[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1805 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1805
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of the centennial of the establishment of the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 14, 2019
Mr. Wenstrup (for himself, Ms. Stefanik, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Chabot,
Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia, Mrs. Radewagen, Mr. Turner,
Mr. Gaetz, Mr. King of New York, Mr. Moulton, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Gonzalez
of Ohio, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Cole, Ms. Gabbard, Mr. Latta, and Mr. Hice
of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of the centennial of the establishment of the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier.
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 ``Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Centennial Commemorative Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a memorial site at
Arlington National Cemetery. On March 4, 1921, Congress
approved the burial of an unidentified soldier of the United
States on the site to commemorate the unknown soldiers who died
during World War I.
(2) As of the date of enactment of this Act, the site also
includes unknown soldiers from World War II and the Korean War.
These graves are marked with white marble slabs embedded in the
plaza below the original sarcophagus.
(3) The original white marble sarcophagus of the unknown
soldier from World War I features 3 Greek figures representing
peace, victory, and valor. There are 6 wreaths, 3 sculpted on
each side, which represent the major campaigns of World War I.
(4) The original unknown soldier lay in the rotunda of the
Capitol from his arrival in the United States until Armistice
Day, 1921. President Warren G. Harding officiated at the
interment ceremonies at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington
National Cemetery.
(5) The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded 24 hours a
day, 365 days a year, and in any weather by Tomb Guard
sentinels. The sentinels, all of whom are volunteers, are
considered to be the best of the elite 3d Infantry Regiment of
the Army (commonly known as the ``Old Guard''), headquartered
at Fort Myer, Virginia.
(6) Inscribed on the back of the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier are the words, ``Here rests in honored glory an
American soldier known but to God''.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) $1 Silver Coins.--The Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in
this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue not more than
100,000 $1 coins in commemoration of the centennial of the
establishment of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, each of which shall--
(1) weigh 26.73 grams;
(2) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
(3) contain not less than 90 percent silver.
(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 centennial of the establishment
of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
(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 ``2021''; 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) chosen by the Secretary after consultation with--
(A) the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier; and
(B) 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 1 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 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2021.
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 described in section 7 with respect to
the 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 date on which
the coins are issued.
(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 promptly paid by the Secretary to
the National World War I Museum and Memorial for the purposes of
commemorating the centennial of the establishment of the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier.
(c) Audits.--The National World War I Museum and Memorial shall be
subject to the audit requirements under section 5134(f)(2) of title 31,
United States Code, with respect to the amounts received under
subsection (b).
(d) Limitation.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), no
surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance of any
coin under this Act during a calendar year if, on the date of
the issuance, the issuance of the coin would result in the
number of commemorative coin programs issued during that year
to exceed the limitation under section 5112(m)(1) of title 31,
United States Code.
(2) Issuance of guidance.--The Secretary may issue guidance
to carry out this subsection.
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 shall result
in no net cost to the Federal Government; and
(2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, may be
disbursed to any 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.
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