[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4940 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4940
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the Nation's first
statewide investigative law enforcement agency, the Ranger Division of
the Texas Department of Public Safety.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 31, 2019
Mr. Flores 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 200th anniversary of the establishment of the Nation's first
statewide investigative law enforcement agency, the Ranger Division of
the Texas Department of Public Safety.
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 ``Texas Ranger Division's 200th
Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Established in 1823, the Texas Ranger Division of the
Texas Department of Public Safety is the oldest serving
statewide law enforcement agency in the Nation and will
commemorate their 200th anniversary in 2023.
(2) The Texas Rangers began as a multicultural agency, and
over two centuries have included Native Americans, Tejanos,
Anglo Europeans, African Americans, and Asian Americans serving
in all ranks. Women have also served in both field and command
ranks.
(3) Through the centuries, the Texas Rangers have served
first as a citizen militia protecting ranches, farms, and
settlements against hostile raids; they became frontier law
enforcement. After the Civil War they became frontier peace
officers protecting against outlaws and banditry and providing
law enforcement to new towns and settlements on burgeoning
railroad routes and cattle trails. With the turn of the 20th
century they became a State Police handling lawlessness in oil
boomtowns, violations of Prohibition, and gangsters.
(4) In 1935, the Texas Rangers were incorporated into one
of the first Departments of Public Safety in the Nation. Today,
they are internationally respected for conducting major
criminal investigations, suppression of organized crime, border
reconnaissance, SWAT, bomb squad, special rapid response,
crisis negotiation, joint intelligence center management, and
investigation of unsolved crimes. Pioneering initiatives such
as the interdiction for the protection of children have
resulted in invitations from law enforcement agencies
throughout the Nation and internationally from Australia to
Great Britain to help initiate similar law enforcement
initiatives.
(5) The Texas Rangers have partnered with Federal agencies
on numerous public safety and relief initiatives such as in the
aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and with the Federal Bureau of
Investigations on numerous occasions, including the pursuit of
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934.
(6) The Texas Rangers are also an icon of American popular
culture. Songs, books, and novels have been written about them
since the 1840s. They are America's largest and oldest
multimedia ``franchise'' dating back to the earliest years of
film, radio, and television. They have been featured in more
than 225 movies and seven television series. After the Alamo,
the Texas Rangers are the best internationally known historical
symbol of Texas.
(7) The Texas Ranger Division Commemorative Coin will be
the first commemorative coin to honor the Ranger Division of
the Texas Department of Public Safety.
(8) The United States should pay tribute to the Nation's
oldest statewide investigative law enforcement agency, the
Ranger Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety, by
minting and issuing commemorative coins, as provided in this
Act.
(9) A commemorative coin will bring national and
international attention to the lasting legacy of this Nation's
statewide investigative law enforcement agency.
(10) The proceeds from a surcharge on the sale of such
commemorative coins will assist the financing of the State
museum, charitable organizations, and educational scholarship.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--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 100,000 $5 gold 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 500,000 $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) Design Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The design of the coins minted under this
Act shall be emblematic of the 200 years of exemplary and
unparalleled achievements of the Texas Ranger Division.
(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--
(i) the mint date ``2023'';
(ii) the years ``1823'' and ``2023''; and
(iii) the inscription, ``Courage Integrity
Perseverance''; 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) Coin images.--
(A) Obverse.--The obverse of the coins issued under
this Act shall bear an image of a Texas Ranger badge
designed with the word ``Texas'' at the top, a star in
the center of the badge, and the word ``Rangers'' at
the bottom of the badge emblematic of the Texas Ranger
Division and its history.
(B) Reverse.--The reverse of the coins issued under
this Act shall bear an image emblematic of the Texas
Rangers legendary status in America's cultural
landscape. The image should depict Texas Rangers on the
western frontier, including their geographic,
political, or cultural history.
(4) Realistic and historically accurate depictions.--The
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 metallic artists as James Earle
Fraser, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Victor David Brenner, Adolph A.
Weinman, Charles E. Barber, and George T. Morgan.
(b) Selection.--The design for the coins minted under this Act
shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary, after consultation with the
Chief of the Ranger Division of the Texas Department of Public
Safety and the Commission of Fine Arts; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens 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) Mint Facilities.--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 period beginning on January 1, 2023, and ending on
December 31, 2023.
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 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) 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 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) Distribution.--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 $2,500,000 available for distribution under
this section, to the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children, to further the Center's efforts to provide training,
technical assistance, and resources to law enforcement
personnel and others who investigate crimes against children,
specifically cases of missing and exploited children.
(2) The next $2,500,000 available for distribution under
this section to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
Fund, to further assist the Fund in telling the story of
American law enforcement, honoring the fallen, and making it
safer for those officers who serve.
(3) Of amounts available for distribution after the
payments under paragraphs (1) and (2)--
(A) 50 percent shall be distributed to the Texas
Ranger Foundation Scholarship Program for students to
pursue higher education.
(B) 50 percent shall be distributed to the Texas
Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum for the preservation,
maintenance, and display of artifacts and documents.
(c) Audits.--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) Limitation.--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 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.
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, shall 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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