[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5873 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5873

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins in 
       recognition of the Bicentennial of Harriet Tubman's birth.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 12, 2020

 Mr. Meeks (for himself and Mr. Katko) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins in 
       recognition of the Bicentennial of Harriet Tubman's birth.

    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 ``Harriet Tubman Bicentennial 
Commemorative Coin Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Harriet Tubman was an abolitionist who guided over 300 
        people from slavery to freedom in 10 years.
            (2) Born on January 29, 1820, Tubman was a notable 
        abolitionist who not only freed herself, but also freed others 
        from slavery.
            (3) Harriet Ross Tubman, born Araminta ``Minty'' Ross, was 
        born a slave in the plantation of Edward Brodess in Dorchester 
        County, Maryland.
            (4) With the Underground Railroad System, in the fall of 
        1849, Tubman escaped from the Poplar Neck Plantation, heading 
        north to Pennsylvania.
            (5) With the passing of the Fugitive Slave Law as part of 
        the Compromise of 1850, the operations to help enslaved persons 
        escape became a threat to her life.
            (6) Despite the passing of the Compromise of 1850 and the 
        Fugitive Slave Law, Tubman was not deterred and continued her 
        work, rerouting the railroad to Canada instead.
            (7) Tubman made 13 trips back to Maryland, guiding 300 
        enslaved persons to freedom in the process.
            (8) During the arduous process of helping fugitive enslaved 
        persons escape through the Underground Railroad System not a 
        single person succumbed to death under her supervision.
            (9) Tubman led an estimated 50 to 60 enslaved persons 
        towards Canada.
            (10) During the year of 1858, Tubman aided John Brown, by 
        recruiting supporters for the John Brown's Harper's Ferry Raid, 
        a plan to attack slaveholders in Virginia and Maryland to help 
        enslaved persons flee and become freedmen.
            (11) In the beginning of the Civil War, Tubman served as a 
        cook and as a nurse in South Carolina and Florida.
            (12) Tubman also recruited African-American soldiers to 
        join the regiment of African-American Soldiers.
            (13) Later in recognition for her abilities, Tubman served 
        as an army scout and spy for Colonel James Montgomery.
            (14) Tubman distinguished herself as the first woman to 
        lead an armed expedition in the Civil War, the Combahee River 
        Raid, resulting in more than 700 enslaved persons in South 
        Carolina being freed.
            (15) After the Civil War, Tubman frequently sheltered and 
        fed freed slaves at her home in South Street even though she 
        had little money herself. She found a means to an end by 
        selling produce from her garden, taking in donations of food, 
        loans from friends, and raising pigs in her backyard.
            (16) In her retirement, Tubman became active in the women's 
        suffrage movement, where she attended meetings and gave 
        speeches in her home State of New York, as well as in Boston 
        and Washington, DC.
            (17) Tubman was an avid advocate for African-American women 
        and their rights. In 1896, she was invited as a speaker at the 
        first meeting of the National Association of Colored Women.
            (18) Although living in financial insecurity, Tubman gave a 
        parcel of her land to the African Methodist Episcopal Church, 
        which eventually became a home for the aged and indigent 
        colored people. At the time few social services existed for the 
        elderly.
            (19) Escaping slavery; risking everything to save her 
        family; aiding enslaved persons escape; leading a military 
        raid; championing the cause of women's suffrage; Harriet Tubman 
        is an individual that has performed achievements that has had 
        profound impacts on American history and culture.

SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

    (a) Denominations.--In commemoration of Harriet Tubman, the 
Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter referred to in this Act 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) be struck on a planchet having a diameter of 
                0.850 inches; and
                    (C) contain at least 90 percent gold.
            (2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 400,000 $1 coins, which 
        shall--
                    (A) weigh 26.73 grams;
                    (B) be struck on a planchet having a diameter of 
                1.500 inches; and
                    (C) contain at least 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 designs of the coins minted under this 
        Act shall be emblematic of the legacy of Harriet Tubman as an 
        abolitionist. At least one obverse design shall bear the image 
        of Harriet Tubman.
            (2) Designation and inscriptions.--On each coin minted 
        under this Act, there shall be--
                    (A) an inscription of Harriet Tubman;
                    (B) a designation of the value of the coin;
                    (C) an inscription of the year ``2022''; and
                    (D) 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) selected by the Secretary, after consultation with 
        Project Legacy (Brooklyn, NY) and the Commission of the 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 period beginning on January 1, 2022, and ending on 
December 31, 2022.

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 under section 7(a) 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 issuance of the 
        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 issued under this Act shall 
include--
            (1) a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coins;
            (2) a surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coins; and
            (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 
Project Legacy (Brooklyn, NY) for the purpose of accomplishing and 
advancing its mission.
    (c) Audits.--Project Legacy (Brooklyn, NY) 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 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 2 commemorative 
coin program issuance limitation under section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, 
United States Code. 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, are 
        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, winning design compensation, 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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