[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2519 Engrossed in House (EH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2519

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins in 
      recognition of the 100th anniversary of The American Legion.

    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 American Legion 100th Anniversary 
Commemorative Coin Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) on March 15, 1919, The American Legion was founded in 
        Paris, France, by members of the American Expeditionary Force 
        occupying Europe after World War I and concerned about the 
        welfare of their comrades and communities upon their return to 
        the United States;
            (2) on September 16, 1919, Congress chartered The American 
        Legion, which quickly grew to become the largest veterans 
        service organization in the United States;
            (3) The American Legion conferences in Washington, DC, in 
        1923 and 1924 crafted the first United States Flag Code, which 
        was adopted in schools, States, cities and counties prior to 
        being enacted in 1942, establishing the proper use, display, 
        and respect for the colors of the United States;
            (4) during World War II, The American Legion developed and 
        presented to Congress its case for vastly improved support for 
        medically discharged, disabled veterans, which ultimately 
        became the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 284; 
        chapter 268), better known as the G.I. Bill of Rights, and was 
        drafted by former American Legion National Commander Harry W. 
        Colmery in Washington's Mayflower Hotel;
            (5) through the leadership and advocacy of The American 
        Legion, the G.I. Bill was enacted in June 1944, which led to 
        monumental changes in United States society, including the 
        democratization of higher education, home ownership for average 
        people in the United States, better VA hospitals, business and 
        farm loans for veterans, and the ability to appeal conditions 
        of military discharge;
            (6) defying those who argued the G.I. Bill would break the 
        Treasury, according to various researchers, the G.I. Bill 
        provided a tremendous return on investment of $7 to the United 
        States economy for every $1 spent on the program, triggering a 
        half-century of prosperity in the United States;
            (7) after Hurricane Hugo in 1989, The American Legion 
        established the National Emergency Fund to provide immediate 
        cash relief for veterans who have been affected by natural 
        disasters;
            (8) American Legion National Emergency Fund grants after 
        Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, for instance, exceeded 
        $1,700,000;
            (9) The American Legion fought to see the Veterans 
        Administration elevated to Cabinet-level status as the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, ensuring support for veterans 
        would be set at the highest level of the Federal Government, as 
        a priority issue for the President;
            (10) after a decades-long struggle to improve the 
        adjudication process for veterans disputing claims decisions, 
        The American Legion helped shape and introduce the Veterans 
        Reassurance Act to create a venue for judicial review of 
        veterans' appeals;
            (11) building on these efforts, legislation was passed in 
        1988 to create the United States Court of Veterans Appeals, 
        today known as the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans 
        Claims;
            (12) The American Legion created the American Legacy 
        Scholarship Fund for children of military members killed on 
        active duty on or after September 11, 2001;
            (13) in 2016, The American Legion's National Executive 
        Committee amended the original scholarship criteria to include 
        children of veterans with 50 percent or greater VA disability 
        ratings;
            (14) President George W. Bush signed into law the Post-9/11 
        Veterans Educational Assistance Act (title V of the 
        Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008; 122 Stat. 2357), a next-
        generation G.I. Bill strongly supported by The American Legion 
        and the most comprehensive educational benefits package since 
        the original G.I. Bill of Rights was enacted in 1944;
            (15) in August 2018, The American Legion will begin its 
        centennial recognition at the 100th National Convention in 
        Minneapolis, Minnesota, the site of the first American Legion 
        National Convention; and
            (16) in March 2019, the organization will celebrate its 
        100th birthday in Paris, France, and September 16, 2019, will 
        mark the 100th anniversary of The American Legion's Federal 
        charter.

SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

    (a) Denominations.--In recognition and celebration of the 100th 
anniversary of The American Legion, the Secretary of the Treasury 
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and 
issue the following coins:
            (1) $5 gold coins.--Not more than 50,000 $5 coins, which 
        shall--
                    (A) weigh 8.359 grams;
                    (B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and
                    (C) contain not less than 90 percent gold.
            (2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 400,000 $1 coins, which 
        shall--
                    (A) weigh 26.73 grams;
                    (B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
                    (C) contain not less than 90 percent silver.
            (3) Half-dollar clad coins.--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) 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) In General.--The design for the coins minted under this Act 
shall be emblematic of The American Legion.
    (b) Designations and Inscriptions.--On each coin minted under this 
Act there shall be--
            (1) a designation of the denomination of the coin;
            (2) an inscription of the year ``2019''; and
            (3) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God We 
        Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E Pluribus Unum''.
    (c) Selection.--The design for the coins minted under this Act 
shall be--
            (1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with--
                    (A) the Commission of Fine Arts; and
                    (B) the Adjutant of The American Legion, as defined 
                in the constitution and bylaws of The American Legion; 
                and
            (2) reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin 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) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins minted 
under this Act only during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 
2019.

SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS.

    (a) Sale Price.--The coins issued under this Act shall be sold by 
the Secretary at a price based upon 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) 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 minted under this Act shall 
include a surcharge as follows:
            (1) A surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin.
            (2) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin described 
        under section 3(a)(2).
            (3) A surcharge of $5 per coin for the half-dollar 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 promptly paid by the Secretary to 
The American Legion for costs related to--
            (1) promoting the importance of and caring for those who 
        have served in uniform, ensuring they receive proper health 
        care and disability benefits earned through military service;
            (2) promoting the importance of, and caring for, those who 
        are still serving in the Armed Forces;
            (3) promoting the importance of maintaining the patriotic 
        values, morals, culture, and citizenship of the United States; 
        and
            (4) promoting the importance of maintaining strong 
        families, assistance for at-risk children, and activities that 
        promote their healthy and wholesome development.
    (c) 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 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.
    (d) Audit.--The recipient described under subsection (b) 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).

SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES.

    The Secretary shall take such actions as may be necessary to ensure 
that--
            (1) minting and issuing coins under this Act will not 
        result in any net cost to the United States Government; and
            (2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are 
        disbursed to the recipient designated in section 7 until the 
        total cost of designing and issuing all of the coins authorized 
        by this Act (including labor, materials, dies, use of 
        machinery, overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping) is 
        recovered by the United States Treasury, consistent with 
        sections 5112(m) and 5134(f) of title 31, United States Code.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 25, 2017.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.
115th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 2519

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins in 
      recognition of the 100th anniversary of The American Legion.