I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2978 

To require the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment to the 

United States Constitution, which officially marked the abolishment of 

slavery in the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 8, 2015 

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois (for himself, Mr. SHIMKUS, Ms. BASS, Mrs. 

BEATTY, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. 

CARSON of Indiana, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. 

CLAY, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. 

CUMMINGS, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. 

FARR, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 

GUTIE ́RREZ, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. HONDA, 

Ms. JENKINS of Kansas, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. KEATING, Mrs. 

KIRKPATRICK, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. 

LEWIS, Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, 

Mr. LYNCH, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. 

MOORE, Mr. NADLER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. POCAN, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. 

RANGEL, Mr. ROYCE, Mr. RUSH, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. SMITH of 

Washington, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. THOMPSON of California, 

Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. WELCH, and Mrs. BUSTOS) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, 

and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To require the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration 

of the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the adoption of 

the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States ConVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:19 Jul 09, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H2978.IH H2978

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stitution, which officially marked the abolishment of slavery in the United States. 

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 ‘‘Thirteenth Amend5 ment Commemorative Coin Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The economic contributions of enslaved Af9 rican-Americans to the American economy between 

10 1691 and 1860 were immeasurable. This labor force 

11 was used to build the foundations upon which Amer12 ica stands today. 

13 (2) From the 16th through the 19th centuries, 

14 most colonial economies in the Americas were de15 pendent on human-trafficking and the use of 

16 enslaved African labor for their survival. This in17 cluded the North American mercantile and shipping 

18 sectors that were dependent on slave-produced cot19 ton, rice, sugar and indigo, and the profits derived 

20 from triangular trade with the West Indies, Africa, 

21 and Europe. 

22 (3) Enslaved Africans in the United States 

23 were also recognized as an important element in the 


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1 political and economic capital in the Nation’s polit2 ical economy. 

3 (4) Over the course of 246 years, slaves con4 tributed an estimated 605 billion hours of forced 

5 free labor, the gain from which provided ‘‘seed cap6 ital’’ for the American economy, helped finance the 

7 birth of American finance and industrial sectors, 

8 contributed to the growth of most of the ‘‘Fortune 

9 500’’ companies, and ultimately assisted the Nation 

10 in financing both world wars. 

11 (5) During the Civil War, after Union forces re12 pelled a Confederate invasion at the battle of Antie13 tam in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the 

14 Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all 

15 slaves in States then in rebellion would be ‘‘forever 

16 free’’ as of January 1, 1863. By his action, Lincoln 

17 added a new and revolutionary dimension to the Na18 tion’s war aims: from being a conflict to preserve the 

19 Union, the Civil War grew to be a crusade to end 

20 Black slavery and fulfill the promise of the Declara21 tion of Independence. 

22 (6) In the spring of 1864, Charles Sumner in23 troduced an anti-slavery amendment in the Senate, 

24 much like the amendments that were introduced in 

25 the House by Representatives James Ashley and 


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1 James Wilson in December of 1863, which declared 

2 all persons as equal, prohibited the slavery, and 

3 granted Congress the power to enforce these provi4 sions. After extensive debate, the 13th Amendment 

5 was formed from this proposal, with the omission of 

6 the declaration of equality of all persons, and passed 

7 the Senate on April 8, 1864, by a vote of 38–6. 

8 (7) Debates between abolitionists and sup9 porters of slavery focused on the moral issue of slav10 ery and various interpretations of ‘‘natural law’’. 

11 Representative John Farnsworth of Illinois stated 

12 that ‘‘the old fathers who made the constitution be13 lieved that slavery was at war with the rights of 

14 human nature’’, and pointed out the contradiction 

15 between the existence of inalienable rights and the 

16 institution of slavery. Some members within the Re17 publican Party, such as Charles Sumner, sought an 

18 interpretation of the Constitution that rejected slav19 ery as incompatible with moral law. 

20 (8) President Lincoln took an active role in pro21 moting the 13th Amendment in Congress. He en22 sured that the Republican Party’s 1864 election 

23 platform included a provision supporting a constitu24 tional amendment to ‘‘terminate and forever prohibit 

25 the existence of Slavery’’. His efforts were met with 


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1 success when the House passed the bill on January 

2 31, 1865, with a vote of 119–56. 

3 (9) On February 1, 1865, Illinois became the 

4 first State to ratify the proposed 13th Amendment; 

5 it was joined by 17 other States by the end of the 

6 month. Georgia ratified on December 6, 1865, be7 coming the 27th of 36 States to approve the Amend8 ment, thus achieving the constitutional requirement 

9 that it be ratified by three-fourths of the States. 

10 Secretary of State William Seward declared the 13th 

11 Amendment to be part of the Constitution on De12 cember 18. 

13 (10) The Smithsonian National Museum of Af14 rican American History and Culture (hereafter re15 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘NMAAHC’’) was es16 tablished by an Act of Congress in 2003, in Public 

17 Law 108–184. 

18 (11) It is fitting that the NMAAHC receive the 

19 surcharges from the sale of coins issued under this 

20 Act because the Museum is devoted to the docu21 mentation of African-American life, and, among 

22 other areas, encompasses the period of slavery and 

23 the era of Reconstruction. 

24 (12) The surcharge proceeds from the sale of a 

25 commemorative coin, which would have no net cost 


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1 to the taxpayers, would raise valuable funding to 

2 supplement the endowment and educational outreach 

3 funds of the NMAAHC. 

4 SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 

5 (a) DENOMINATIONS.—The Secretary of the Treas6 ury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 

7 shall mint and issue the following coins in commemoration 

8 of the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the passage of the 

9 13th Amendment: 

10 (1) $50 BI-METALLIC PLATINUM AND GOLD

11 COINS.—Not more than 250,000 $50 coins, which 

12 shall— 

13 (A) have a weight, diameter, and thickness 

14 determined by the Secretary; and 

15 (B) contain platinum and .9167 pure gold. 

16 (2) $20 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 250,000 

17 $20 coins, which shall— 

18 (A) weigh 33.931 grams; 

19 (B) have a diameter of 32.7 millimeters; 

20 and 

21 (C) contain .900 pure gold. 

22 (3) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 500,000 

23 $1 coins, which shall— 

24 (A) weigh 31.103 grams; 


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1 (B) have a diameter of 40.6 millimeters; 

2 and 

3 (C) contain .999 fine silver. 

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

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

6 title 31, United States Code. 

7 (c) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For the purposes of sec8 tions 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all 

9 coins minted under this Act shall be considered to be nu10 mismatic items. 

11 SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The design of the coins minted 

13 under this Act shall be emblematic of the Thirteenth 

14 Amendment and the abolishment of slavery in America. 

15 (b) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On each coin 

16 minted under this Act there shall be— 

17 (1) a designation of the value of the coin; 

18 (2) an inscription of the year ‘‘1865–2015’’; 

19 and 

20 (3) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, ‘‘In 

21 God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of America’’, and 

22 ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’. 

23 (c) SELECTION.—The design for the coins minted 

24 under this Act— 


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1 (1) shall be based on the economic contribu2 tions of slavery, and include images of the pathway 

3 from slavery to freedom; 

4 (2) may include, on the $20 coins, that the de5 sign elements be in high relief; 

6 (3) may include, on the $50 coins— 

7 (A) on the obverse, an illustration of Co8 lumbia or similar figure representing Liberty, 

9 the female representation of America; and 

10 (B) on the reverse, a single eagle, and a 

11 set of stars on one or both sides; 

12 (4) shall be selected by the Secretary after con13 sultation with the Commission of Fine Arts; and 

14 (5) shall be reviewed by the Citizens Coinage 

15 Advisory Committee. 

16 SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 

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

18 Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 

19 (b) PERIOD OF ISSUANCE.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may issue 

21 coins minted under this Act only during the 1-year 

22 period beginning on January 1 of the issuance year, 

23 except that the Secretary may initiate sales of such 

24 coins, without issuance, before such date. 


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1 (2) ISSUANCE YEAR DEFINED.—For purposes 

2 of this subsection, the term ‘‘issuance year’’ means 

3 the first calendar year, after the date of the enact4 ment of this Act, with respect to which the Secretary 

5 determines, as of January 1 of such year, that there 

6 are less than 2 commemorative coin programs au7 thorized to be issued during such year. 

8 (c) SESQUICENTENNIAL DATES TO BE THE ONLY

9 DATES.—Notwithstanding section 5112(d)(1) of title 31, 

10 United States Code, coins minted under this Act shall not 

11 have an inscription of the year of minting or issuance. 

12 SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 

13 (a) SALES PRICE.—The coins issued under this Act 

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

15 of— 

16 (1) the face value of the coins; 

17 (2) the surcharge required under section 7(a) 

18 with respect to such coins; and 

19 (3) the cost of designing and issuing such coins 

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

21 overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping). 

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

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

24 discount. 

25 (c) PREPAID ORDERS AT A DISCOUNT.— 


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

2 prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act 

3 before the issuance of such coins. 

4 (2) DISCOUNT.—Sales prices with respect to 

5 prepaid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a 

6 reasonable discount. 

7 SEC. 7. SURCHARGES. 

8 (a) SURCHARGE REQUIRED.—All sales of coins under 

9 this Act shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin. 

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

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

12 the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act 

13 shall be promptly paid by the Secretary to the Smithso14 nian National Museum of African American History and 

15 Culture to carry out the purposes of the museum, which 

16 goes beyond simply telling the history of African-Ameri17 cans, creating an opportunity for anyone who cares about 

18 African-American Culture a place to explore, learn, and 

19 revel in the rich history of African-American Culture. 

20 (c) AUDITS.—The Smithsonian National Museum of 

21 African American History and Culture shall be subject to 

22 the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, 

23 United States Code, with regard to the amounts received 

24 under subsection (b). 


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1 (d) LIMITATION.—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 the time of such issuance, the issuance of such coin 

5 would result in the number of commemorative coin pro6 grams issued during such year to exceed the annual 2 

7 commemorative coin program issuance limitation under 

8 section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code. The 

9 Secretary of the Treasury may issue guidance to carry out 

10 this subsection. 

11 SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES. 

12 The Secretary shall take such actions as may be nec13 essary to ensure that— 

14 (1) minting and issuing coins under this Act 

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

16 Government; and 

17 (2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, 

18 are disbursed to any recipient designated in section 

19 7 until the total cost of designing and issuing all of 

20 the coins authorized by this Act is recovered by the 

21 United States Treasury, consistent with sections 

22 5112(m) and 5134(f) of title 31, United States 

23 Code. 


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1 SEC. 9. BUDGET COMPLIANCE. 

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

3 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 

4 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

5 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 

6 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 

7 by the Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the 

8 House of Representatives, provided that such statement 

9 has been submitted prior to the vote on passage. 

Æ 


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