I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4104 

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint a coin in commemoration 

of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Negro Leagues baseball. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 30, 2019 

Mr. CLEAVER (for himself and Mr. STIVERS) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint a coin 

in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Negro Leagues baseball. 

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 ‘‘Negro Leagues Base5 ball Centennial Commemorative Coin Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary 

9 of the establishment of the Negro National League, 

10 a professional baseball league formed in response to 


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1 African-American players being banned from the 

2 major leagues. 

3 (2) On February 13, 1920, Andrew ‘‘Rube’’ 

4 Foster convened a meeting of 8 independent Afri5 can-American baseball team owners at the Paseo 

6 YMCA in Kansas City, Missouri, to form a ‘‘league 

7 of their own,’’ establishing the Negro National 

8 League, the first successful, organized professional 

9 African-American baseball league in the United 

10 States. 

11 (3) Soon, additional leagues formed in eastern 

12 and southern States. 

13 (4) The Negro Leagues would operate for 40 

14 years until 1960. 

15 (5) The story of the Negro Leagues is a story 

16 of strong-willed athletes who forged a glorious his17 tory in the midst of an inglorious era of segregation 

18 in the United States. 

19 (6) The passion of the Negro Leagues players 

20 for the National Pastime would not only change the 

21 game, but also the United States. 

22 (7) The creation of the Negro Leagues provided 

23 a playing field for more than 2,600 African-Amer24 ican and Hispanic baseball players to showcase their 

25 world-class baseball abilities. 


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1 (8) The Negro Leagues introduced an exciting 

2 brand of baseball that was in stark contrast to 

3 Major League Baseball. 

4 (9) A fast, aggressive style of play attracted 

5 black and white fans who sat together to watch 

6 those games at a time when it was virtually unheard 

7 of to interact socially in such a way. 

8 (10) Negro Leagues baseball would become a 

9 catalyst for economic development across the United 

10 States in major urban centers such as Kansas City, 

11 St. Louis, New York, Memphis, Baltimore, Wash12 ington, DC, Chicago, and Atlanta. 

13 (11) The Negro Leagues pioneered ‘‘Night 

14 Baseball’’ in 1930, 5 years before Major League 

15 Baseball, and would introduce game changing inno16 vations such as shin guards and the batting helmet. 

17 (12) The Negro Leagues helped make the Na18 tional Pastime a global game as players from the 

19 Negro Leagues— 

20 (A) were the first people from the United 

21 States to play in many Spanish-speaking coun22 tries; and 

23 (B) introduced professional baseball to the 

24 Japanese in 1927. 


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1 (13) Jackie Robinson, a military veteran and 

2 former member of the Negro league’s Kansas City 

3 Monarchs, would break Major League Baseball’s 

4 color barrier on April 15, 1947, with the Brooklyn 

5 Dodgers, paving the way for other African-American 

6 and Hispanic baseball players. 

7 (14) The Negro Leagues were born out of seg8 regation yet would become a driving force for social 

9 change in the United States. 

10 (15) The Negro Leagues produced future Major 

11 League Baseball stars, including Leroy ‘‘Satchel’’ 

12 Paige, Larry Doby, Willie Mays, Henry Aaron, 

13 Ernie Banks, and Roy Campanella. 

14 (16) The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was 

15 established in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1990— 

16 (A) to save from extinction a precious 

17 piece of Americana and baseball history; and 

18 (B) to use the many life lessons of the 

19 powerful story of triumph over adversity of 

20 Negro Leagues players to promote tolerance, di21 versity, and inclusion. 

22 (17) In 2006, Congress granted National Des23 ignation to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, 

24 recognizing it as ‘‘America’s Home’’ for Negro 

25 Leagues baseball history. 


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1 SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 

2 (a) DENOMINATIONS.—The Secretary of the Treas3 ury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 

4 shall mint and issue the following coins in commemoration 

5 of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Negro 

6 Leagues baseball: 

7 (1) $5 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 50,000 $5 

8 coins, which shall— 

9 (A) weigh 8.359 grams; 

10 (B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and 

11 (C) contain not less than 90 percent gold. 

12 (2) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 400,000 

13 $1 coins, which shall— 

14 (A) weigh 26.73 grams; 

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

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

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

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

19 (A) weigh 11.34 grams; 

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

21 (C) be minted to the specifications for half22 dollar coins contained in section 5112(b) of title 

23 31, United States Code. 

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

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

26 title 31, United States Code. 


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

2 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins 

3 minted under this Act shall be considered to be numis4 matic items. 

5 SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS. 

6 (a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.— 

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

8 minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the 

9 Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and its mission to 

10 promote tolerance, diversity, and inclusion. 

11 (2) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On 

12 each coin minted under this Act, there shall be— 

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

14 (B) an inscription of the year ‘‘2021’’; and 

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

16 ‘‘In God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of Amer17 ica’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’. 

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

19 under this Act shall be— 

20 (1) selected by the Secretary after consultation 

21 with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the 

22 Commission of Fine Arts; and 

23 (2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory 

24 Committee. 


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1 SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 

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

3 Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 

4 (b) MINT FACILITIES.—Only 1 facility of the United 

5 States Mint may be used to strike any particular quality 

6 of the coins minted under this Act. 

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

8 issue coins minted under this Act only during the period 

9 beginning on January 1, 2021, and ending on December 

10 31, 2021. 

11 SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 

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

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

14 of— 

15 (1) the face value of the coins; 

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

17 respect to such coins; and 

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

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

20 overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping). 

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

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

23 discount. 

24 (c) PREPAID ORDERS.— 


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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.—Sale prices with respect to pre5 paid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a rea6 sonable discount. 

7 SEC. 7. SURCHARGES. 

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

9 Act shall include a surcharge as follows: 

10 (1) A surcharge of $35 per coin for the gold 

11 coins. 

12 (2) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the silver 

13 coins. 

14 (3) A surcharge of $5 per coin for the half-dol15 lar coins. 

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

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

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

19 shall be paid to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to 

20 fund educational and outreach programs and exhibits. 

21 (c) AUDITS.—The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum 

22 shall be subject to the audit requirements of section 

23 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code, with regard 

24 to the amounts received 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 shall be disbursed to any recipient designated in sec19 tion 7(b) until the total cost of designing and issuing 

20 all of the coins authorized by this Act (including 

21 labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead ex22 penses, marketing, and shipping) is recovered by the 

23 United States Treasury, consistent with sections 


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1 5112(m) and 5134(f) of title 31, United States 

2 Code. 

Æ 


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