I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 770 

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

American innovation and significant innovation and pioneering efforts 

of individuals or groups from each of the 50 States, the District of 

Columbia, and the United States territories, to promote the importance 

of innovation in the United States, the District of Columbia, and the 

United States territories, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 31, 2017 

Mr. HIMES (for himself, Mr. POSEY, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. COOPER, 

Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, and Mr. ROE of Tennessee) 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 recognition of American innovation and significant 

innovation and pioneering efforts of individuals or groups 

from each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, 

and the United States territories, to promote the importance of innovation in the United States, the District 

of Columbia, and the United States territories, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American Innovation 

3 $1 Coin Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. AMERICAN INNOVATION $1 COIN PROGRAM. 

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

6 amended by inserting after subsection (v) the following 

7 new subsection: 

8 ‘‘(w) REDESIGN AND ISSUANCE OF $1 COINS HON9 ORING INNOVATION, INNOVATORS, AND PIONEERS FROM

10 EACH STATE, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND EACH

11 TERRITORY.— 

12 ‘‘(1) REDESIGN BEGINNING IN 2018.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding sub14 section (d)(1) and subsection (d)(2) and in ac15 cordance with the provisions of this subsection, 

16 during the 14-year period beginning on January 

17 1, 2018 (or such later date as provided under 

18 subparagraph (B)(ii)), the Secretary of the 

19 Treasury shall mint and issue $1 coins to be 

20 known as ‘American Innovation $1 coins’, 

21 that— 

22 ‘‘(i) have designs on the obverse se23 lected in accordance with paragraph 

24 (2)(A); and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) have a design on the reverse se2 lected in accordance with paragraph 

3 (2)(B). 

4 ‘‘(B) CONTINUITY PROVISIONS.— 

5 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding 

6 subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall con7 tinue to mint and issue $1 coins honoring 

8 Native Americans and their contributions 

9 in accordance with subsection (r). 

10 ‘‘(ii) FIRST YEAR.—Notwithstanding 

11 subparagraph (A), if the Secretary finds 

12 that it is not feasible and cost-effective to 

13 mint and issue American Innovation $1 

14 coins beginning in 2018, the Secretary 

15 may mint and issue $1 coins bearing the 

16 designs of such Presidential $1 coins 

17 issued pursuant to subsection (n) that the 

18 Secretary determines to be appropriate. If 

19 any such Presidential $1 coin design bore 

20 the inscription ‘In God We Trust’ incused 

21 on the edge, the Secretary shall modify the 

22 design to place that inscription on the 

23 coin’s obverse only, and such modification 

24 may be done without review by the Citizens 


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1 Coinage Advisory Committee nor consulta2 tion with the Commission of Fine Arts. 

3 ‘‘(C) DEFINITION OF TERRITORY.—For 

4 purposes of this subsection, the term ‘territory’ 

5 means the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 

6 Guam, American Samoa, the United States Vir7 gin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the 

8 Northern Mariana Islands. 

9 ‘‘(2) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.—Notwith10 standing subsection (d)(1) and subsection (d)(2), the 

11 $1 coins issued in accordance with paragraph (1)(A) 

12 shall meet the following design requirements: 

13 ‘‘(A) COIN OBVERSE.—The design on the 

14 obverse of each coin issued under this sub15 section shall contain— 

16 ‘‘(i) a design symbolic of Liberty; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) the inscription ‘In God We 

18 Trust’. 

19 ‘‘(B) COIN REVERSE.—The design on the 

20 reverse of each coin issued under this sub21 section shall bear the following: 

22 ‘‘(i) An image or images emblematic 

23 of one of the following from one of the 50 

24 States, the District of Columbia, or the 

25 territories of the United States: 


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1 ‘‘(I) A significant innovation. 

2 ‘‘(II) An innovator or pioneer. 

3 ‘‘(III) A group of innovators or 

4 pioneers. 

5 ‘‘(ii) The name of the State, the Dis6 trict of Columbia, or territory, as applica7 ble. 

8 ‘‘(iii) The inscriptions ‘$1’ and 

9 ‘United States of America’. 

10 ‘‘(C) EDGE-INCUSED INSCRIPTIONS.— 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The inscription of 

12 the year of minting or issuance of the coin 

13 and the inscription ‘E Pluribus Unum’ 

14 shall be edge-incused into the coin. 

15 ‘‘(ii) PRESERVATION OF DISTINCTIVE

16 EDGE.—The edge-incusing of the inscrip17 tions under clause (i) on coins issued 

18 under this subsection shall be done in a 

19 manner that preserves the distinctive edge 

20 of the coin so that the denomination of the 

21 coin is readily discernible, including by in22 dividuals who are blind or visually im23 paired. 

24 ‘‘(3) ISSUANCE OF COINS COMMEMORATING IN25 NOVATION, INNOVATORS, AND PIONEERS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) ORDER OF ISSUANCE.—The coins 

2 issued under this subsection commemorating ei3 ther an innovation, an individual innovator or 

4 pioneer, or a group of innovators or pioneers, 

5 from each State, the District of Columbia, or a 

6 territory shall be issued in alphabetic order of 

7 the State, the District, or territory represented, 

8 starting with Alabama. 

9 ‘‘(B) ISSUANCE OF COINS COMMEMO10 RATING FOUR INNOVATIONS, INNOVATORS, AND

11 PIONEERS DURING EACH OF 14 YEARS.— 

12 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Four $1 coin de13 signs as described in this subsection shall 

14 be issued during each year of the period 

15 referred to in paragraph (1) until one coin 

16 featuring one innovation, an individual in17 novator or pioneer, or a group of 

18 innovators or pioneers, from each of the 

19 States, the District of Columbia, and terri20 tories has been issued. 

21 ‘‘(ii) NUMBER OF COIN DESIGNS IN

22 EACH YEAR.—The Secretary shall pre23 scribe, on the basis of such factors as the 

24 Secretary determines to be appropriate, the 

25 number of $1 coins that shall be issued 


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1 with each of the designs selected for each 

2 year of the period referred to in paragraph 

3 (1). 

4 ‘‘(iii) APPLICATION IN EVENT OF THE

5 ADMISSION OF ADDITIONAL STATES.—Not6 withstanding clause (i), if any additional 

7 State or territory is admitted into the 

8 Union before the end of the 14-year period 

9 referred to in paragraph (1), the Secretary 

10 of the Treasury may issue $1 coins, in ac11 cordance with this subsection during any 

12 one year of such 14-year period, in addi13 tion to the four $1 coins issued during 

14 such year in accordance with clause (i). 

15 ‘‘(iv) APPLICATION IN THE EVENT OF

16 INDEPENDENCE.—Notwithstanding para17 graph (3)(B)(i), if any State or territory 

18 becomes independent or otherwise ceases to 

19 be a State or territory of the United States 

20 before $1 coins are minted pursuant to 

21 this subsection, the subsection shall cease 

22 to apply with respect to such State or ter23 ritory. 

24 ‘‘(4) SELECTION OF CONCEPT AND DESIGN.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) CONCEPT.—With respect to each 

2 State, the District of Columbia, and each terri3 tory to be honored with a coin under this sub4 section, the selection of the significant innova5 tion, innovator or pioneer, or group of 

6 innovators or pioneers to be borne on the re7 verse of such coin shall be made by the Sec8 retary of the Treasury, after consultation with 

9 the Governor or other chief executive of the 

10 State, the District of Columbia, or territory 

11 with respect to which a coin is to be issued 

12 under this subsection. 

13 ‘‘(B) DESIGN.—Each of the designs re14 quired under this subsection shall be selected by 

15 the Secretary after— 

16 ‘‘(i) consultation with— 

17 ‘‘(I) the Governor or other chief 

18 executive of the State, the District of 

19 Columbia, or territory with respect to 

20 which a coin is to be issued under this 

21 subsection; and 

22 ‘‘(II) the Commission of Fine 

23 Arts; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) review by the Citizens Coinage 

25 Advisory Committee. 


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1 ‘‘(C) SELECTION AND APPROVAL PROC2 ESS.—Designs for $1 coins under this sub3 section may be submitted in accordance with 

4 the design selection and approval process devel5 oped by the Secretary in the sole discretion of 

6 the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(D) STANDARDS.—Because it is impor8 tant that the Nation’s coinage and currency 

9 bear dignified designs of which the citizens of 

10 the United States can be proud, the Secretary 

11 shall not select any frivolous or inappropriate 

12 design for any $1 coin minted under this sub13 section. 

14 ‘‘(E) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN REP15 RESENTATIONS.—No head and shoulders por16 trait or bust of any person, living or dead, and 

17 no portrait of a living person may be included 

18 in the design of any coin issued under this sub19 section. 

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

21 purposes of sections 5134 and 5136, all $1 coins 

22 minted under this subsection shall be considered to 

23 be numismatic items. 

24 ‘‘(6) ISSUANCE OF NUMISMATIC COINS.—The 

25 Secretary may mint and issue such number of $1 


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1 coins of each design selected under this subsection 

2 in uncirculated and proof qualities as the Secretary 

3 determines to be appropriate. 

4 ‘‘(7) TERMINATION OF PROGRAM.—The 

5 issuance of coins under this subsection shall termi6 nate when one innovation, an individual innovator or 

7 pioneer, or a group of innovators or pioneers, from 

8 each State, the District of Columbia, and each terri9 tory has been honored and may not be resumed ex10 cept by an Act of Congress.’’. 

Æ 


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