Coin Modernization, Oversight, and Continuity Act of 2010
PL 111-302 (H.R.6162), enacted 12/14/2010

124 STAT. 3272 
PUBLIC LAW 111–302—DEC. 14, 2010 
Public Law 111–302 
111th Congress 
An Act 
To provide research and development authority for alternative coinage materials 
to the Secretary of the Treasury, increase congressional oversight over coin produc-
tion, and ensure the continuity of certain numismatic items. 
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 ‘‘Coin Modernization, Oversight, 
and Continuity Act of 2010’’. 
SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ON 
ALL CIRCULATING COINS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—To accomplish the goals of this Act and 
the requirements of subchapter II of chapter 51 of title 31, United 
States Code, the Secretary of the Treasury may— 
(1) conduct any appropriate testing of appropriate coinage 
metallic materials within or outside of the Department of the 
Treasury; and 
(2) solicit input from or otherwise work in conjunction 
with entities within or outside of the Federal Government 
including independent research facilities or current or potential 
suppliers of the metallic material used in volume production 
of circulating coins, 
to complete the report referred to in this Act and to develop and 
evaluate the use of new metallic materials. 
(b) FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED.—In the conduct of research, 
development, and the solicitation of input or work in conjunction 
with entities within and outside the Federal Government, and in 
reporting to the Congress with recommendations, as required by 
this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury shall consider the following: 
(1) Factors relevant to the potential impact of any revisions 
to the composition of the material used in coin production 
on the current coinage material suppliers. 
(2) Factors relevant to the ease of use and ability to co- 
circulate of new coinage materials, including the effect on 
vending machines and commercial coin processing equipment 
and making certain, to the greatest extent practicable, that 
any new coins work without interruption in existing coin accept-
ance equipment without modification. 
(3) Such other factors that the Secretary of the Treasury, 
in consultation with merchants who would be affected by any 
change in the composition of circulating coins, vending machine 
and other coin acceptor manufacturers, vending machine 
31 USC 5112 
note. 
31 USC 5101 
note. 
Coin 
Modernization, 
Oversight, and 
Continuity Act of 
2010. 
Dec. 14, 2010 
[H.R. 6162] 
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07:50 Dec 07, 2012
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124 STAT. 3273 
PUBLIC LAW 111–302—DEC. 14, 2010 
owners and operators, transit officials, municipal parking offi-
cials, depository institutions, coin and currency handlers, 
armored-car operators, car wash operators, and American- 
owned manufacturers of commercial coin processing equipment, 
considers to be appropriate and in the public interest, after 
notice and opportunity for comment. 
SEC. 3. BIENNIAL REPORT TO THE CONGRESS ON THE CURRENT 
STATUS OF COIN PRODUCTION COSTS AND ANALYSIS OF 
ALTERNATIVE CONTENT. 
(a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Before the end of the 2-year period 
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, and at 2- 
year intervals following the end of such period, the Secretary of 
the Treasury shall submit a report to the Committee on Financial 
Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate analyzing 
production costs for each circulating coin, cost trends for such 
production, and possible new metallic materials or technologies 
for the production of circulating coins. 
(b) DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS.—In preparing and submit-
ting the reports required under subsection (a), the Secretary of 
the Treasury shall include detailed recommendations for any appro-
priate changes to the metallic content of circulating coins in such 
a form that the recommendations could be enacted into law as 
appropriate. 
(c) IMPROVED
PRODUCTION
EFFICIENCY.—In preparing and 
submitting the reports required under subsection (a), the Secretary 
of the Treasury shall include recommendations for changes in the 
methods of producing coins that would further reduce the costs 
to produce circulating coins, and include notes on the legislative 
changes that are necessary to achieve such goals. 
(d) MINIMIZING CONVERSION COSTS.—In preparing and submit-
ting the reports required under subsection (a), the Secretary of 
the Treasury, to the greatest extent possible, may not include 
any recommendation for new specifications for producing a circu-
lating coin that would require any significant change to coin- 
accepting and coin-handling equipment to accommodate changes 
to all circulating coins simultaneously. 
(e) FRAUD PREVENTION.—The reports required under this sec-
tion shall make no recommendation for a specification change that 
would facilitate or allow the use of a coin with a lesser value 
produced, minted, or issued by another country, or the use of 
any token or other easily or regularly produced metal device of 
minimal value, in the place of a circulating coin produced by the 
Secretary. 
(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—No provision of this Act shall 
be construed as requiring that additional research and development 
be conducted for any report under this Act but any such report 
shall include information on any such research and development 
during the period covered by the report. 
SEC. 4. MEETING DEMAND FOR SILVER AND GOLD NUMISMATIC ITEMS. 
Subsections (e) and (i) of section 5112 of title 31, United States 
Code are each amended by striking ‘‘quantities’’ and inserting 
‘‘qualities and quantities that the Secretary determines are’’. 
SEC. 5. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 
Section 5112(u)(1) of title 31, United States Code is amended— 
31 USC 5112 
note. 
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124 STAT. 3274 
PUBLIC LAW 111–302—DEC. 14, 2010 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 6162: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 156 (2010): 
Sept. 29, considered and passed House. 
Nov. 30, considered and passed Senate. 
(1) by striking ‘‘exact duplicates’’ and inserting ‘‘likenesses’’; 
(2) by striking subparagraph (C); 
(3) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) and (E) as subpara-
graphs (C) and (D), respectively; and 
(4) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘of 3.0 inches’’ and 
inserting ‘‘determined by the Secretary that is no less than 
2.5 inches and no greater than 3.0 inches’’. 
SEC. 6. BUDGETARY EFFECT. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined 
by reference to the latest statement titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of 
PAYGO Legislation’’ for this Act, submitted for printing in the 
Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Com-
mittee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior 
to the vote on passage. 
Approved December 14, 2010. 
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