[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2768 Introduced in House (IH)]
1st Session
H. R. 2768
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of Chief Justice John Marshall.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 17, 2003
Mr. Bachus (for himself, Mr. Leach, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Michaud, Mr.
Isakson, Mr. Gingrey, Mr. Frost, Mr. Burns, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Ms.
Majette, Mr. Davis of Florida, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Gerlach, Mrs. Wilson of
New Mexico, Mr. Allen, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Duncan, Mr. Culberson, Mr.
Cantor, Mr. Matheson, Mr. Gephardt, Mr. Terry, Mr. Wilson of South
Carolina, Mr. Goode, and Mr. Jenkins) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of Chief Justice John Marshall.
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 ``John Marshall Commemorative Coin
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress hereby finds as follows:
(1) John Marshall served as the Chief Justice of the United
States Supreme Court from 1801 to 1835, the longest tenure of
any Chief Justice in the Nation's history.
(2) John Marshall authored more than 500 opinions,
including virtually all of the most important cases decided by
the Supreme Court during his tenure.
(3) Under his leadership, the Supreme Court of the United
States gave shape to the fundamental principles of the
Constitution, most notably the principle of judicial review.
(4) John Marshall's service to the United States--not only
as a Chief Justice, but also as a soldier in the Revolutionary
War, as a Member of Congress, and as Secretary of State--truly
makes him one of the most important figures in our Nation's
history.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denomination.--In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the
birth of Chief Justice John Marshall, the Secretary of the Treasury
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and
issue not more than 400,000 $1 coins, each of 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 Chief Justice John Marshall and his
immeasurable contributions to the Constitution of the United
States and the Supreme Court of 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 year ``2005''; 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
Commission of Fine Arts, and the Supreme Court Historical
Society; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens 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) Commencement of Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins minted
under this Act beginning January 1, 2005.
(d) Termination of Minting Authority.--No coins may be minted under
this Act after December 31, 2005.
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.
(d) Marketing.--The Secretary, in cooperation with the Legacy Fund
of the Library of Congress, shall develop and implement a marketing
program to promote and sell the coins issued under this Act both within
the United States and internationally.
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 Supreme Court Historical Society for the purposes of--
(1) supporting historical research and educational programs
about the Supreme Court and the Constitution of the United
States and related topics;
(2) supporting fellowship programs, internships, and
docents at the Supreme Court; and
(3) collecting and preserving antiques, artifacts, and
other historical items related to the Supreme Court and the
Constitution of the United States and related topics.
(c) Audits.--The Supreme Court Historical Society shall be subject
to the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United
States Code, with regard to the amounts received by the Society under
subsection (b).
<all>