March of Dimes Commemorative Coin Act of 2012
PL 112-209 (H.R.3187), enacted 12/18/2012

126 STAT. 1510 
PUBLIC LAW 112–209—DEC. 18, 2012 
Public Law 112–209 
112th Congress 
An Act 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in recognition and celebration 
of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the March of Dimes Foundation. 
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 ‘‘March of Dimes Commemorative 
Coin Act of 2012’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) President Franklin Roosevelt’s personal struggle with 
polio led him to create the National Foundation for Infantile 
Paralysis (now known as the March of Dimes) on January 
3, 1938, at a time when polio was on the rise. 
(2) The Foundation established patient aid programs and 
funded research for polio vaccines developed by Jonas Salk, 
MD, and Albert Sabin, MD. 
(3) Tested in a massive field trial in 1954 that involved 
1.8 million schoolchildren known as ‘‘polio pioneers’’, the Salk 
vaccine was licensed for use on April 12, 1955 as ‘‘safe, effective, 
and potent’’. The Salk and Sabin polio vaccines funded by 
the March of Dimes ended the polio epidemic in the United 
States. 
(4) With its original mission accomplished, the Foundation 
turned its focus to preventing birth defects, prematurity, and 
infant mortality in 1958. The Foundation began to fund 
research into the genetic, prenatal, and environmental causes 
of over 3,000 birth defects. 
(5) The Foundation’s investment in research has led to 
13 scientists winning the Nobel Prize since 1954, including 
Dr. James Watson’s discovery of the double helix. 
(6) Virginia Apgar, MD, creator of the Apgar Score, helped 
develop the Foundation’s mission for birth defects prevention; 
joining the Foundation as the head of its new birth defects 
division in 1959. 
(7) In the 1960s, the Foundation created over 100 birth 
defects treatment centers, and then turned its attention to 
assisting in the development of Neonatal Intensive Care Units, 
or NICUs. 
(8) With March of Dimes support, a Committee on Perinatal 
Health released Toward Improving the Outcome of Pregnancy 
in 1976, which included recommendations that led to the 
regionalization of perinatal health care in the United States. 
March of Dimes 
Commemorative 
Coin Act of 2012. 
31 USC 5112 
note. 
Dec. 18, 2012 
[H.R. 3187] 
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126 STAT. 1511 
PUBLIC LAW 112–209—DEC. 18, 2012 
(9) Since 1998, the March of Dimes has advocated for 
and witnessed the passage of the Birth Defects Prevention 
Act, Children’s Health Act, PREEMIE Act, and Newborn 
Screening Save Lives Act. 
(10) In 2003, the March of Dimes launched a Prematurity 
Campaign to increase awareness about and reduce the incidence 
of preterm birth, infant mortality, birth defects, and lifelong 
disabilities and disorders. 
(11) The March of Dimes actively promotes programs for 
and funds research into newborn screening, pulmonary surfac-
tant therapy, maternal nutrition, smoking cessation, folic acid 
consumption to prevent neural tube defects, increased access 
to maternity care, and similar programs to improve maternal 
and infant health. 
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 
(a) $1 SILVER COINS.—In recognition and celebration of the 
founding and proud service of the March of Dimes, 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, 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 sections 5134 and 
5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins minted under this 
Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS. 
(a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The design of the coins minted under 
this Act shall be emblematic of the mission and programs 
of the March of Dimes, and its distinguished record of gener-
ating Americans’ support to protect our children’s health. 
(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 ‘‘2015’’; and 
(C) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, ‘‘In God We 
Trust’’, ‘‘United States of America’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus 
Unum’’. 
(b) SELECTION.—The design for the coins minted under this 
Act shall— 
(1) contain motifs that represent the past, present, and 
future of the March of Dimes and its role as champion for 
all babies, such designs to be consistent with the traditions 
and heritage of the March of Dimes; 
(2) be selected by the Secretary, after consultation with 
the March of Dimes and the Commission of Fine Arts; and 
(3) be reviewed by the Citizens Coin Advisory Committee. 
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE. 
(a) QUALITY
OF COINS.—Coins minted under this Act shall 
be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 
(b) MINT FACILITY.—For the coins minted under this Act, at 
least 1 facility of the United States Mint shall be used to strike 
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126 STAT. 1512 
PUBLIC LAW 112–209—DEC. 18, 2012 
proof quality coins, while at least 1 other such facility shall be 
used to strike the uncirculated quality coins. 
(c) PERIOD FOR ISSUANCE.—The Secretary of the Treasury may 
issue coins minted under this Act only during the 1-year period 
beginning on January 1, 2015. 
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.— 
(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 prepaid orders 
under paragraph (1) shall be at a reasonable discount. 
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, all surcharges received by the Secretary from the 
sale of coins issued under this Act shall be promptly paid by 
the Secretary to the March of Dimes to help finance research, 
education, and services aimed at improving the health of women, 
infants, and children. 
(c) AUDITS.—The March of Dimes 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). 
(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 commemora-
tive coin programs 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. The Secretary may 
issue guidance to carry out this subsection. 
SEC. 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, shall be dis-
bursed to any 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 States Treasury, consistent with sections 5112(m) 
and 5134(f) of title 31, United States Code. 
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126 STAT. 1513 
PUBLIC LAW 112–209—DEC. 18, 2012 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 3187: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 158 (2012): 
Aug. 1, considered and passed House. 
Dec. 10, considered and passed Senate. 
SEC. 9. BUDGET COMPLIANCE. 
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 Committee on the 
Budget of the House of Representatives, provided that such state-
ment has been submitted prior to the vote on passage. 
Approved December 18, 2012. 
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