H. R. 678

One Hundred Fifth Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,

the twenty-seventh day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight

An Act

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of Thomas

Alva Edison and the 125th anniversary of Edison’s invention of the light bulb,

and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of

the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Thomas Alva Edison Commemorative Coin Act’’.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds the following:

(1) Thomas Alva Edison, one of America’s greatest

inventors, was born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio.

(2) The inexhaustible energy and genius of Thomas A.

Edison produced more than 1,300 inventions in his lifetime,

including the incandescent light bulb and the phonograph.

(3) In 1928, Thomas A. Edison received the Congressional

gold medal ‘‘for development and application of inventions that

have revolutionized civilization in the last century’’.

(4) 2004 will mark the 125th anniversary of the invention

of the light bulb by Thomas A. Edison in 1879, the first practical

incandescent electric lamp.

SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

(a) DENOMINATION.—In commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the invention of the light bulb by Thomas A. Edison, the

Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as

the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall mint and issue not more than 500,000 $1

coins, each of which shall—

(1) weigh 26.73 grams;

(2) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and

(3) contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.

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

be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of title 31, United

States Code.

(c) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 5134 of title

31, United States Code, all coins minted under this Act shall

be considered to be numismatic items.

SEC. 4. SOURCES OF BULLION.

The Secretary may obtain silver for minting coins under this

Act from any available source, including stockpiles established

under the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act.
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SEC. 5. DESIGN OF COINS.

(a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.—

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

this Act shall be emblematic of the light bulb and the many

inventions made by Thomas A. Edison throughout his prolific

life.

(2) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On each coin minted

under this Act there shall be—

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

(B) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, ‘‘In God We

Trust’’, ‘‘United States of America’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus

Unum’’.

(3) OBVERSE OF COIN.—The obverse of each coin minted

under this Act shall bear the likeness of Thomas A. Edison.

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

Act shall be—

(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with the

Commission of Fine Arts; and

(2) reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory

Committee.

SEC. 6. ISSUANCE OF COINS.

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

be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.

(b) COMMENCEMENT OF ISSUANCE.—The Secretary may issue

coins minted under this Act beginning on January 1, 2004.

(c) TERMINATION OF MINTING AUTHORITY.—No coins may be

minted under this Act after December 31, 2004.

SEC. 7. SURCHARGES.

(a) IN GENERAL.—All sales of coins minted under this Act

shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin.

(b) DISTRIBUTION.—Subject to section 5134(f ) of title 31, United

States Code, the first $5,000,000 of the surcharges received by

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

be paid by the Secretary as follows:

(1) MUSEUM OF ARTS AND HISTORY.—Up to 1⁄8 to the

Museum of Arts and History, in the city of Port Huron, Michigan, for the endowment and construction of a special museum

on the life of Thomas A. Edison in Port Huron.

(2) EDISON BIRTHPLACE ASSOCIATION.—Up to 1⁄8 to the

Edison Birthplace Association, Incorporated, in Milan, Ohio,

to assist in the efforts of the association to raise an endowment

as a permanent source of support for the repair and maintenance of the Thomas A. Edison birthplace, a national historic

landmark.

(3) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.—Up to 1⁄8 to the National

Park Service, for use in protecting, restoring, and cataloguing

historic documents and objects at the ‘‘invention factory’’ of

Thomas A. Edison in West Orange, New Jersey.

(4) EDISON PLAZA MUSEUM.—Up to 1⁄8 to the Edison Plaza

Museum in Beaumont, Texas, for expanding educational programs on Thomas A. Edison and for the repair and maintenance

of the museum.

(5) EDISON WINTER HOME AND MUSEUM.—Up to 1⁄8 to the

Edison Winter Home and Museum in Fort Myers, Florida,
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for historic preservation, restoration, and maintenance of the

historic home and chemical laboratory of Thomas A. Edison.

(6) EDISON INSTITUTE.—Up to 1⁄8 to the Edison Institute,

otherwise known as ‘‘Greenfield Village’’, in Dearborn, Michigan, for use in maintaining and expanding displays and educational programs associated with Thomas A. Edison.

(7) EDISON MEMORIAL TOWER.—Up to 1⁄8 to the Edison

Memorial Tower in Edison, New Jersey, for the preservation,

restoration, and expansion of the tower and museum.

(8) HALL OF ELECTRICAL HISTORY.—Up to 1⁄8 to the Schenectady Museum Association in Schenectady, New York, for the

historic preservation of materials of Thomas A. Edison and

for the development of educational programs associated with

Thomas A. Edison.

(c) AUDITS.—Each organization that receives any payment from

the Secretary under this section shall be subject to the audit

requirements of section 5134(f )(2) of title 31, United States Code.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.