[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2894 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  2d Session
                                H. R. 2894


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 19, 2008

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
                           and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration 
of the bicentennial of the writing of the ``Star Spangled Banner'' and 
                the War of 1812, 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 ``Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 
Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) During the War of 1812, on September 13, 1814, Francis 
        Scott Key visited the British fleet in Chesapeake Bay to secure 
        the release of Dr. William Beanes, who had been captured after 
        the burning of Washington, DC.
            (2) The release was completed, but Key was held by the 
        British overnight during the shelling of Fort McHenry, one of 
        the forts defending Baltimore.
            (3) In the morning, Key peered through clearing smoke to 
        see an enormous American flag flying proudly after a 25-hour 
        British bombardment of Fort McHenry.
            (4) He was so delighted to see the flag still flying over 
        the fort that he began a poem to commemorate the occasion, with 
        a note that it should be sung to the popular British melody 
        ``To Anacreon in Heaven''.
            (5) In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson ordered that it be 
        played at military and naval occasions.
            (6) In 1931, the ``Star-Spangled Banner'' became our 
        National Anthem.

SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

    (a) $1 Silver Coins.--The Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in 
this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue not 
more than 350,000 $1 coins in commemoration of the bicentennial of the 
writing of the Star-Spangled Banner and the War of 1812, 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 the War of 1812 and particularly the 
        Battle for Fort McHenry that formed the basis for the ``Star-
        Spangled Banner''.
            (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 ``2012''; 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 
        Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission 
        and the Commission of Fine Arts; and
            (2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage 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 one facility of the United States Mint may 
be used to strike any particular quality of the coins minted under this 
Act.
    (c) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins under this 
Act only during the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2012.

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 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.

SEC. 7. SURCHARGES.

    (a) In General.--All sales of coins issued 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 paid to the Maryland War of 1812 
Bicentennial Commission for the purpose of supporting bicentennial 
activities in collaboration with and aiding the Star-Spangled Banner 
and War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission as it provides coordination, 
advice, and assistance to Federal agencies, States, localities, and 
other organizations for such bicentennial activities, educational 
outreach activities (including supporting scholarly research and the 
development of exhibits), and preservation and improvement activities 
relating to the sites and structures relating to the War of 1812.
    (c) Audits.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
have the right to examine such books, records, documents, and other 
data of the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission as may be 
related to the expenditures of amounts paid 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.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 15, 2008.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.