[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2626 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2626

 To provide for a circulating quarter dollar coin program to honor the 
 District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American 
 Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the 
           Northern Mariana Islands, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 8, 2004

  Mr. Nelson of Florida introduced the following bill; which was read 
  twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for a circulating quarter dollar coin program to honor the 
 District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American 
 Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the 
           Northern Mariana Islands, 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 ``District of Columbia and United 
States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar Program Act''.

SEC. 2. ISSUANCE OF REDESIGNED QUARTER DOLLARS HONORING THE DISTRICT OF 
              COLUMBIA AND EACH OF THE TERRITORIES.

    Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting after subsection (m) the following new subsection:
    ``(n) Redesign and Issuance of Circulating Quarter Dollar Honoring 
the District of Columbia and Each of the Territories.--
            ``(1) Redesign in 2009.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding the fourth 
                sentence of subsection (d)(1) and subsection (d)(2) and 
                subject to paragraph (6)(B), quarter dollar coins 
                issued during 2009, shall have designs on the reverse 
                side selected in accordance with this subsection which 
                are emblematic of the District of Columbia and the 
                territories.
                    ``(B) Flexibility with regard to placement of 
                inscriptions.--Notwithstanding subsection (d)(1), the 
                Secretary may select a design for quarter dollars 
                issued during 2009 in which--
                            (i) the inscription described in the second 
                        sentence of subsection (d)(1) appears on the 
                        reverse side of any such quarter dollars; and
                            (ii) any inscription described in the third 
                        sentence of subsection (d)(1) or the 
                        designation of the value of the coin appears on 
                        the obverse side of any such quarter dollars.
            ``(2) Single district or territory design.--The design on 
        the reverse side of each quarter dollar issued during 2009 
        shall be emblematic of one of the following: The District of 
        Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American 
        Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth 
        of the Northern Mariana Islands.
            ``(3) Selection of design.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Each of the 6 designs required 
                under this subsection for quarter dollars shall be--
                            ``(i) selected by the Secretary after 
                        consultation with--
                                    ``(I) the chief executive of the 
                                District of Columbia or the territory 
                                being honored, or such other officials 
                                or group as the chief executive officer 
                                of the District of Columbia or the 
                                territory may designate for such 
                                purpose; and
                                    ``(II) the Commission of Fine Arts; 
                                and
                            ``(ii) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage 
                        Advisory Committee.
                    ``(B) Selection and approval process.--Designs for 
                quarter dollars may be submitted in accordance with the 
                design selection and approval process developed by the 
                Secretary in the sole discretion of the Secretary.
                    ``(C) Participation.--The Secretary may include 
                participation by District or territorial officials, 
                artists from the District of Columbia or the territory, 
                engravers of the United States Mint, and members of the 
                general public.
                    ``(D) Standards.--Because it is important that the 
                Nation's coinage and currency bear dignified designs of 
                which the citizens of the United States can be proud, 
                the Secretary shall not select any frivolous or 
                inappropriate design for any quarter dollar minted 
                under this subsection.
                    ``(E) Prohibition on certain representations.--No 
                head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, 
                living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may 
                be included in the design of any quarter dollar under 
                this subsection.
            ``(4) Treatment as numismatic items.--For purposes of 
        sections 5134 and 5136, all coins minted under this subsection 
        shall be considered to be numismatic items.
            ``(5) Issuance.--
                    ``(A) Quality of coins.--The Secretary may mint and 
                issue such number of quarter dollars of each design 
                selected under paragraph (4) in uncirculated and proof 
                qualities as the Secretary determines to be 
                appropriate.
                    ``(B) Silver coins.--Notwithstanding subsection 
                (b), the Secretary may mint and issue such number of 
                quarter dollars of each design selected under paragraph 
                (4) as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, with 
                a content of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.
                    ``(C) Timing and order of issuance.--Coins minted 
                under this subsection honoring the District of Columbia 
                and each of the territories shall be issued in equal 
                sequential intervals during 2009 in the following 
                order: the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
                Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States 
                Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern 
                Mariana Islands.
            ``(6) Other provisions.--
                    ``(A) Application in event of admission as a 
                state.--If the District of Columbia or any territory 
                becomes a State before the end of the 10-year period 
                referred to in subsection (l)(1), subsection (l)(7) 
                shall apply, and this subsection shall not apply, with 
                respect to such State.
                    ``(B) Application in event of independence.--If any 
                territory becomes independent or otherwise ceases to be 
                a territory or possession of the United States before 
                quarter dollars bearing designs which are emblematic of 
                such territory are minted pursuant to this subsection, 
                this subsection shall cease to apply with respect to 
                such territory.
            ``(7) Territory defined.--For purposes of this subsection, 
        the term `territory' means the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 
        Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.''.
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