II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2189 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 4, 2017 

Mr. MARKEY (for himself and Ms. WARREN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

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’’. 


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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; 


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

2 Provincetown before the Pilgrims explored 

3 Provincetown and the rest of Cape Cod and subse4 quently landed in Plymouth, was the colonial corner5 stone for self-governance in the New World and had 

6 a profound influence on later developments related 

7 to the Constitution of the United States and the Bill 

8 of Rights; 

9 (7) the story of the Wampanoag people, the Pil10 grims, and the Mayflower are iconic symbols for the 

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

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

13 around the world visit Massachusetts to see the 

14 sights of the first landing in Provincetown, early ex15 ploration of the New World along Cape Cod, and the 

16 ultimate landing and settlement in Plymouth (com17 memorated by Plymouth Rock), as well as to visit 

18 the recreated Mayflower and Plimoth Plantation, 

19 trace their ancestry, and learn about the indigenous 

20 Wampanoag and their integral role in the history of 

21 the United States; 

22 (9) there are more than 20,000,000 descend23 ants worldwide who trace their ancestry back to the 

24 Mayflower passengers arriving in 1620 and on sub25 sequent ships in the 1620s; 


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1 (10) the 2 federally recognized Indian tribes in 

2 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts—the 

3 Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and the 

4 Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe—have tribal members 

5 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 


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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. 


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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 half 

11 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 


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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 

23 Provincetown Museum; 

24 (H) Provincetown 400; 

25 (I) the Plymouth Antiquarian Society; 


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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). 


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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 Plymouth 

23 400, Inc.— 

24 (A) to support the work of the organiza25 tion to develop, implement, and provide overVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:12 Dec 06, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2189.IS S2189

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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) 5 percent of the surcharges to Plimoth 

11 Plantation Inc., to support the educational programs 

12 and exhibits at Plimoth Plantation that teach the 

13 general public about the 17th century history of the 

14 United States, including the Mayflower, the Pil15 grims, the Mayflower Compact, and the Native peo16 ple of the region; 

17 (3) 20 percent of the surcharges, to the Mash18 pee Wampanoag Tribe, to continue programs to edu19 cate people about the life of the Wampanoag people 

20 and Wampanoag culture, language, and history; 

21 (4) 5 percent of the surcharges, to the 

22 Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) to sup23 port programs to educate people about the life of the 

24 Wampanoag people prior to the Plymouth settlement 


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1 and the interactions between the settlers and the 

2 Wampanoag people; 

3 (5) 30 percent of the surcharges, to the General 

4 Society of Mayflower Descendants— 

5 (A) to support the continued restoration of 

6 the facilities of the General Society of 

7 Mayflower Descendants in Plymouth; 

8 (B) to provide funding for the General So9 ciety of Mayflower Descendants research library 

10 in Plymouth; 

11 (C) to support academic study to learn and 

12 disseminate new information about the Pilgrims 

13 and early colonial New England; 

14 (D) to provide funding for the restoration 

15 and operation of the National Pilgrim Memorial 

16 Meetinghouse; and 

17 (E) for educational purposes; 

18 (6) 5 percent of the surcharges, to the Pilgrim 

19 Society for the stewardship, conservation, and pres20 ervation of the collection of Pilgrim and Plymouth 

21 historical materials at the Pilgrim Hall Museum, in22 cluding— 

23 (A) the historic 1824 museum building; 

24 (B) a digitization program to preserve and 

25 share historical resources and build the technoVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:12 Dec 06, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2189.IS S2189

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1 logical and generational foundation for contin2 ued engagement with Plymouth history and the 

3 Pilgrim Hall Museum; 

4 (C) the development, design, and construc5 tion of a new museum website to serve as a dig6 ital gateway to museum resources; 

7 (D) improvements to permanent exhibition 

8 galleries and content, including greater atten9 tion to Wampanoag history; and 

10 (E) support for educational programs and 

11 educational partnerships, including a museum 

12 internship program; and 

13 (7) 5 percent of the surcharges to Provincetown 

14 400 to— 

15 (A) support the furtherance of events and 

16 programs that— 

17 (i) educate people about the lives of 

18 the Wampanoag people and the Pilgrims 

19 before and after the arrival of the 

20 Mayflower to the New World; and 

21 (ii) explore the themes of these his22 toric events that are still relevant today; 

23 and 

24 (B) maintain historical markers and sites 

25 related to the events of 1620 and 1621. 


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

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

3 documents, and other data of each of the organizations 

4 referred to in subsection (b) as may be related to the ex5 penditures of amounts paid under such subsection. 

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

7 no surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance 

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

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

10 result in the number of commemorative coin programs 

11 issued during such year to exceed the annual 2 commemo12 rative coin program issuance limitation under section 

13 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code (as in effect 

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

15 of the Treasury may issue guidance to carry out this sub16 section. 

17 (e) EXEMPTION FROM MATCHING REQUIRE18 MENTS.—Section 5134(f)(1)(A)(ii) of title 31, United 

19 States Code, shall not apply to the organizations referred 

20 to under paragraphs (3) and (4) of subsection (b) with 

21 respect to surcharges paid under this Act. 

22 SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES. 

23 The Secretary shall take such actions as may be nec24 essary to ensure that— 


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1 (1) minting and issuing coins under this Act 

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

3 Government; and 

4 (2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, 

5 are disbursed to any recipient designated in section 

6 7 until the total cost of designing and issuing all of 

7 the coins authorized by this Act (including labor, 

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

9 marketing, and shipping) is recovered by the United 

10 States Treasury, consistent with sections 5112(m) 

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

Æ 


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