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 Commemora-
tive 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 anniver-
sary 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, Michi-
gan, 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 mainte-
nance 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 pro-
grams 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,
H. R. 678—3
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, Michi-
gan, for use in maintaining and expanding displays and edu-
cational 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 Schenec-
tady 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.