[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1923 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1923

To amend title 31, United States Code, to require the Secretary of the 
  Treasury to mint and issue quarter dollars in commemoration of the 
             Nineteenth Amendment, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 27, 2019

Ms. Lee of California (for herself and Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial 
                                Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 31, United States Code, to require the Secretary of the 
  Treasury to mint and issue quarter dollars in commemoration of the 
             Nineteenth Amendment, 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 ``Women's History and Nineteenth 
Amendment Centennial Quarter Dollar Coin Program Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The tireless and passionate efforts of the suffragists, 
        their supporters, and other stakeholders contributed to the 
        movement to grant and protect the right of all women to vote.
            (2) On August 26, 1920, after a long campaign by 
        suffragists across the country, the United States Constitution 
        was amended with the 19th Amendment, granting women the right 
        to vote.
            (3) On June 24, 1924, all Native Americans were granted 
        citizenship, and by extension the right to vote.
            (4) In 1948, the legal victories of Native American 
        veterans granted protections for the right of all Native men 
        and women to vote.
            (5) On June 27, 1952, the Immigration and Nationality Act 
        of 1952 was enacted, granting citizenship to all individuals of 
        Asian descent, and by extension, the right to vote.
            (6) Enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on August 6, 
        1965, granted Black women protections to overcome the legal 
        barriers that prevented many from exercising their right to 
        vote even though all Blacks had been granted citizenship in 
        1868 with ratification of the 14th Amendment.
            (7) On August 6, 1975, the amendments to the 
        reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 removed 
        language barriers to mitigate discrimination against Hispanic, 
        Asian, and Native American voters.
            (8) It was not until March 29, 1961, when the 23rd 
        Amendment passed that women in Washington, DC, were allowed to 
        vote in all elections.
            (9) Women's history and the movement for women's rights 
        that the suffragists began extends beyond ratification of the 
        Nineteenth Amendment.
            (10) August 26, 2020, marks the centennial of the day that 
        women were granted the right to vote in America.

SEC. 3. ISSUANCE OF COINS COMMEMORATING THE NINETEENTH AMENDMENT.

    (a) Amendment to National Sites Quarter Dollar Program.--Subsection 
(t) of section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``Notwithstanding the 
        fourth sentence of subsection (d)(1) and subsection (d)(2)'' 
        and inserting ``Subject to paragraph (8), and notwithstanding 
        the fourth sentence of subsection (d)(1) and subsection 
        (d)(2)'';
            (2) by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the following:
            ``(7) Period of issuance.--Subject to paragraph (2), the 
        program established under this subsection shall continue in 
        effect until a national site in each State has been honored and 
        shall terminate not later than March 31, 2021.''; and
            (3) by striking paragraph (8) and inserting the following:
            ``(8) Designs starting on january 1, 2021.--
                    ``(A) Transition period.--The design of the quarter 
                dollar from January 1, 2021, to March 31, 2021, shall 
                be as follows:
                            ``(i) On January 1, 2021, the design shall 
                        be the final design of the national sites 
                        program established by this subsection.
                            ``(ii) On a date selected by the Secretary 
                        that is not earlier than January 15, 2021, and 
                        not later than March 31, 2021, the design shall 
                        be the first design selected pursuant to the 
                        program described in subsection (x).
                    ``(B) Design after end of program.--As of April 1, 
                2021, the design of the quarter dollar shall be in 
                accordance with subsection (x).''.
    (b) Issuance of Coins Commemorating the Nineteenth Amendment.--
Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
    ``(x) Redesign and Issuance of Quarter Dollars Commemorating the 
Ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.--
            ``(1) Redesign beginning in 2021.--Notwithstanding the 
        fourth sentence of subsection (d)(1) and subsection (d)(2), 
        quarter dollars issued during the period beginning on the date 
        described in subsection (t)(8)(A)(ii) and ending on the date 
        described in paragraph (8) shall have designs on the reverse 
        selected in accordance with this subsection.
            ``(2) Nineteenth amendment quarter dollar design 
        requirements.--
                    ``(A) Flexibility with regard to placement of 
                inscriptions.--Notwithstanding subsection (d)(1), the 
                Secretary may select a design for quarter dollars 
                described in paragraph (1) in which--
                            ``(i) the inscription described in the 
                        second sentence of subsection (d)(1) appears on 
                        the reverse side of any such quarter dollars; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) any inscription described in the 
                        third sentence of subsection (d)(1) or the 
                        designation of the value of the coin appears on 
                        the obverse side of any such quarter dollars.
                    ``(B) Single prominent american woman.--
                Notwithstanding subsection (d)(1), the design on the 
                reverse of each coin issued under this subsection 
                shall--
                            ``(i) be emblematic of the accomplishments 
                        and contributions of a prominent woman who was 
                        a resident of a State, the District of 
                        Columbia, or a territory;
                            ``(ii) bear the name of the prominent woman 
                        and the State, District of Columbia, or 
                        territory; and
                            ``(iii) bear other appropriate 
                        inscriptions.
            ``(3) Issuance of coins during each year.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The designs for the quarter 
                dollar coins issued during each year of the period 
                referred to in paragraph (1) shall be emblematic of the 
                accomplishments and contributions of a prominent woman 
                from a maximum of 5 States, the District of Columbia, 
                or territories.
                    ``(B) Order of issuance.--The quarter dollar coins 
                issued during each year of the period referred to in 
                paragraph (1) shall be issued in alphabetical order of 
                the area represented, starting with Alabama.
                    ``(C) Number of each of coin designs in each 
                year.--The Secretary shall prescribe the number of 
                quarter dollars which shall be issued with each of the 
                designs selected for each year.
            ``(4) Selection of design.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Each of the designs required 
                under this subsection for quarter dollar coins shall--
                            ``(i) be determined by the Secretary after 
                        consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts;
                            ``(ii) be reviewed by the Citizens Coinage 
                        Advisory Committee; and
                            ``(iii) honor or commemorate a woman who 
                        has made significant contributions to the lives 
                        of individuals of the applicable State, the 
                        District of Columbia, or territory.
                    ``(B) Selection and approval process.--Designs for 
                quarter dollars may be submitted in accordance with the 
                design selection and approval process developed by the 
                Secretary.
                    ``(C) Participation.--The Secretary shall include 
                in design development, to the greatest extent 
                practicable, input by--
                            ``(i) the chief executive of the applicable 
                        State, District of Columbia, or territory;
                            ``(ii) engravers of the United States Mint;
                            ``(iii) members of the general public from 
                        groups or organizations that are pursuing a 
                        mission focused on increasing the inclusion of 
                        women or improving the quality of life for 
                        women; and
                            ``(iv) women's groups and organizations 
                        within the applicable State, the District of 
                        Columbia, or territory being commemorated that 
                        are pursuing a mission focused on increasing 
                        the inclusion of women, or improving the 
                        quality of life for women.
                    ``(D) Standards.--Because it is important that the 
                Nation's coinage and currency bear dignified designs of 
                which the citizens of the United States can be proud, 
                the Secretary shall not select any frivolous or 
                inappropriate design for any coin minted under this 
                subsection.
                    ``(E) Prohibition on certain representations.--The 
                design of any quarter dollar under this subsection may 
                not include--
                            ``(i) a head and shoulders portrait or bust 
                        of any person, living or dead;
                            ``(ii) a portrait of a living person; or
                            ``(iii) a depiction of an individual in a 
                        size such that the coin could be considered to 
                        be a `2-headed' coin.
                    ``(F) Release of designs.--Not later than December 
                31, 2020, the Secretary shall identify the first 5 
                women to be honored.
            ``(5) Treatment as numismatic items.--For purposes of 
        sections 5134 and 5136, all coins described under this 
        subsection shall be considered to be numismatic items.
            ``(6) Issuance.--
                    ``(A) Quality of coins.--The Secretary may mint and 
                issue such number of quarter dollars of each design 
                selected under paragraph (4) in uncirculated and proof 
                qualities as the Secretary determines to be 
                appropriate.
                    ``(B) Silver coins.--Notwithstanding subsection 
                (b), the Secretary may mint and issue such number of 
                quarter dollars of each design selected under paragraph 
                (4) as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, with 
                a content of not less than 90 percent silver.
            ``(7) Application in event of the admission of additional 
        state.--If any additional State is admitted into the Union 
        before the termination date described in paragraph (8), the 
        Secretary may issue quarter dollar coins, in accordance with 
        this subsection, with a design which is emblematic of such 
        State during any 1 year of the period described in paragraph 
        (1), in addition to the quarter dollar coins issued during such 
        year in accordance with paragraph (3)(A).
            ``(8) Termination date.--The authority to mint quarter 
        dollar coins pursuant to this subsection shall terminate on 
        December 31 of the year in which the final State or territory 
        has been commemorated with a design pursuant to paragraph (3).
            ``(9) Designs after end of program.--On the first day of 
        the year following the year of the date described in paragraph 
        (8)--
                    ``(A) the design on the obverse of the quarter 
                dollar shall revert to the same design containing an 
                image of President Washington in effect for the quarter 
                dollar before the institution of the 50-State quarter 
                dollar program; and
                    ``(B) notwithstanding the fourth sentence of 
                subsection (d)(1), the design on the reverse of the 
                quarter dollar shall contain an image of General 
                Washington crossing the Delaware River prior to the 
                Battle of Trenton.
            ``(10) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) The term `territory' means the Commonwealth 
                of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States 
                Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern 
                Mariana Islands.
                    ``(B) The term `resident', with respect to a State, 
                the District of Columbia, or a territory, means that a 
                woman resided in such State, the District of Columbia, 
                or such territory for a period of at least 1 
                consecutive year.
    ``(y) Silver Bullion Investment Product.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall strike and make 
        available for sale such number of bullion coins as the 
        Secretary determines to be appropriate that are exact 
        duplicates of the quarter dollars issued under subsection (x), 
        each of which shall--
                    ``(A) have a diameter of 3.0 inches and weigh 5.0 
                ounces;
                    ``(B) contain .999 fine silver;
                    ``(C) have incused into the edge the fineness and 
                weight of the bullion coin;
                    ``(D) bear an inscription of the denomination of 
                such coin, which shall be `quarter dollar'; and
                    ``(E) not be minted or issued by the United States 
                Mint as so-called `fractional' bullion coins or in any 
                size other than the size described in subparagraph (A).
            ``(2) Availability for sale.--Bullion coins minted under 
        paragraph (1) shall become available for sale no sooner than 
        the first day of the calendar year in which the circulating 
        quarter dollar coins of which such bullion coins are a 
        duplicate are issued.''.

SEC. 4. COLLECTION AND RECOGNITION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than April 1, 2020, the Secretary of the 
Treasury shall initiate a program to promote the collection of, and 
recognition of the subjects of, the coins authorized under the 
amendments made by this Act.
    (b) Study Required.--The Secretary shall conduct a study on the 
progress of the program described in subsection (a).
    (c) Report.--The Secretary shall submit a report to the Congress on 
the results of the study conducted pursuant to subsection (b).
                                 <all>