[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2427 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2427

To amend title 31, United States Code, to require the Secretary of the 
Treasury to mint and issue quarter dollars in commemoration of the 19th 
   Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 1, 2019

    Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself and Mrs. Fischer) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 19th 
   Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, 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 Constitution of the United 
        States was amended by means of the 19th Amendment, which 
        granted 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 
        (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) was enacted, which granted citizenship 
        to all individuals of Asian descent and, by extension, the 
        right to vote.
            (6) Enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 
        10301 et seq.) 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 to the Constitution of the United States.
            (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) Women's history and the movement for women's rights 
        that the suffragists began extends beyond ratification of the 
        19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
            (9) August 26, 2020, marks the centennial of the day that 
        women were granted the right to vote in the United States.

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

    (a) Amendment to National Sites Quarter Dollar Program.--Section 
5112(t) 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 the earlier of--
                    ``(A) the date on which a national site in each 
                State has been honored; or
                    ``(B) 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 during the period beginning on January 1, 2021, 
                and ending on December 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 December 31, 2021, the design 
                        shall be the first design selected pursuant to 
                        the program established under subsection (x).
                    ``(B) Design after end of program.--Beginning on 
                August 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 
        selected under 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 each such quarter dollar; 
                        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 each such quarter dollar.
                    ``(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 
                        selected under clause (i) 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 
                described in paragraph (1) shall be emblematic of 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 described 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 that 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--
                                    ``(I) submission of a 
                                recommendation from the chief executive 
                                of the applicable State, the District 
                                of Columbia, or territory being 
                                commemorated; and
                                    ``(II) 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) artists from the States, the 
                        District of Columbia, and territories;
                            ``(iii) engravers of the United States 
                        Mint;
                            ``(iv) 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
                            ``(v) 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 
                coinage and currency of the United States bear 
                dignified designs of which the citizens of the United 
                States can be proud, the Secretary may 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 August 
                31, 2020, the Secretary shall identify the first 5 
                women to be honored under this subsection.
            ``(5) Treatment as numismatic items.--For purposes of 
        sections 5134 and 5136, all coins minted 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 that 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 that year in 
        accordance with paragraph (3)(A).
            ``(8) Termination date.--The authority to issue quarter 
        dollar coins under 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) Resident.--The term `resident', with respect 
                to a State, the District of Columbia, or a territory, 
                means that a woman resided in that State, the District 
                of Columbia, or that territory for a period of not less 
                than 1 consecutive year.
                    ``(B) Territory.--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.
    ``(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)--
                    ``(A) shall become available for sale not earlier 
                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; and
                    ``(B) may only be available for sale during the 
                year in which such circulating quarter dollar coins are 
                issued.''.

SEC. 4. COLLECTION AND RECOGNITION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than December 1, 2019, the Secretary of 
the Treasury (referred to in this section as the ``Secretary'') 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.--Not later than March 1, 2023, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report on the results of the study conducted under 
subsection (b).
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