1.This Act may be cited as the
Mark Twain Commemorative Coin
Act
.
2.The Congress finds as follows:
(1)Samuel Clemens—better known to the world as
Mark Twain—was a unique American voice whose literary work has had a lasting
effect on our Nation’s history and culture.
(2)Mark Twain remains one of the best known
Americans in the world with over 6,500 editions of his books translated into 75
languages.
(3)Mark Twain’s
literary and educational legacy remains strong even today, with nearly every
book he wrote still in print, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—both of which have never gone out of print since
they were first published over a century ago.
(4)In the past 2
decades alone, there have been more than 100 books published and over 250
doctoral dissertations written on Mark Twain’s life and work.
(5)Even today, Americans seek to know more
about the life and work of Mark Twain, as people from around the world and
across all 50 States annually flock to National Historic Landmarks like the
Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, CT, and the Mark Twain Boyhood Home
& Museum in Hannibal, MO.
(6)Mark Twain’s work
is remembered today for addressing the complex social issues facing America at
the turn of the century, including the legacy of the Civil War, race relations,
and the economic inequalities of the Gilded Age
.
(7)Today Mark Twain's work lives on through
educational institutions throughout the United States, such as the Mark Twain
Project at the Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley,
California, and the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College, in Elmira,
New York.
3.
(a)The Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in
this Act referred to as the Secretary
) shall mint and issue the
following coins:
(1)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)Not more than 350,000 $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)The coins minted under this Act shall be legal tender, as
provided in section
5103 of title 31, United States Code.
(c)For purposes of
section
5134 of title 31, United States Code, all coins minted under
this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.
4.
(a)
(1)The design of the
coins minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the life and legacy of Mark
Twain.
(2)Designation and
inscriptionsOn each coin minted under this Act there shall
be—
(A)a designation of
the value of the coin;
(B)an inscription of
the year 2016
; and
(C)inscriptions of
the words Liberty
, In God We Trust
, United
States of America
, and E Pluribus Unum
.
(b)The
design for the coins minted under this Act shall be—
(1)selected by the Secretary after
consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts and the Board of the Mark Twain
House and Museum; and
(2)reviewed by the
Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
5.
(a)Coins minted under this Act shall be issued in uncirculated
and proof qualities.
(b)Only 1 facility of the United States Mint may be used to
strike any particular quality of the coins minted under this Act.
(c)The Secretary may issue coins minted under this Act only
during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2016.
6.
(a)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)The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the coins issued
under this Act at a reasonable discount.
(c)
(1)The Secretary shall accept prepaid orders for the coins
minted under this Act before the issuance of such coins.
(2)Sale
prices with respect to prepaid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a
reasonable discount.
7.
(a)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)Subject
to section
5134(f)(1) of title 31, United States Code, all surcharges
received by the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be
promptly paid by the Secretary as follows:
(1)One-quarter of the surcharges, to the Mark
Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, to support the continued
restoration of the Mark Twain house and grounds, and ensure continuing growth
and innovation in museum programming to research, promote and educate on the
legacy of Mark Twain.
(2)One-quarter of the surcharges, to the
University of California, Berkeley, California, to be used for research and
education purposes.
(3)One-quarter of the surcharges, to Elmira
College, New York, to be used for research and education purposes.
(4)One-quarter of the surcharges, to the Mark
Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, to preserve historical
sites related to Mark Twain and help support programs to study and promote his
legacy.
(c)The
Comptroller General of the United States shall have the right to examine such
books, records, documents, and other data of each of the organizations referred
to in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4) of subsection (b) as may be related to
the expenditures of amounts paid under such subsection.
(d)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 April 18, 2012.
Karen L. Haas,
Clerk.