[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3238 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3238

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration 
     of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 25, 2006

  Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Mr. Nelson of Florida, and Mrs. Hutchison) 
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 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

    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 ``NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary 
Commemorative Coin Act''.

SEC. 2. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

    (a) Denominations.--In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 
establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and 
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter 
in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary) shall mint and issue the 
following coins:
            (1) $50 gold coins.--Not more than 50,000 $50 gold coins 
        which shall--
                    (A) weigh 33.931 grams;
                    (B) have a diameter of 32.7 millimeters; and
                    (C) contain 1 troy ounce of fine gold.
            (2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 400,000 $1 coins of 
        each of the 9 designs specified in section 3(a)(3)(B), 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 5134 of title 31, 
United States Code, all coins minted under this Act shall be considered 
to be numismatic items.
    (d) Mintage Level Limit.--Notwithstanding the mintage level limit 
described under section 5112(m)(2)(A)(ii) of title 31, United States 
Code, the Secretary of the Treasury may mint and issue not more than 
400,000 of each of the 9 $1 coins authorized to be minted under this 
Act.

SEC. 3. DESIGN OF COINS.

    (a) Design Requirements.--
            (1) In general.--The design of the coins minted under this 
        Act shall be emblematic of the 50 years of exemplary and 
        unparalleled achievements of the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
            (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 ``2008''; and
                    (C) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God 
                We Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E 
                Pluribus Unum'', and such other inscriptions as the 
                Secretary may determine to be appropriate for the 
                designs of the coins.
            (3) Coin images.--
                    (A) $50 coins.--
                            (i) Obverse.--The obverse of the $50 coins 
                        issued under this Act shall bear an image of 
                        the sun.
                            (ii) Reverse.--The reverse of the $50 coins 
                        issued under this Act shall bear a design 
                        emblematic of the sacrifice of the United 
                        States astronauts who lost their lives in the 
                        line of duty over the course of the space 
                        program.
                            (iii) Edge.--The edge of the $50 coins 
                        issued under this Act shall bear the names and 
                        dates of the spacecraft missions on which 
                        United States astronauts lost their lives over 
                        the course of the space program.
                            (iv) High relief.--The design and 
                        inscriptions on the obverse and reverse of the 
                        $50 coins issued under this Act shall be in 
                        high relief.
                    (B) $1 coins.--
                            (i) Obverse.--The obverse of the $1 coins 
                        issued under this Act shall bear 9 different 
                        designs each of which shall consist of an image 
                        of 1 of the 9 planets of the solar system, 
                        including Earth.
                            (ii) Reverse.--The reverse of the $1 coins 
                        issued under this Act shall bear different 
                        designs each of which shall be emblematic of 
                        discoveries and missions of the Jet Propulsion 
                        Laboratory to the planet depicted on the 
                        obverse of the coin, subject to the following 
                        requirements:
                                    (I) Earth coin.--The reverse of the 
                                $1 coins issued under this Act which 
                                bear an image of the Earth on the 
                                obverse shall bear images emblematic 
                                of, and honoring, the discoveries and 
                                missions of the National Aeronautics 
                                and Space Administration, the Mercury, 
                                Gemini and Space Shuttle missions and 
                                other manned Earth-orbiting missions, 
                                and the Apollo missions to the Moon.
                                    (II) Jupiter coin.--The reverse of 
                                the $1 coins issued under this Act 
                                which bear an image of the planet 
                                Jupiter on the obverse shall include a 
                                scientifically accurate depiction of 
                                the Galilean moon Europa and depict 
                                both a past and future mission to 
                                Europa.
                                    (III) Saturn coin.--The reverse of 
                                the $1 coins issued under this Act 
                                which bear an image of the planet 
                                Saturn on the obverse shall include a 
                                scientifically accurate depiction of 
                                the moon Titan and depict both a past 
                                and a future mission to Titan.
                                    (IV) Pluto coin.--The reverse of 
                                the $1 coins issued under this Act 
                                which bear an image of the planet Pluto 
                                on the obverse shall include a design 
                                that is emblematic of telescopic 
                                exploration of deep space by the 
                                National Aeronautics and Space 
                                Administration and the ongoing search 
                                for Earth-like planets orbiting other 
                                stars.
                            (iii) Edge.--It is the sense of the 
                        Congress that, to the extent practicable, the 
                        edge of each $1 coin should bear the names and 
                        dates or range of dates of missions or mission 
                        types to the planet depicted on the obverse.
            (4) Realistic and scientifically accurate depictions.--The 
        images for the designs of coins issued under this Act shall be 
        selected on the basis of the realism and scientific accuracy of 
        the images and on the extent to which the images are 
        reminiscent of the dramatic and beautiful artwork on coins of 
        the so-called ``Golden Age of Coinage'' in the United States, 
        at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, with the 
        participation of such noted sculptors and medallic artists as 
        James Earle Fraser, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Victor David 
        Brenner, Adolph A. Weinman, Charles E. Barber, and George T. 
        Morgan.
    (b) Selection.--The design for the coins minted under this Act 
shall be--
            (1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with the 
        Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration, the Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 
        and the Commission of Fine Arts; and
            (2) reviewed by the Citizens Coin Advisory Committee.

SEC. 4. SYMBOLIC INCLUSION OF METALS THAT HAVE FLOWN IN SPACE.

    (a) Collection.--Each Federal agency and instrumentality of the 
United States, including the Department of Defense, the Smithsonian 
Institution, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, that has in its possession any craft, or any 
part of a craft, that flew in space shall--
            (1) retrieve such gold, silver, copper, and other metals 
        that the Director of the United States Mint determines are 
        appropriate for use in the production of any coins under this 
        Act, from such craft or part, that can be retrieved without 
        harming any such craft or part that may be of continuing use 
        for its original purpose or for research, or whose preservation 
        is appropriate for historical purposes; and
            (2) deposit such metals so retrieved with the Director of 
        the United States Mint.
    (b) Use of Metals in Production of Coins.--Any metals deposited 
with the Director of the United States Mint under subsection (a) shall 
be used in the production of the coins struck under this Act by 
blending such metals with other metal necessary for the production of 
such coins so that all of the coins produced under this Act will 
contain some proportion of the bullion obtained from craft or parts of 
crafts that flew in space in an amount appropriate for the types and 
denominations of the coins and the amount of metals so deposited.
    (c) Recordkeeping.--It is the sense of the Congress that each 
Federal agency and instrumentality of the United States which retrieves 
any metals in accordance with subsection (a) should maintain accurate 
and complete records of the retrieval and deposit of any such metals 
sufficient to allow the Director of the United States Mint--
            (1) to provide certificates of authenticity with coins 
        issued under this Act that some proportion of the contents of 
        such coins were obtained from craft or parts of crafts that 
        flew in space; and
            (2) to package with each issued coin a list of the missions 
        in which such craft flew in space.
    (d) Private Spacecraft.--
            (1) In general.--Each Federal agency and instrumentality of 
        the United States that has or continues to conduct space-
        related missions shall, in addition to the efforts described in 
        subsection (a), make efforts to secure and retrieve from 
        privately-held craft that has flown in space such gold, silver, 
        copper and other metals that the Director of the United States 
        Mint determines are appropriate for use in the production of 
        any coins under this Act.
            (2) Recordkeeping.--It is the sense of the Congress that 
        each Federal agency and instrumentality of the United States 
        which retrieves any metals pursuant to paragraph (1) from 
        privately-held craft that has flown in space should comply with 
        the recordkeeping procedures described in subsection (c) with 
        respect to such metal.

SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.

    (a) Quality of Coins.--Coins minted under this Act shall be issued 
in proof quality only.
    (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) Commencement of Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins minted 
under this Act beginning January 1, 2008.
    (d) Termination of Minting Authority.--No coins may be minted under 
this Act after December 31, 2008.

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) 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.
    (c) Presentation.--In addition to the issuance of coins under this 
Act in such other methods of presentation as the Secretary of the 
Treasury determines to be appropriate, the Secretary shall provide, as 
a sale option, a presentation case which displays the $50 gold coin in 
the center surrounded by the $1 silver coins in an elliptical orbit.

SEC. 7. SURCHARGES.

    (a) In General.--All sales of coins minted under this Act shall 
include a surcharge as follows:
            (1) A surcharge of $50 per coin for the $50 coin.
            (2) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 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 distributed as follows:
            (1) The first $1,000,000 available for distribution under 
        this section, to the NASA Family Assistance Fund for the 
        purposes of providing need-based financial assistance to the 
        families of NASA personnel who die as a result of injuries 
        suffered in the performance of their official duties.
            (2) Of amounts available for distribution after the payment 
        under paragraph (1), \1/2\ to the Secretary of the Smithsonian 
        Institution for the preservation, maintenance, and display of 
        space artifacts at the National Air and Space Museum (including 
        the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center).
            (3) Of amounts available for distribution after the payment 
        under paragraph (1)--
                    (A) \1/4\ to the Secretary of the Smithsonian 
                Institution for the preservation, maintenance, and 
                display of the National Numismatics Collection; and
                    (B) \1/4\ to the National Numismatic Preservation 
                Foundation for the preservation, maintenance, and 
                display of numismatic collectibles.
    (c) Audits.--The NASA Family Assistance Fund and the Secretary of 
the Smithsonian Institution shall be subject to the audit requirements 
of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code, with regard to 
the amounts received under subsection (b).
    (d) Limitation.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), no surcharge may 
be included with respect to the issuance under this Act of any coin 
during a calendar year if, as of the time of such issuance, the 
issuance of such coin would result in the number of commemorative coin 
programs issued during such year to exceed the annual 2 commemorative 
coin program issuance limitation under section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, 
United States Code (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this 
Act). The Secretary of the Treasury may issue guidance to carry out 
this subsection.

SEC. 8. BRONZE DUPLICATES.

    The Secretary may strike and sell bronze duplicates of the $50 gold 
coins authorized under this Act, at a price the Secretary determines to 
be appropriate.
                                 <all>