Thirteenth Amendment Commemorative Coin Act

To require the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which officially marked the abolishment of slavery in the United States. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Thirteenth Amendment Commemorative Coin Act 2. Findings The Congress finds the following: (1) The economic contributions of enslaved African Americans to the American economy between 1691 and 1860 were immeasurable. This labor force was used to build the foundations upon which America stands today. (2) From the 16th through the 19th centuries, most colonial economies in the Americas were dependent on human-trafficking and the use of enslaved African labor for their survival. This included the North American mercantile and shipping sectors that were dependent on slave-produced cotton, rice, sugar and indigo, and the profits derived from triangular trade with the West Indies, Africa, and Europe. (3) Enslaved Africans in the United States were also recognized as an important element in the political and economic capital in the nation’s political economy. (4) Over the course of 246 years, slaves contributed an estimated 605 billion hours of forced free labor, the gain from which provided seed capital Fortune 500 (5) During the Civil War, after Union forces repelled a Confederate invasion at the battle of Antietam in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all slaves in states then in rebellion would be forever free (6) In the spring of 1864, Charles Sumner introduced an anti-slavery amendment in the Senate, much like the amendments that were introduced in the House by Representatives James Ashley and James Wilson in December of 1863, which declared all persons as equal, prohibited the slavery, and granted Congress the power to enforce these provisions. After extensive debate, the 13th Amendment was formed from this proposal, with the omission of the declaration of equality of all persons, and passed the Senate on April 8, 1864, by a vote of 38–6. (7) Debates between abolitionists and supporters of slavery focused on the moral issue of slavery and various interpretations of natural law the old fathers who made the constitution believed that slavery was at war with the rights of human nature (8) President Lincoln took an active role in promoting the 13th Amendment in Congress. He ensured that the Republican Party’s 1864 election platform included a provision supporting a constitutional amendment to terminate and forever prohibit the existence of Slavery (9) On February 1, 1865, Illinois became the first state to ratify the proposed 13th Amendment; it was joined by 17 other states by the end of the month. Georgia ratified on December 6, 1865, becoming the 27th of 36 states to approve the Amendment, thus achieving the constitutional requirement that it be ratified by three-fourths of the states. Secretary of State William Seward declared the 13th Amendment to be part of the Constitution on December 18. (10) The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (hereafter referred to in this section as the NMAAHC (11) It is fitting that the NMAAHC receive the surcharges from the sale of coins issued under this Act because the Museum is devoted to the documentation of African American life, and, among other areas, encompasses the period of slavery and the era of Reconstruction. (12) The surcharge proceeds from the sale of a commemorative coin, which would have no net cost to the taxpayers, would raise valuable funding to supplement the endowment and educational outreach funds of the NMAAHC. 3. Coin specifications (a) Denominations The Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the Secretary (1) $50 bi-metallic platinum and gold coins Not more than 250,000 $50 coins, which shall— (A) have a weight, diameter, and thickness determined by the Secretary; and (B) contain platinum and .9167 pure gold. (2) $20 gold coins Not more than 250,000 $20 coins, which shall— (A) weigh 33.931 grams; (B) have a diameter of 32.7 millimeters; and (C) contain .900 pure gold. (3) $1 silver coins Not more than 500,000 $1 coins, which shall— (A) weigh 31.103 grams; (B) have a diameter of 40.6 millimeters; and (C) contain .999 fine silver. (b) Legal tender The coins minted under this Act shall be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 (c) Numismatic items For the purposes of sections 5134 5136 4. Design of coins (a) In general The design of the coins minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the Thirteenth Amendment and the abolishment of slavery in America. (b) Designation and inscriptions On each coin minted under this Act there shall be— (1) a designation of the value of the coin; (2) an inscription of the year 1865–2015 (3) inscriptions of the words Liberty In God We Trust United States of America E Pluribus Unum (c) Selection The design for the coins minted under this Act— (1) shall be based on the economic contributions of slavery, and include images of the pathway from slavery to freedom; (2) may include, on the $20 coins, that the design elements be in high relief; (3) may include, on the $50 coins— (A) on the obverse, an illustration of Columbia or similar figure representing Liberty, the female representation of America; and (B) on the reverse, a single eagle, and a set of stars on one or both sides; (4) shall be selected by the Secretary after consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts; and (5) shall be reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. 5. Issuance of coins (a) Quality of coins Coins minted under this Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. (b) Period of issuance The Secretary may issue coins minted under this Act only during the calendar year beginning January 1, 2016, except that the Secretary may initiate sales of such coins, without issuance, before such date. (c) Minting in 2016 Notwithstanding section 5112(d)(1) of title 31, United States Code, the Secretary may continue to mint the coins under this Act in the year 2016. 6. Sale of coins (a) Sales price The coins issued under this Act shall be sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum of— (1) the face value of the coins; (2) the surcharge required under section 7(a) with respect to such coins; and (3) the cost of designing and issuing such coins (including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping). (b) Bulk sales The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the coins issued under this Act at a reasonable discount. (c) Prepaid orders at a discount (1) In general The Secretary shall accept prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act before the issuance of such coins. (2) Discount Sales prices with respect to prepaid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a reasonable discount. 7. Surcharges (a) Surcharge required All sales of coins under this Act shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin. (b) Distribution Subject to section 5134(f) (c) Audits The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture shall be subject to the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) (d) Limitation Notwithstanding subsection (a), no surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance under this Act of any coin during a calendar year if, as of the time of such issuance, the issuance of such coin would result in the number of commemorative coin programs issued during such year to exceed the annual 2 commemorative coin program issuance limitation under section 5112(m)(1) 8. Financial assurances The Secretary shall take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that— (1) minting and issuing coins under this Act will not result in any net cost to the United States Government; and (2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are disbursed to any recipient designated in section 7 until the total cost of designing and issuing all of the coins authorized by this Act is recovered by the United States Treasury, consistent with sections 5112(m) 5134(f)

Summary: Thirteenth Amendment Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue the following coins in commemoration of the sesquicentennial anniversary of the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution (formally abolished slavery in the United States): up to 250,000 $50 bi-metallic platinum and gold coins, up to 250,000 $20 gold coins, and up to 500,000 $1 silver coins. Requires such coins to be considered legal tender and numismatic items. Permits the Secretary to issue such coins only during the calendar year beginning January 1, 2016, except that sales may be initiated, without issuance, before such date. Requires specified surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of such coins to be paid to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Directs the Secretary to ensure that: (1) the minting and issuing of such coins will not result in any net cost to the U.S. government; and (2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are disbursed to the Museum until the total cost of designing and issuing all such coins is recovered by the Treasury.