II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3290 

To provide for a program for circulating quarter dollar coins that are emblematic of a national park or other national site in each State, the District 

of Columbia, and certain territories and insular areas of the United 

States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 21 (legislative day, JULY 17), 2008 

Mr. BARRASSO (for himself, Mr. JOHNSON, and Mr. ENZI) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To provide for a program for circulating quarter dollar coins 

that are emblematic of a national park or other national 

site in each State, the District of Columbia, and certain 

territories and insular areas of the United States, and 

for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘America’s Beautiful 

5 National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008’’. 


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1 TITLE I—NATIONAL SITE 

2 QUARTER DOLLARS 

3 SEC. 101. ISSUANCE OF REDESIGNED QUARTER DOLLARS 

4 EMBLEMATIC OF NATIONAL PARKS OR 

5 OTHER NATIONAL SITES. 

6 Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is 

7 amended— 

8 (1) by redesignating subsection (r) (as added by 

9 section 622 of the Financial Services and General 

10 Government Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 

11 110–161; 121 Stat. 2016)) as subsection (s); and 

12 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(t) REDESIGN AND ISSUANCE OF QUARTER DOL14 LARS EMBLEMATIC OF NATIONAL SITES.— 

15 ‘‘(1) REDESIGN BEGINNING UPON COMPLETION

16 OF PRIOR PROGRAM.— 

17 ‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF STATE.—For pur18 poses of this subsection, the term ‘State’ means 

19 each of the several States of the United States, 

20 the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 

21 Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Com22 monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 

23 and the United States Virgin Islands. 

24 ‘‘(B) REDESIGN.—Notwithstanding the 

25 fourth sentence of subsection (d)(1) and subVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:22 Jul 21, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3290.IS S3290

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1 section (d)(2), quarter dollars issued beginning 

2 in 2010 shall have designs on the reverse se3 lected in accordance with this subsection which 

4 are emblematic of the national sites in the 

5 States. 

6 ‘‘(C) FLEXIBILITY WITH REGARD TO

7 PLACEMENT OF INSCRIPTIONS.—Notwith8 standing subsection (d)(1), the Secretary may 

9 select a design for quarter dollars referred to in 

10 subparagraph (A) in which— 

11 ‘‘(i) the inscription described in the 

12 second sentence of subsection (d)(1) ap13 pears on the reverse side of any such quar14 ter dollars; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) any inscription described in the 

16 third sentence of subsection (d)(1) or the 

17 designation of the value of the coin ap18 pears on the obverse side of any such quar19 ter dollars. 

20 ‘‘(2) SINGLE SITE IN EACH STATE.—The design 

21 on the reverse side of each quarter dollar issued dur22 ing the period of issuance under this subsection shall 

23 be emblematic of 1 national site in each State. 

24 ‘‘(3) SELECTION OF SITE AND DESIGN.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) SITE.—The selection of a national 

2 park or other national site in each State to be 

3 honored with a coin under this subsection shall 

4 be made by the Secretary of the Treasury, after 

5 consultation with the governor or other chief ex6 ecutive of each State with respect to which a 

7 coin is to be issued under this subsection so 

8 that the national site chosen for each State 

9 shall be the most appropriate in terms of nat10 ural or historic significance. 

11 ‘‘(B) DESIGN.—Each of the designs re12 quired under this subsection for quarter dollars 

13 shall be— 

14 ‘‘(i) selected by the Secretary after 

15 consultation with— 

16 ‘‘(I) the head of the agency hav17 ing jurisdiction over the site selected 

18 in accordance with subparagraph (A); 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(II) the Commission of Fine 

21 Arts; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage 

23 Advisory Committee. 

24 ‘‘(C) SELECTION AND APPROVAL PROC25 ESS.—Recommendations for site selections and 


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1 designs for quarter dollars may be submitted in 

2 accordance with the site and design selection 

3 and approval process developed by the Sec4 retary in the sole discretion of the Secretary. 

5 ‘‘(D) PARTICIPATION IN DESIGN.—The 

6 Secretary may include participation by officials 

7 of the State, artists from the State, engravers 

8 of the United States Mint, and members of the 

9 general public. 

10 ‘‘(E) STANDARDS.—Because it is impor11 tant that the Nation’s coinage and currency 

12 bear dignified designs of which the citizens of 

13 the United States can be proud, the Secretary 

14 shall not select any frivolous or inappropriate 

15 design for any quarter dollar minted under this 

16 subsection. 

17 ‘‘(F) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN REP18 RESENTATIONS.—No head and shoulders por19 trait or bust of any person, living or dead, no 

20 portrait of a living person, and no outline or 

21 map of a State may be included in the design 

22 on the reverse of any quarter dollar under this 

23 subsection. 

24 ‘‘(4) ISSUANCE OF COINS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.— 

2 Since Yellowstone National Park was estab3 lished by an Act signed by President Ulysses S. 

4 Grant on March 1, 1872, as the Nation’s first 

5 national park, Yellowstone National Park shall 

6 be— 

7 ‘‘(i) depicted on the first quarter dol8 lar issued; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) designated to the State of Wyo10 ming. 

11 ‘‘(B) ORDER OF ISSUANCE.—Subject to 

12 subparagraph (A), the quarter dollar coins 

13 issued under this subsection bearing designs of 

14 national sites shall be issued in reverse alpha15 betical order of each State. 

16 ‘‘(C) RATE OF ISSUANCE.—The quarter 

17 dollar coins bearing designs of national sites 

18 under this subsection shall be issued at the rate 

19 of— 

20 ‘‘(i) 5 new designs during each of the 

21 first 10 years of either— 

22 ‘‘(I) the original period of 

23 issuance under this subsection; or 


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1 ‘‘(II) the second round period of 

2 issuance described in paragraph 

3 (7)(B); and 

4 ‘‘(ii) 6 new designs during the 11th 

5 year of either— 

6 ‘‘(I) the original period of 

7 issuance under this subsection; or 

8 ‘‘(II) the second round period of 

9 issuance described in paragraph 

10 (7)(B). 

11 ‘‘(D) NUMBER OF EACH OF THE COIN DE12 SIGNS IN EACH YEAR.—Of the quarter dollar 

13 coins issued during each year of the period of 

14 issuance, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 

15 prescribe, on the basis of such factors as the 

16 Secretary determines to be appropriate, the 

17 number of quarter dollars which shall be issued 

18 with each of the designs selected for such year. 

19 ‘‘(5) TREATMENT AS NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For 

20 purposes of sections 5134 and 5136, all coins mint21 ed under this subsection shall be considered to be 

22 numismatic items. 

23 ‘‘(6) ISSUANCE.— 

24 ‘‘(A) QUALITY OF COINS.—The Secretary 

25 may mint and issue such number of quarter 


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1 dollars of each design selected under paragraph 

2 (3) in uncirculated and proof qualities as the 

3 Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

4 ‘‘(B) SILVER COINS.—Notwithstanding 

5 subsection (b), the Secretary may mint and 

6 issue such number of quarter dollars of each 

7 design selected under paragraph (3) as the Sec8 retary determines to be appropriate, with a con9 tent of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. 

10 ‘‘(7) PERIOD OF ISSUANCE.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph 

12 (2), the program established under this sub13 section shall continue in effect until a national 

14 site in each State has been honored. 

15 ‘‘(B) SECOND ROUND AT DISCRETION OF

16 SECRETARY.— 

17 ‘‘(i) DETERMINATION.—The Secretary 

18 may make a determination before the end 

19 of the 9-year period beginning when the 

20 first quarter dollar is issued under this 

21 subsection to continue the period of 

22 issuance until a second national site in 

23 each State, the District of Columbia, and 

24 each territory referred to in this subsection 


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1 has been honored with a design on a quar2 ter dollar. 

3 ‘‘(ii) NOTICE AND REPORT.—Within 

4 30 days after making a determination 

5 under clause (i), the Secretary shall submit 

6 a written report on such determination to 

7 the Committee on Financial Services of the 

8 House of Representatives and the Com9 mittee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 

10 Affairs of the Senate. 

11 ‘‘(iii) APPLICABILITY OF PROVI12 SIONS.—If the Secretary makes a deter13 mination under clause (i), the provisions of 

14 this subsection applicable to site and de15 sign selection and approval, the order, tim16 ing, and conditions of issuance shall apply 

17 in like manner as the initial issuance of 

18 quarter dollars under this subsection, ex19 cept that the issuance of quarter dollars 

20 pursuant to such determination bearing 

21 the first design shall commence in order 

22 immediately following the last issuance of 

23 quarter dollars under the first round. 

24 ‘‘(iv) CONTINUATION UNTIL ALL

25 STATES ARE HONORED.—If the Secretary 


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1 makes a determination under clause (i), 

2 the program under this subsection shall 

3 continue until a second site in each State 

4 has been so honored. 

5 ‘‘(8) DESIGNS AFTER END OF PROGRAM.— 

6 Upon the completion of the coin program under this 

7 subsection, the design— 

8 ‘‘(A) on the obverse of the quarter dollar 

9 shall revert to the same design containing an 

10 image of President Washington in effect for the 

11 quarter dollar before the institution of the 50- 

12 State quarter dollar program; 

13 ‘‘(B) notwithstanding the fourth sentence 

14 of subsection (d)(1), on the reverse of the quar15 ter dollar shall contain an image of General 

16 Washington crossing the Delaware River prior 

17 to the Battle of Trenton; and 

18 ‘‘(C) described in paragraph (1)(B) shall 

19 apply with regard to the placement of inscrip20 tions. 

21 ‘‘(9) NATIONAL SITE.—For purposes of this 

22 subsection, the term ‘national site’ means any site 

23 under the supervision, management, or conservancy 

24 of the National Park Service, the United States For25 est Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife 


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1 Service, or any similar department or agency of the 

2 Federal Government, including any national park, 

3 national monument, national battlefield, national 

4 military park, national historical park, national his5 toric site, national lakeshore, seashore, recreation 

6 area, parkway, scenic river, or trail and any site in 

7 the National Wildlife Refuge System. 

8 ‘‘(10) APPLICATION IN EVENT OF INDEPEND9 ENCE.—If any territory becomes independent or oth10 erwise ceases to be a territory or possession of the 

11 United States before quarter dollars bearing designs 

12 which are emblematic of such territory are minted 

13 pursuant to this subsection, this subsection shall 

14 cease to apply with respect to such territory.’’. 

15 TITLE II—BULLION INVESTMENT 

16 PRODUCTS 

17 SEC. 201. SILVER BULLION COIN. 

18 Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is 

19 amended by inserting after subsection (t) (as added by 

20 section 101 of this Act) the following: 

21 ‘‘(u) SILVER BULLION INVESTMENT PRODUCT.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall strike 

23 and make available for sale such number of bullion 

24 coins as the Secretary determines to be appropriate 


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1 that bear the likeness of the quarter dollars issued 

2 under subsection (t), each of which shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) have a diameter of 3.0 inches and 

4 weigh 8.0 ounces; 

5 ‘‘(B) contain .999 fine silver; 

6 ‘‘(C) bear the inscriptions of the fineness 

7 and weight of the bullion coin; 

8 ‘‘(D) bear an inscription of the denomina9 tion of such coin, which shall be ‘quarter dol10 lar’; and 

11 ‘‘(E) not be minted or issued by the 

12 United States Mint as so-called ‘fractional’ bul13 lion coins or in any size other than the size de14 scribed in paragraph (A). 

15 ‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY FOR SALE.—Bullion coins 

16 minted under paragraph (1)— 

17 ‘‘(A) shall become available for sale no 

18 sooner than the first day of the calendar year 

19 in which the circulating quarter dollar of which 

20 such bullion coin is a duplicate is issued; and 

21 ‘‘(B) may only be available for sale during 

22 the year in which such circulating quarter dol23 lar is issued. 

24 ‘‘(3) DISTRIBUTION.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to the au2 thorized dealers utilized by the Secretary in dis3 tributing bullion coins and solely for purposes 

4 of distributing bullion coins issued under this 

5 subsection, the Director of the National Park 

6 Service, or the designee of the Director, may 

7 purchase numismatic items issued under this 

8 subsection, but only in units of no fewer than 

9 1,000 at a time, and the Director, or the Direc10 tor’s designee, may resell or repackage such nu11 mismatic items as the Director determines to be 

12 appropriate. 

13 ‘‘(B) RESALE.—The Director of the Na14 tional Park Service, or the designee of the Di15 rector, may resell, at cost and without repack16 aging, numismatic items acquired by the Direc17 tor or such designee under subparagraph (A) to 

18 any party affiliated with any national site hon19 ored by a quarter dollar under subsection (t) 

20 for repackaging and resale by such party in the 

21 same manner and to the same extent as such 

22 party would be authorized to engage in such ac23 tivities under subparagraph (A) if the party 

24 were acting as the designee of the Director 

25 under such subparagraph.’’. 


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1 TITLE III—ADMINISTRATION 

2 SEC. 301. NO NET COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 

3 The Secretary of the Treasury shall take such actions 

4 as are necessary to ensure that minting and issuing coins 

5 under this Act and the amendments made by this Act will 

6 not result in any net cost to the Federal Government. 

Æ 


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