[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1235 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1235

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration 
of ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United 
      States, giving women in the United States the right to vote.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 30, 2019

    Mrs. Blackburn (for herself, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. 
 Cantwell, Mrs. Capito, Ms. Collins, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Duckworth, 
 Ms. Ernst, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Fischer, Ms. Harris, Ms. Hassan, Ms. 
  Hirono, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. McSally, Ms. Murkowski, 
   Mrs. Murray, Ms. Rosen, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Sinema, Ms. Smith, Ms. 
Stabenow, and Ms. Warren) introduced the following bill; which was read 
  twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration 
of ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United 
      States, giving women in the United States the right to vote.

    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 Suffrage Centennial 
Commemorative Coin Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the 
        first Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York. 
        Sixty-eight women and 32 men signed the Declaration of 
        Sentiments at the Convention in July 1848.
            (2) The Declaration of Sentiments was modeled after the 
        Declaration of Independence and declared that ``all men and 
        women are created equal'', linking women's rights directly to 
        the founding ideals of the United States.
            (3) Suffrage activists, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 
        Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. 
        Wells, Jovita Idar, Inez Millholland, Mary Church Terrell, Anne 
        Dallas Dudley, Carrie Chapman Cat, Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and 
        many others, conducted over 900 local, State, and Federal 
        campaigns over a 72-year time span to win women the right to 
        vote.
            (4) On November 6, 1917, New York granted women the right 
        to vote, which was an act that created momentum for the 
        national movement that culminated in the ratification of the 
        19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States 3 years 
        later.
            (5) The 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United 
        States (``The Susan B. Anthony Amendment'') guarantees all 
        United States women the right to vote and was passed by the 
        66th Congress of the United States on June 4, 1919.
            (6) On August 9, 1920, right before the ratification period 
        was set to expire, Governor Albert H. Roberts called a special 
        session of the Tennessee General Assembly to consider the 
        amendment. Pro-suffrage and anti-suffrage activists from around 
        the country descended on Nashville, Tennessee, intent on 
        influencing the legislature.
            (7) After the amendment was defeated in a 48-48 tie vote, 
        Tennessee State Representative Harry T. Burn from McMinn County 
        cast the deciding favorable vote after receiving a note from 
        his mother, Phoebe Ensminger Burn, imploring him to vote yes 
        for ratification.
            (8) On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th and final 
        State needed to pass the 19th Amendment, ensuring its 
        ratification pursuant to Article V of the Constitution of the 
        United States.
            (9) The 19th Amendment was ratified on August 26, 1920, 
        when Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby issued a proclamation 
        announcing it has become part of the Constitution of the United 
        States.
            (10) The ratification of the 19th Amendment marked the 
        single largest extension of voting rights in United States 
        history, enfranchising 27,000,000 American women in the United 
        States.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is--
            (1) to honor and commemorate the work of women suffrage 
        activists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries;
            (2) to increase public awareness and appreciation for the 
        history of the women's suffrage movement; and
            (3) to encourage all women in the United States to exercise 
        their hard-won franchise and to become involved in civic life 
        if they so choose.

SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

    (a) $1 Silver Coins.--The Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in 
this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue not 
more than 400,000 $1 coins, which shall--
            (1) weigh 26.73 grams;
            (2) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
            (3) contain at least 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 COIN.

    (a) Design Requirements.--
            (1) In general.--The design of the coins minted under this 
        Act shall be emblematic of the women who played a vital role in 
        rallying support for the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of 
        the United States.
            (2) Designations 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 ``2020''; and
                    (C) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God 
                We Trust'', ``United States of America'', ``E Pluribus 
                Unum.''
    (b) Selection.--The design for the coins minted under this Act 
shall--
            (1) contain motifs that honor Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth 
        Cady Stanton, Carrie Chapman Catt, Harriet Tubman, Mary Church 
        Terrell, Alice Paul, Lide Meriwether, Ida B. Wells, and other 
        suffrage activists of the late 19th century and early 20th 
        centuries;
            (2) be selected by the Secretary, after consultation with 
        the Smithsonian Institution's American Women's History 
        Initiative, and the Commission of Fine Arts; and
            (3) be 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 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, 2020, and ending on 
December 31, 2020.

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) 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 issued under this Act shall 
include a surcharge as follows:
            (1) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin described 
        under section 3(a)(1).
    (b) Distribution.--Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31, United 
States Code, and section 8(2), all surcharges received by the Secretary 
from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be promptly paid by 
the Secretary to the Smithsonian Institution's American Women's History 
Initiative for the purpose of--
            (1) collecting, studying, and establishing programs 
        relating to women's contributions to various fields and 
        throughout different periods of history that have influenced 
        the direction of the United States; and
            (2) creating exhibitions and programs that recognize 
        diverse perspectives on women's history and contributions.
    (c) Audits.--The Smithsonian Institution's American Women's History 
Initiative 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, shall be 
        disbursed to any recipient designated in section 7(b) 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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