1.This Act may be cited as the
United States Marshals Service 225th
Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act
.
2.The Congress hereby finds as follows:
(1)The United States
Marshals, the first Federal law enforcement officers in America, were
established under section 27 of the Act of Congress entitled Chapter
XX.—An Act to Establish the Judicial Courts of the United States
and
enacted on September 24, 1789 (commonly referred to as the Judiciary Act
of September 24, 1789
), during the 1st Session of the 1st Congress, and
signed into law by the 1st President of the United States, George
Washington.
(2)George Washington
had carefully considered the appointments to the Judicial Branch long before
the enactment of the Judiciary Act of September 24, 1789, and nominated the
first 11 United States Marshals on September 24, and the remaining two Marshals
on September 25, 1789. The Senate confirmed all 13 on September 26, 1789, 2
days after the Judiciary Act was signed into law.
(3)In 1969, by order
of the Department of Justice, the United States Marshals Service was created,
and achieved Bureau status in 1974. The United States Marshals Service has had
major significance in the history of the United States, and has directly
contributed to the safety and preservation of this Nation, by serving as an
instrument of civil authority used by all 3 branches of the United States
Government.
(4)One of the
original 13 United States Marshals, Robert Forsyth of Georgia, a 40-year-old
veteran of the Revolutionary War, was the first civilian official of the United
States Government, and the first of many United States Marshals and deputies,
to be killed in the line of duty when he was shot on January 11, 1794, while
trying to serve civil process.
(5)The United States
Marshals Service Commemorative Coin will be the first commemorative coin to
honor the United States Marshals Service.
(6)The United States
should pay tribute to the Nation’s oldest Federal law enforcement agency, the
United States Marshals Service, by minting and issuing commemorative coins, as
provided in this Act.
(7)A
commemorative coin will bring national and international attention to the
lasting legacy of this Nation’s oldest Federal law enforcement agency.
(8)The proceeds from
a surcharge on the sale of such commemorative coins will assist the financing
of national museums and charitable organizations.
3.
(a)In
commemoration of the 225th anniversary of the establishment of the United
States Marshals Service, 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 gold 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 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 alloy.
(3)Not more than 750,000 half dollar coins, which
shall—
(A)weigh 11.34
grams;
(B)have a diameter of
1.205 inches; and
(C)be minted to the
specifications for half dollar coins contained in
section
5112(b) of title 31 United States Code.
(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 225 years of exemplary and unparalleled achievements of the
United States Marshals Service.
(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—
(i)the
mint date 2015
; and
(ii)the
years 1789 and 2014; 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)
(A)
(i)The
obverse of the $5 coins issued under this Act shall bear an image of the United
States Marshals Service Star (also known as “America’s Star”).
(ii)The
reverse of the $5 coins issued under this Act shall bear a design emblematic of
the sacrifice and service of the men and women of the United States Marshals
Service who lost their lives in the line of duty and include the Marshals
Service motto Justice, Integrity, Service
.
(B)
(i)The
obverse of the $1 coins issued under this Act shall bear an image of the United
States Marshals Service Star (also known as America’s
Star
).
(ii)The
reverse of the $1 silver coins issued under this Act shall bear an image
emblematic of the United States Marshals legendary status in America’s cultural
landscape. The image should depict Marshals as the lawmen of our frontiers,
including their geographic, political, or cultural history, and shall include
the Marshals Service motto Justice, Integrity, Service
.
(C)
(i)The
obverse of the half dollar clad coins issued under this Act shall bear an image
emblematic of the United States Marshals Service and its history.
(ii)The
reverse of the half dollar clad coins issued under this Act shall bear an image
consistent with the role that the United States Marshals played in a changing
nation, as they were involved in some of the most pivotal social issues in
American history. The image should show the ties that the Marshals have to the
United States Constitution, with themes including—
(I)the Whiskey
Rebellion and the rule of law;
(II)slavery and the
legacy of inequality; and
(III)the struggle
between labor and capital.
(4)Realistic and
historically accurate depictionsThe images for the designs of
coins issued under this Act shall be selected on the basis of the realism and
historical 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 20th 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)The
design for the coins minted under this Act shall be—
(1)selected by the
Secretary, after consultation with the Director of the United States Marshals
Service and the Commission of Fine Arts; and
(2)reviewed by the
Citizens Coin Advisory Committee.
5.
(a)Coins minted under this Act shall be issued in proof
quality and uncirculated quality.
(b)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)The Secretary may issue coins, to the public, minted
under this Act beginning on or after January 1, 2015, except for a limited
number to be issued prior to such date to the Director of the United States
Marshals Service and employees of the Service for display and presentation
during the 225th Anniversary celebration.
(d)Termination of
minting authorityNo coins may be minted under this Act after
December 31, 2015.
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)
(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 minted under this Act shall include a
surcharge as follows:
(1)A
surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 gold coin.
(2)A
surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 silver coin.
(3)A
surcharge of $3 per coin for the half dollar coin.
(b)Subject
to section
5134(f) of title 31, United States Code, the Secretary shall
promptly distribute all surcharges received from the sale of coins issued under
this Act as follows:
(1)The first
$5,000,000 available for distribution under this section, to the U.S. Marshals
Museum, Inc., also known as the United States Marshals Museum, for the
preservation, maintenance, and display of artifacts and documents.
(2)Of amounts
available for distribution after the payment under paragraph (1)—
(A)One third shall be distributed to the
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, to be used for finding
missing children and combating child sexual exploitation.
(B)One third shall be distributed to the
Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation, to be used—
(i)to provide financial assistance for—
(I)surviving family
members of Federal law enforcement members killed in the line of duty;
(II)Federal law
enforcement members who have become disabled; and
(III)Federal law
enforcement employees and their families in select instances, such as severe
trauma or financial loss, where no other source of assistance is
available;
(ii)to
provide scholarships to students pursuing a career in the law enforcement
field; and
(iii)to
provide selective grants to charitable organizations.
(C)One third shall be distributed to the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, to support the construction of
the National Law Enforcement Museum and the preservation and display of its
artifacts.
(c)All
organizations, associations, and funds 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)Notwithstanding
subsection (a), no surcharge may be included with respect to this 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 December 15, 2011.
Karen L. Haas,
Clerk.