I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5131 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in recognition of 
the bicentennial of the Erie Canal. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 1, 2023 
Ms. TENNEY (for herself, Mr. LAWLER, Ms. STEFANIK, Mr. GARBARINO, Mr. 
MOLINARO, Mr. HIGGINS
of New York, Mr. LANGWORTHY, Mr. 
MORELLE, and Mr. TONKO) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins 
in recognition of the bicentennial of the Erie Canal. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Erie Canal Bicenten-
nial Commemorative Coin Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Built between 1817 and 1825, the original 
Erie Canal traversed 363 miles from Albany to Buf-
falo. 
(2) The Erie Canal was the longest artificial 
waterway and the greatest public works project in 
North America. 
(3) The Erie Canal was one of the most impor-
tant steps in the United States initiating its indus-
trial revolution, rapidly increasing the productivity 
of agriculture and the spread of machinery and 
manufactured goods. 
(4) The Erie Canal cut the travel time between 
Albany and Buffalo in half and reduced freight rates 
by 90 percent. This allowed midwestern farmers and 
industry to have new access to distant markets. 
(5) The Erie Canal opened up the American in-
terior for settlement and enabled a new flow of peo-
ple and ideas. This fueled social reform movements 
such as abolitionism, women’s suffrage, utopian 
communities, and multiple religious movements 
along the canal corridor. 
(6) The Erie Canal continues to define the ge-
ography of upstate New York with 80 percent of the 
upstate New York population living withing 25 miles 
of the corridor. 
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(7) After 200 years the Erie Canal is still a re-
source for its local communities as a close to home 
recreational destination for boaters, bikers, and 
walkers. 
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 
(a) DENOMINATIONS.—The Secretary of the Treas-
ury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 
shall mint and issue the following coin: 
(1) $5 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 50,000 $5 
coins, which shall— 
(A) weigh 8.359 grams; 
(B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and 
(C) contain not less than 90 percent gold. 
(2) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 400,000 
$1 coins, which shall— 
(A) weigh 26.73 grams; 
(B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and 
(C) contain not less than 90 percent silver. 
(3) HALF-DOLLAR
CLAD
COINS.—Not more 
than 750,000 half-dollar coins which shall— 
(A) weigh 11.34 grams; 
(B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and 
(C) be minted to the specifications for half- 
dollar coins contained in section 5112(b) of title 
31, United States Code. 
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(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 sections 
5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins 
minted under this Act shall be considered to be numis-
matic items. 
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS. 
(a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The designs of the coins 
minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the 
Erie Canal and its impact on the development of the 
United States and New York State. 
(2) DESIGNATION
AND
INSCRIPTIONS.—On 
each coin minted under this Act there shall be— 
(A) a designation of the value of the coin; 
(B) an inscription of the year ‘‘2026’’; and 
(C) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, 
‘‘In God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of Amer-
ica’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’. 
(b) SELECTION.—The design for the coins minted 
under this Act shall be— 
(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation 
with— 
(A) the Commission of Fine Arts; and 
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(B) Erie Canalway Heritage Fund, Inc.; 
and 
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory 
Committee. 
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 
(a) QUALITY OF COINS.—Coins minted under this 
Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 
(b) PERIOD
FOR ISSUANCE.—The Secretary may 
issue coins minted under this Act only during the 1-year 
period beginning on January 1, 2026. 
SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 
(a) SALE 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 provided in section 7(a) with 
respect to such coins; and 
(3) the cost of designing and issuing the 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.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall accept 
prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act 
before the issuance of such coins. 
(2) DISCOUNT.—Sale prices with respect to pre-
paid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a rea-
sonable discount. 
SEC. 7. SURCHARGES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—All sales of coins issued under this 
Act shall include a surcharge of— 
(1) $35 per coin for the $5 coin; 
(2) $10 per coin for the $1 coin; and 
(3) $5 per coin for the half-dollar coin. 
(b) DISTRIBUTION.—Subject to section 5134(f) of 
title 31, United States Code, all surcharges received by 
the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act 
shall be promptly paid by the Secretary to the Erie 
Canalway Heritage Fund, Inc., to support the historic 
preservation, conservation, recreation, interpretation, 
tourism, and community development of the Erie 
Canalway National Heritage Corridor and for educational 
and commemorative programs of the Erie Canal’s history 
and impact on our Nation’s history. 
(c) AUDITS.—The recipient of surcharges under this 
Act shall be subject to the audit requirements of section 
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5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code, with regard 
to the amounts received under subsection (b). 
(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 pro-
grams issued during such year to exceed the annual 2 
commemorative coin program issuance limitation under 
section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code (as in 
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act). The Sec-
retary may issue guidance to carry out this subsection. 
SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES. 
The Secretary shall take such actions as may be nec-
essary 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, 
shall be disbursed to any recipient designated in sec-
tion 7 until the total cost of designing and issuing 
all of the coins authorized by this Act (including 
labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead ex-
penses, marketing, and shipping) is recovered by the 
United States Treasury, consistent with sections 
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5112(m) and 5134(f) of title 31, United States 
Code. 
Æ 
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