[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1933 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1933

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration 
       of the bicentennial of the Old State House of Connecticut.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 27, 1995

Mrs. Kennelly (for herself, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Gejdenson, Mr. Shays, Mrs. 
 Johnson of Connecticut, and Mr. Franks of Connecticut) introduced the 
  following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Banking and 
                           Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration 
       of the bicentennial of the Old State House of Connecticut.
    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Connecticut Old 
State House Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act''.
    (b) Findings.--The Congress hereby finds the following:
            (1) The history of the Old State House in Hartford, 
        Connecticut, is intrinsically linked to the history of the city 
        of Hartford, the State of Connecticut, and the United States.
            (2) The site of the Old State House is where the Colony of 
        Connecticut was founded and where General George Washington 
        first met Comte de Rochambeau in America to begin plotting the 
        Yorktown strategy to win the Revolutionary War.
            (3) The Old State House, designed by Charles Bulfinch, is a 
        prime example of 18th century architecture and was designated a 
        Registered National Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior.
            (4) Since 1979, the Old State House Association has 
        operated the Old State House as a museum, public meeting house, 
        and focal point for downtown Hartford.
            (5) The Old State House Association initiated an extensive 
        renovation in 1992 to revitalize the building and its 
        surroundings and to expand its educational, recreational, and 
        cultural services.
            (6) The new Old State House will feature a Museum of 
        Connecticut History, a market on Main Street on the building's 
        west side, and a Peace Park on its east side.
            (7) The new Old State House will be rededicated on its 
        200th birthday in May 1996, when it will once again become a 
        focal point and meeting place for Hartford, Connecticut, and 
        the entire New England region.

SEC. 2. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

    (a) $1 Silver Coins.--In commemoration of the bicentennial of the 
Old State House in Hartford, Connecticut, the Secretary of the Treasury 
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and 
issue not more than 700,000 1 dollar 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 section 5134 of title 31, 
United States Code, all coins minted under this Act shall be considered 
to be numismatic items.

SEC. 3. SOURCES OF BULLION.

    The Secretary shall obtain silver for minting coins under this Act 
only from stockpiles established under the Strategic and Critical 
Materials Stock Piling Act.

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 Old State House and the role of 
        the Old State House in the history of the city of Hartford, the 
        State of Connecticut, and the United States.
            (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 years ``1796-1996''; 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 be--
            (1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with the 
        Old State House Association, the National Trust for Historic 
        Preservation, and the Commission of Fine Arts; 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) Mint Facility.--Only 1 facility of the United States Mint may 
be used to strike any particular quality of the coins minted under this 
Act.
    (c) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins minted 
under this Act only during the period beginning on January 1, 1996, and 
ending on December 31, 1996.

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 subsection (d) 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.
    (d) Surcharges.--All sales shall include a surcharge of $10 per 
coin.

SEC. 7. GENERAL WAIVER OF PROCUREMENT REGULATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), no provision 
of law governing procurement or public contracts shall be applicable to 
the procurement of goods and services necessary for carrying out the 
provisions of this Act.
    (b) Equal Employment Opportunity.--Subsection (a) shall not relieve 
any person entering into a contract under the authority of this Act 
from complying with any law relating to equal employment opportunity.

SEC. 8. DISTRIBUTION OF SURCHARGES.

    (a) In General.--All surcharges received by the Secretary from the 
sale of coins issued under this Act shall be promptly paid by the 
Secretary to the Old State House Association for use in--
            (1) the construction, renovation, and preservation 
        involving the Old State House, including the Museum of 
        Connecticut History, the Main Street Market, and the Peace 
        Park;
            (2) the education of the general public about the central 
        role of the Old State House in the history of Connecticut and 
        the United States through exhibits, programs, and other 
        educational activities; and
            (3) the maintenance of the Old State House as a central hub 
        for recreational, cultural, and commercial activities in the 
        city of Hartford.
    (b) Audits.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
have the right to examine such books, records, documents, and other 
data of the Old State House Association as may be related to the 
expenditures of amounts paid under subsection (a).

SEC. 9. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES.

    (a) No Net Cost to the Government.--The Secretary shall take such 
actions as may be necessary to ensure that minting and issuing coins 
under this Act will not result in any net cost to the United States 
Government.
    (b) Payment for Coins.--A coin shall not be issued under this Act 
unless the Secretary has received--
            (1) full payment for the coin;
            (2) security satisfactory to the Secretary to indemnify the 
        United States for full payment; or
            (3) a guarantee of full payment satisfactory to the 
        Secretary from a depository institution whose deposits are 
        insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the 
        National Credit Union Administration Board.
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