II 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2519 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 
Received 
AN ACT 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemo-
rative coins in recognition of the 100th anniversary of 
The American Legion. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as ‘‘The American Legion 
100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds that— 
(1) on March 15, 1919, The American Legion 
was founded in Paris, France, by members of the 
American Expeditionary Force occupying Europe 
after World War I and concerned about the welfare 
of their comrades and communities upon their re-
turn to the United States; 
(2) on September 16, 1919, Congress chartered 
The American Legion, which quickly grew to become 
the largest veterans service organization in the 
United States; 
(3) The American Legion conferences in Wash-
ington, DC, in 1923 and 1924 crafted the first 
United States Flag Code, which was adopted in 
schools, States, cities and counties prior to being en-
acted in 1942, establishing the proper use, display, 
and respect for the colors of the United States; 
(4) during World War II, The American Legion 
developed and presented to Congress its case for 
vastly improved support for medically discharged, 
disabled veterans, which ultimately became the Serv-
icemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 284; 
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chapter 268), better known as the G.I. Bill of 
Rights, and was drafted by former American Legion 
National Commander Harry W. Colmery in Wash-
ington’s Mayflower Hotel; 
(5) through the leadership and advocacy of The 
American Legion, the G.I. Bill was enacted in June 
1944, which led to monumental changes in United 
States society, including the democratization of high-
er education, home ownership for average people in 
the United States, better VA hospitals, business and 
farm loans for veterans, and the ability to appeal 
conditions of military discharge; 
(6) defying those who argued the G.I. Bill 
would break the Treasury, according to various re-
searchers, the G.I. Bill provided a tremendous re-
turn on investment of $7 to the United States econ-
omy for every $1 spent on the program, triggering 
a half-century of prosperity in the United States; 
(7) after Hurricane Hugo in 1989, The Amer-
ican Legion established the National Emergency 
Fund to provide immediate cash relief for veterans 
who have been affected by natural disasters; 
(8) American Legion National Emergency Fund 
grants after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, 
for instance, exceeded $1,700,000; 
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(9) The American Legion fought to see the Vet-
erans Administration elevated to Cabinet-level status 
as the Department of Veterans Affairs, ensuring 
support for veterans would be set at the highest level 
of the Federal Government, as a priority issue for 
the President; 
(10) after a decades-long struggle to improve 
the adjudication process for veterans disputing 
claims decisions, The American Legion helped shape 
and introduce the Veterans Reassurance Act to cre-
ate a venue for judicial review of veterans’ appeals; 
(11) building on these efforts, legislation was 
passed in 1988 to create the United States Court of 
Veterans Appeals, today known as the United States 
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims; 
(12) The American Legion created the Amer-
ican Legacy Scholarship Fund for children of mili-
tary members killed on active duty on or after Sep-
tember 11, 2001; 
(13) in 2016, The American Legion’s National 
Executive Committee amended the original scholar-
ship criteria to include children of veterans with 50 
percent or greater VA disability ratings; 
(14) President George W. Bush signed into law 
the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act 
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(title V of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 
2008; 122 Stat. 2357), a next-generation G.I. Bill 
strongly supported by The American Legion and the 
most comprehensive educational benefits package 
since the original G.I. Bill of Rights was enacted in 
1944; 
(15) in August 2018, The American Legion will 
begin its centennial recognition at the 100th Na-
tional Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the 
site of the first American Legion National Conven-
tion; and 
(16) in March 2019, the organization will cele-
brate its 100th birthday in Paris, France, and Sep-
tember 16, 2019, will mark the 100th anniversary of 
The American Legion’s Federal charter. 
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 
(a) DENOMINATIONS.—In recognition and celebration 
of the 100th anniversary of The American Legion, the 
Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred 
to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall mint and issue the following 
coins: 
(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 
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(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. 
(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) IN GENERAL.—The design for the coins minted 
under this Act shall be emblematic of The American Le-
gion. 
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(b) DESIGNATIONS
AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On each 
coin minted under this Act there shall be— 
(1) a designation of the denomination of the 
coin; 
(2) an inscription of the year ‘‘2019’’; and 
(3) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, ‘‘In 
God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of America’’, and 
‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’. 
(c) 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 
(B) the Adjutant of The American Legion, 
as defined in the constitution and bylaws of 
The American Legion; and 
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative 
Coin 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, 2019. 
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SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 
(a) SALE PRICE.—The coins issued under this Act 
shall be sold by the Secretary at a price based upon 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.— 
(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 minted under 
this Act shall include a surcharge as follows: 
(1) A surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin. 
(2) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin 
described under section 3(a)(2). 
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(3) A surcharge of $5 per coin for the half-dol-
lar 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 American 
Legion for costs related to— 
(1) promoting the importance of and caring for 
those who have served in uniform, ensuring they re-
ceive proper health care and disability benefits 
earned through military service; 
(2) promoting the importance of, and caring 
for, those who are still serving in the Armed Forces; 
(3) promoting the importance of maintaining 
the patriotic values, morals, culture, and citizenship 
of the United States; and 
(4) promoting the importance of maintaining 
strong families, assistance for at-risk children, and 
activities that promote their healthy and wholesome 
development. 
(c) 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-
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grams issued during such year to exceed the annual com-
memorative coin program issuance limitation under sec-
tion 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code (as in ef-
fect on the date of the enactment of this Act). The Sec-
retary of the Treasury may issue guidance to carry out 
this subsection. 
(d) AUDIT.—The recipient described under sub-
section (b) shall be subject to the audit requirements of 
section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code, with 
regard to the amounts received under subsection (b). 
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, 
are disbursed to the recipient designated in section 
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 expenses, 
marketing, and shipping) is recovered by the United 
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States Treasury, consistent with sections 5112(m) 
and 5134(f) of title 31, United States Code. 
Passed the House of Representatives September 25, 
2017. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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