

7 SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 

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

9 Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 

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

11 States Mint may be used to strike any particular quality 

12 of the coins minted under this Act. 

13 (c) PERIOD FOR ISSUANCE.—The Secretary may 

14 issue coins minted under this Act only during a 1-year 

15 period beginning January 1, 2020. 

16 SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 

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

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

19 of— 

20 (1) the face value of the coins; 

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

22 respect to such coins; and 

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

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

25 overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping). 


dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 4539 IH

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

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

3 discount. 

4 (c) PREPAID ORDERS.— 

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

6 prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act 

7 before the issuance of such coins. 

8 (2) DISCOUNT.—Sale prices with respect to pre9 paid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a rea10 sonable discount. 

11 SEC. 7. SURCHARGES. 

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

13 Act shall include a surcharge as follows: 

14 (1) A surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin. 

15 (2) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin. 

16 (3) A surcharge of $5 per coin for the half-dol17 lar coin. 

18 (b) DISTRIBUTION.—Subject to section 5134(f) of 

19 title 31, United States Code, all surcharges received by 

20 the Secretary from the sale of coins under this Act shall 

21 be promptly paid by the Secretary as follows: 

22 (1) 30 percent of the surcharges, to the Plym23 outh 400, Inc.— 

24 (A) to support the work of the organiza25 tion to develop, implement, and provide overVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:06 Dec 09, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4539.IH H4539

dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 4539 IH

1 sight for the commemorations surrounding the 

2 events of 2020 through 2021; and 

3 (B) at the discretion of Plymouth 400 to 

4 distribute to local historical preservation, tribal, 

5 and cultural organizations to support their im6 portant work in educating the public about the 

7 settlement of 1620, their continued existence 

8 for the benefit of future generations, and other 

9 related purposes; 

10 (2) 30 percent of the surcharges, to the General 

11 Society of Mayflower Descendants— 

12 (A) to support the continued restoration of 

13 the GSMD facilities in Plymouth; 

14 (B) to provide funding for the GSMD re15 search library in Plymouth; 

16 (C) to support academic study to learn and 

17 disseminate new information about the Pilgrims 

18 and early colonial New England; 

19 (D) to provide funding for the restoration 

20 and operation of the National Pilgrim Memorial 

21 Meetinghouse; and 

22 (E) for educational purposes; 

23 (3) 20 percent of the surcharges, to the Mash24 pee Wampanoag Tribe, to continue programs to eduVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:06 Dec 09, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4539.IH H4539

dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 4539 IH

1 cate people about the life of the Wampanoag people 

2 and Wampanoag culture, language, and history; 

3 (4) 5 percent of the surcharges, to the 

4 Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) to sup5 port programs to educate people about the life of the 

6 Wampanoag people prior to the Plymouth settlement 

7 and the interactions between the settlers and the 

8 Wampanoag people; 

9 (5) 5 percent of the surcharges, to the Pilgrim 

10 Society d/b/a Pilgrim Hall Museum for the steward11 ship, conservation, and preservation of the museum’s 

12 collection of Pilgrim and Plymouth historical mate13 rials, including— 

14 (A) the historic 1824 museum building; 

15 (B) a digitization program to preserve and 

16 share historical resources and build the techno17 logical and generational foundation for contin18 ued engagement with Plymouth history and Pil19 grim Hall Museum; 

20 (C) the development, design, and construc21 tion of a new museum website to serve as a dig22 ital gateway to museum resources; 

23 (D) improvements to permanent exhibition 

24 galleries and content, including greater atten25 tion to Wampanoag history; and 


dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 4539 IH

1 (E) support for educational programs and 

2 educational partnerships, including a museum 

3 internship program; and 

4 (6) 5 percent of the surcharges to Plimoth 

5 Plantation Inc., to support the Museum’s edu6 cational programs and exhibits that teach the gen7 eral public about the 17th century history of Amer8 ica including the Mayflower, the Pilgrims, the 

9 Mayflower Compact, and the Native people of this 

10 region; 

11 (7) 5 percent of the surcharges, to Pilgrims’ 

12 First Landing Park, Inc. d/b/a Provincetown 400 to 

13 support the organization’s work in furtherance of 

14 events and programs that educate people about the 

15 lives of the Wampanoag people and the Pilgrims be16 fore and after the arrival of the Mayflower to the 

17 New World and that explore the themes of these his18 toric events that are still relevant today, and to 

19 maintain historical markers and sites related to the 

20 events of 1620 and 1621. 

21 (c) AUDITS.—The Comptroller General of the United 

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

23 documents, and other data of each of the organizations 

24 referred to in subsection (b) as may be related to the ex25 penditures of amounts paid under such subsection. 


dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 4539 IH

1 (d) LIMITATIONS.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), 

2 no surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance 

3 under this Act of any coin during a calendar year if, as 

4 of such time of issuance, the issuance of such coin would 

5 result in the number of commemorative coin programs 

6 issued during such year to exceed the annual 2 commemo7 rative coin program issuance limitation under section 

8 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code (as in effect 

9 on the date of the enactment of this Act). The Secretary 

10 of the Treasury may issue guidance to carry out this sub11 section. 

12 (e) EXEMPTION FROM MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 

13 Section 5134(f)(1)(A)(ii) of title 31, United States Code, 

14 shall not apply to the organizations referred to under 

15 paragraphs (3) and (4) of subsection (b) with respect to 

16 surcharges paid under this Act. 

17 SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES. 

18 The Secretary shall take such actions as may be nec19 essary to ensure that— 

20 (1) minting and issuing coins under this Act 

21 will not result in any net cost to the United States 

22 Government; and 

23 (2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, 

24 are disbursed to any recipient designated in section 

25 7 until the total cost of designing and issuing all of 


dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 4539 IH

1 the coins authorized by this Act (including labor, 

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

3 marketing, and shipping) is recovered by the United 

4 States Treasury, consistent with sections 5112(m) 

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

Æ 


dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS