[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2395 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2395
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of the centenary of the bestowal of the Nobel Peace Prize on President
Theodore Roosevelt, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 10, 2004
Mr. Conrad introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of the centenary of the bestowal of the Nobel Peace Prize on President
Theodore Roosevelt, 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 ``Theodore Roosevelt Commemorative
Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that--
(1) Theodore Roosevelt, one of America's greatest
presidents, was born on October 27, 1858, in New York City, New
York;
(2) at the young age of 23, Theodore Roosevelt was elected
to the first of 3 terms as a representative in the New York
State Assembly (1882-1884);
(3) from 1895 to 1897, Theodore Roosevelt served as
Commissioner of the New York City Police Department;
(4) while serving as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under
President William McKinley (1897-1898), Theodore Roosevelt
organized the First United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment,
popularly known as the ``Rough Riders'', and then served as
Colonel of this regiment during the Spanish-American War;
(5) from 1898 to 1900, Theodore Roosevelt served as
Governor of New York;
(6) in 1900, with the election of President McKinley,
Theodore Roosevelt was elected as the 25th Vice-President of
the United States;
(7) becoming the 26th President of the United States the
following year, Theodore Roosevelt took a very active role in
foreign affairs, establishing the United States as a new world
power, and instituted broad reforms, at home, particularly with
respect to labor, monopolies, and conservation, until the end
of his presidency in 1909;
(8) Theodore Roosevelt's commitment to conservation stemmed
from his experiences as a rancher in the badlands of North
Dakota from 1883 to 1886 and earned him the title of the
``Conservationist President'' for his efforts in establishing
51 Bird Reserves, 4 Game Preserves, 150 National Forests, 5
National Parks, and 18 National Monuments, totalling nearly 230
million acres of land placed under public protection during his
presidency;
(9) on January 16, 2001, Theodore Roosevelt was
posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for
leading a charge up the San Juan Heights in Cuba during the
Spanish-American War, shortly before the war ended, thereby
becoming the first President of the United States to be awarded
the Congressional Medal of Honor; and
(10) 2006 will mark the 100th anniversary of Theodore
Roosevelt receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, the first citizen of
the United States to receive such prize, for drawing up the
1905 peace treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--The Secretary of the Treasury (hereinafter in
this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue the
following coins:
(1) $1 silver coins with rough rider design on obverse.--
Not more than 500,000 $1 coins bearing the designs specified in
section 4(a)(2), each of 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.
(2) $1 silver coins with adventurer design on obverse.--Not
more than 500,000 $1 coins bearing the designs specified in
section 4(a)(3), each of 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.
(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 5136 of title 31,
United States Code, all coins minted under this Act shall be considered
to be numismatic items.
(d) Use of the United States Mint at West Point, New York.--It is
the sense of Congress that the coins minted under this Act should be
struck at the United States Mint at West Point, New York, to the
greatest extent possible.
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS.
(a) Design Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The design of the coins minted under this
Act shall--
(A) be emblematic of the life and legacy of
President Theodore Roosevelt; and
(B) use the designs of James Earle Fraser or
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, 2 sculptors most closely
associated with the revitalization of the United States
coinage, commonly referred to as the ``Golden Age of
American Coin Design'', that was initiated by President
Theodore Roosevelt.
(2) $1 coins with rough rider design.--
(A) Obverse.--The obverse of the coins minted under
section 3(a)(1) shall bear the image of Theodore
Roosevelt as a Rough Rider that was used on the James
Earle Fraser medal of 1920.
(B) Reverse.--The reverse of the coins minted under
section 3(a)(1) shall bear the eagle design, with
motto, from the $20 gold ``double eagle'' coin produced
between 1907 and 1933 and designed by Augustus Saint-
Gaudens.
(3) $1 coins with adventurer design.--
(A) Obverse.--The obverse of the coins minted under
section 3(a)(2) shall bear the image of Theodore
Roosevelt on horseback, based on James Earle Fraser's
monumental 16-foot high bronze equestrian figure of
Roosevelt that--
(i) stands at the east front of the
American Museum of Natural History in New York
City; and
(ii) recognizes Roosevelt's lifelong
activity as a naturalist and conservationist
and emphasizes him as an adventurer,
outdoorsman, and hunter.
(B) Reverse.--The reverse of the coins minted under
section 3(a)(2) shall bear the design based on the
reverse designs by James Earle Fraser used on the
Roosevelt Memorial Association Medal of Honor and the
Association's Founders Medal that--
(i) depict the crusader's flaming sword of
righteousness and evoke the ``Big Stick''
philosophy that President Roosevelt espoused;
and
(ii) to the left and right of the flaming
sword in 4 lines bear the quotation ``If I Must
Choose Between Righteousness and Peace, I
Choose Righteousness.'' from Roosevelt's
historical work, ``Unwise Peace Treaties''.
(4) 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 ``2006''; 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
(2) reviewed by the citizens advisory committee established
under section 5135 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.
(a) Quality of Coins.--Coins minted under this Act shall be issued
in uncirculated and proof qualities.
(b) Commencement of Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins minted
under this Act beginning January 1, 2006, except that the Secretary may
initiate sales of such coins, without issuance, before such date.
(c) Termination of Minting Authority.--No coins shall be minted
under this Act after December 31, 2006.
SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS.
(a) Sale Price.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
coins minted under this Act shall be sold by the Secretary at a price
equal to the face value, plus the cost of designing and issuing such
coins (including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead
expenses, and marketing).
(b) Bulk Sales.--The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the coins
minted under this Act at a reasonable discount.
(c) Prepaid Orders at a Discount.--
(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) Sales of Single Coins and Sets of Coins.--Coins of each design
specified under section 4 may be sold separately or as a set containing
a coin of each such design.
SEC. 7. SURCHARGES.
(a) Surcharge Required.--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, and subsection (c) of this section, all surcharges which
are received by the Secretary from the sale of coins minted under this
Act shall be promptly paid by the Secretary to--
(1) the Theodore Roosevelt Association, to be used
exclusively for--
(A) educational programs at Sagamore Hill National
Historic Site, operated by the National Park Service,
including construction and maintenance of a visitor's
center; and
(B) setting up a curatorial chair and purchase fund
for the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at the Harvard
University Library; and
(2) the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation, to be used
exclusively for educational programs at and around the Theodore
Roosevelt National Park, including construction of the Theodore
Roosevelt Badlands Institute in the badlands of North Dakota.
(c) Distribution of Amounts.--With respect to surcharges received
under this section--
(1) the first $2,250,000 of any such surcharges received
shall be paid to the Theodore Roosevelt Association; and
(2) of amounts of any such surcharges received in excess of
$2,250,000--
(A) three-fifths shall be paid to the Theodore
Roosevelt Association; and
(B) two-fifths shall be paid to the Theodore
Roosevelt Medora Foundation.
(d) Audits.--The Theodore Roosevelt Association and the Theodore
Roosevelt Medora Foundation shall be subject to the audit requirements
of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code, for purposes of
this Act.
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