[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1468 Referred in House (RFH)]

  1st Session
                                S. 1468


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 2, 1999

      Referred to the Committee on Banking and Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
    To authorize the minting and issuance of Capitol Visitor Center 
              Commemorative coins, and for other purposes.

    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 ``United States Capitol Visitor Center 
Commemorative Coin Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) Congress moved to Washington, District of Columbia, and 
        first convened in the Capitol building in the year 1800;
            (2) the Capitol building is now the greatest visible symbol 
        of representative democracy in the world;
            (3) the Capitol building has approximately 5,000,000 
        visitors annually and suffers from a lack of facilities 
        necessary to properly serve them;
            (4) the Capitol building and persons within the Capitol 
        have been provided with excellent security through the 
        dedication and sacrifice of the United States Capitol Police;
            (5) Congress has appropriated $100,000,000, to be 
        supplemented with private funds, to construct a Capitol Visitor 
        Center to provide continued high security for the Capitol and 
        enhance the educational experience of visitors to the Capitol;
            (6) Congress would like to offer the opportunity for all 
        persons to voluntarily participate in raising funds for the 
        Capitol Visitor Center; and
            (7) it is appropriate to authorize coins commemorating the 
        first convening of the Congress in the Capitol building with 
        proceeds from the sale of the coins, less expenses, being 
        deposited for the United States Capitol Preservation Commission 
        with the specific purpose of aiding in the construction, 
        maintenance, and preservation of a Capitol Visitor Center.

SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

    (a) Denominations.--The Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in 
this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue the 
following coins:
            (1) Bimetallic coins.--Not more than 200,000 $10 bimetallic 
        coins of gold and platinum, in accordance with such 
        specifications as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
            (2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 500,000 $1 coins, which 
        shall--
                    (A) weigh 26.73 grams;
                    (B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
                    (C) contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent 
                copper.
            (3) Half dollar.--Not more than 750,000 half dollar clad 
        coins, each of which--
                    (A) shall 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) $5 Gold Coins.--If the Secretary determines that the minting 
and issuance of bimetallic coins under subsection (a)(1) is not 
feasible, the Secretary may mint and issue instead not more than 
100,000 $5 coins, which shall--
            (1) weigh 8.359 grams;
            (2) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and
            (3) contain 90 percent gold and 10 percent alloy.
    (c) Waiver.--Each of the mintage levels specified in subsection (a) 
may be waived in accordance with section 5112(m)(2)(B) of title 31, 
United States Code.
    (d) Legal Tender.--The coins minted under this Act shall be legal 
tender, as provided in section 5103 of title 31, United States Code.

SEC. 4. SOURCES OF BULLION.

    (a) Platinum and Gold.--The Secretary shall obtain platinum and 
gold for minting coins under this Act from available sources.
    (b) Silver.--The Secretary may obtain silver for minting coins 
under this Act from stockpiles established under the Strategic and 
Critical Materials Stock Piling Act, and from other available sources.

SEC. 5. DESIGN OF COINS.

    (a) Design Requirements.--
            (1) In general.--The design of the coins minted under this 
        Act shall be emblematic of the first meeting of the United 
        States Congress in the United States Capitol Building.
            (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 ``2000''; 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 
        United States Capitol Preservation Commission (in this Act 
        referred to as the ``Commission'') and the Commission of Fine 
        Arts; and
            (2) reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory 
        Committee.

SEC. 6. 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 combination of denomination and 
quality of the coins minted under this Act.
    (c) First Use of Year 2000 Date.--The coins minted under this Act 
shall be the first commemorative coins of the United States to be 
issued bearing the inscription of the year ``2000''.
    (d) Promotion Consultation.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) consult with the Commission in order to establish a 
        role for the Commission or an entity designated by the 
        Commission in the promotion, advertising, and marketing of the 
        coins minted under this Act; and
            (2) if the Secretary determines that such action would be 
        beneficial to the sale of coins minted under this Act, enter 
        into a contract with the Commission or an entity referred to in 
        paragraph (1) to carry out the role established under paragraph 
        (1).

SEC. 7. SALE OF COINS.

    (a) Sale Price.--The coins minted 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 under this Act shall include a surcharge 
established by the Secretary, in an amount equal to not more than--
            (1) $50 per coin for the $10 coin or $35 per coin for the 
        $5 coin;
            (2) $10 per coin for the $1 coin; and
            (3) $3 per coin for the half dollar coin.

SEC. 8. DISTRIBUTION OF SURCHARGES.

    All surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of coins 
minted under this Act shall be deposited in the Capitol Preservation 
Fund in accordance with section 5134(f) of title 31, United States 
Code, and shall be made available to the Commission for the purpose of 
aiding in the construction, maintenance, and preservation of a Capitol 
Visitor Center.

            Passed the Senate July 30, 1999.

            Attest:

                                                    GARY SISCO,

                                                             Secretary.