II 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2626 

To provide for a circulating quarter dollar coin program to honor the District 

of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, 

the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern 

Mariana Islands, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 8, 2004 

Mr. NELSON of Florida 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 circulating quarter dollar coin program 

to honor the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 

of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United 

States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands, 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 ‘‘District of Columbia 

5 and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar 

6 Program Act’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. ISSUANCE OF REDESIGNED QUARTER DOLLARS 

2 HONORING THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND 

3 EACH OF THE TERRITORIES. 

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

5 amended by inserting after subsection (m) the following 

6 new subsection: 

7 ‘‘(n) REDESIGN AND ISSUANCE OF CIRCULATING

8 QUARTER DOLLAR HONORING THE DISTRICT OF COLUM9 BIA AND EACH OF THE TERRITORIES.— 

10 ‘‘(1) REDESIGN IN 2009.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the 

12 fourth sentence of subsection (d)(1) and sub13 section (d)(2) and subject to paragraph (6)(B), 

14 quarter dollar coins issued during 2009, shall 

15 have designs on the reverse side selected in ac16 cordance with this subsection which are em17 blematic of the District of Columbia and the 

18 territories. 

19 ‘‘(B) FLEXIBILITY WITH REGARD TO

20 PLACEMENT OF INSCRIPTIONS.—Notwith21 standing subsection (d)(1), the Secretary may 

22 select a design for quarter dollars issued during 

23 2009 in which— 

24 (i) the inscription described in the sec25 ond sentence of subsection (d)(1) appears 
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1 on the reverse side of any such quarter 

2 dollars; and 

3 (ii) any inscription described in the 

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

5 designation of the value of the coin ap6 pears on the obverse side of any such quar7 ter dollars. 

8 ‘‘(2) SINGLE DISTRICT OR TERRITORY DE9 SIGN.—The design on the reverse side of each quar10 ter dollar issued during 2009 shall be emblematic of 

11 one of the following: The District of Columbia, the 

12 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American 

13 Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the 

14 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

15 ‘‘(3) SELECTION OF DESIGN.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each of the 6 designs 

17 required under this subsection for quarter dol18 lars shall be— 

19 ‘‘(i) selected by the Secretary after 

20 consultation with— 

21 ‘‘(I) the chief executive of the 

22 District of Columbia or the territory 

23 being honored, or such other officials 

24 or group as the chief executive officer 

25 of the District of Columbia or the ter-
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1 ritory may designate for such purpose; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(II) the Commission of Fine 

4 Arts; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage 

6 Advisory Committee. 

7 ‘‘(B) SELECTION AND APPROVAL PROC8 ESS.—Designs for quarter dollars may be sub9 mitted in accordance with the design selection 

10 and approval process developed by the Sec11 retary in the sole discretion of the Secretary. 

12 ‘‘(C) PARTICIPATION.—The Secretary may 

13 include participation by District or territorial 

14 officials, artists from the District of Columbia 

15 or the territory, engravers of the United States 

16 Mint, and members of the general public. 

17 ‘‘(D) STANDARDS.—Because it is impor18 tant that the Nation’s coinage and currency 

19 bear dignified designs of which the citizens of 

20 the United States can be proud, the Secretary 

21 shall not select any frivolous or inappropriate 

22 design for any quarter dollar minted under this 

23 subsection. 

24 ‘‘(E) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN REP25 RESENTATIONS.—No head and shoulders por-
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1 trait or bust of any person, living or dead, and 

2 no portrait of a living person may be included 

3 in the design of any quarter dollar under this 

4 subsection. 

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

6 purposes of sections 5134 and 5136, all coins mint7 ed under this subsection shall be considered to be 

8 numismatic items. 

9 ‘‘(5) ISSUANCE.— 

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

11 may mint and issue such number of quarter 

12 dollars of each design selected under paragraph 

13 (4) in uncirculated and proof qualities as the 

14 Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

15 ‘‘(B) SILVER COINS.—Notwithstanding 

16 subsection (b), the Secretary may mint and 

17 issue such number of quarter dollars of each 

18 design selected under paragraph (4) as the Sec19 retary determines to be appropriate, with a con20 tent of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. 

21 ‘‘(C) TIMING AND ORDER OF ISSUANCE.— 

22 Coins minted under this subsection honoring 

23 the District of Columbia and each of the terri24 tories shall be issued in equal sequential inter25 vals during 2009 in the following order: the 
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1 District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 

2 Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the 

3 United States Virgin Islands, and the Common4 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

5 ‘‘(6) OTHER PROVISIONS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) APPLICATION IN EVENT OF ADMIS7 SION AS A STATE.—If the District of Columbia 

8 or any territory becomes a State before the end 

9 of the 10-year period referred to in subsection 

10 (l)(1), subsection (l)(7) shall apply, and this 

11 subsection shall not apply, with respect to such 

12 State. 

13 ‘‘(B) APPLICATION IN EVENT OF INDE14 PENDENCE.—If any territory becomes inde15 pendent or otherwise ceases to be a territory or 

16 possession of the United States before quarter 

17 dollars bearing designs which are emblematic of 

18 such territory are minted pursuant to this sub19 section, this subsection shall cease to apply with 

20 respect to such territory. 

21 ‘‘(7) TERRITORY DEFINED.—For purposes of 

22 this subsection, the term ‘territory’ means the Com23 monwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, 
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1 the United States Virgin Islands, and the Common2 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.’’. 

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