[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 653 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 653
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
March 19, 2009
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 Commemorative
Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) During the Battle for Baltimore of the War of 1812,
Francis Scott Key visited the British fleet in the Chesapeake
Bay on September 7, 1814, to secure the release of Dr. William
Beanes, who had been captured after the British burned
Washington, DC.
(2) The release of Dr. Beanes was secured, but Key and
Beanes were held by the British during the shelling of Fort
McHenry, one of the forts defending Baltimore.
(3) On the morning of September 14, 1814, after the 25-hour
British bombardment of Fort McHenry, Key peered through the
clearing smoke to see a 42-foot by 30-foot American flag flying
proudly atop the Fort.
(4) He was so inspired to see the enormous flag still
flying over the Fort that he began penning a song, which he
named The Defence of Fort McHenry, to commemorate the occasion
and he included a note that it should be sung to the tune of
the popular British melody To Anacreon in Heaven.
(5) In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson ordered that the
anthem, which had been popularly renamed the Star-Spangled
Banner, be played at military and naval occasions.
(6) On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a
resolution of Congress that officially designated the Star-
Spangled Banner as the National Anthem of the United States.
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 the
following coins in commemoration of the bicentennial of the writing of
the Star-Spangled Banner:
(1) $5 gold coins.--Not more than 100,000 $5 coins, which
shall--
(A) weigh 8.359 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and
(C) contain 90 percent gold and 10 percent alloy.
(2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 500,000 $1 coins, 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 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 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--
(1) $35 per coin for the $5 coin; and
(2) $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 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.
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