[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3525 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3525

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration 
of the bicentennial of the writing of the ``Star-Spangled Banner'', and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 18 (legislative day, September 17), 2008

  Mr. Cardin (for himself and Ms. Mikulski) 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 bicentennial of the writing of the ``Star-Spangled Banner'', 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 Bicentennial 
Commemorative Coin Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) During the War of 1812, on September 7, 1814, Francis 
        Scott Key visited the British fleet in the 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 during the shelling of Fort McHenry, one of the forts 
        defending Baltimore.
            (3) On the morning of September 14, 1814, 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 song 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, 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 battle for Baltimore 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 
        Maryland 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, educational outreach activities (including supporting 
scholarly research and the development of exhibits), and preservation 
and improvement activities pertaining 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.
                                 <all>