[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2435 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2435
To define the dollar as a fixed weight of gold, and for other purposes.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 30, 2023
Mr. Mooney (for himself, Mr. Biggs, and Mr. Gosar) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial
Services
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A BILL
To define the dollar as a fixed weight of gold, 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 ``Gold Standard Restoration Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Federal reserve note has lost more than 40 percent
of its purchasing power since 2000, and 97 percent of its
purchasing power since the passage of the Federal Reserve Act
in 1913.
(2) Under the 2 percent inflation objective of the Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System (in this Act hereafter
referred to as the ``Federal Reserve''), the dollar loses half
of its purchasing power every generation, or 35 years.
(3) At times, including 2021 and 2022, Federal Reserve
actions helped create inflation rates of 8 percent or higher,
increasing the cost of living for many Americans to untenable
levels.
(4) American families need long-term price stability to
meet their household spending needs, save money, and plan for
retirement.
(5) The Federal Reserve policy of long-term inflation has
made American manufacturing uncompetitive, raising the cost of
United States manufactured goods by more than 40 percent since
2000, compared to less than 20 percent in Germany and France.
(6) Since 2000, United States manufacturing employment has
declined by at least 25 percent after having remained steady at
nearly 18,000,000 jobs for more than 30 years.
(7) The American economy needs a stable dollar, fixed
exchange rates, and money supply controlled by the market not
the government.
(8) The gold standard puts control of the money supply with
the market instead of the Federal Reserve, discourages
excessive deficit spending, and encourages the balancing of
Federal budgets.
(9) The gold standard means legal tender defined by and
convertible into a certain quantity of gold.
(10) Under the gold standard through 1913 the United States
economy grew at an annual average of four percent, one-third
larger than the growth rate since then and twice the level
since 2000.
(11) The Federal Reserve's trickle down policy of expanding
the money supply has primarily enriched the owners of financial
assets while it has endangered the jobs, wages, and savings of
blue-collar workers.
(12) Restoring American middle-class prosperity requires
change in monetary policy authorized to Congress in Article I,
Section 8, Clause 5 of the Constitution.
SEC. 3. DEFINE THE FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE DOLLAR IN TERMS OF GOLD.
Not later than the date that is 24 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act--
(1) the Secretary of the Treasury (in this Act hereafter
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall define the Federal
reserve note dollar in terms of a fixed weight of gold, based
on that day's closing market price of gold;
(2) Federal reserve banks shall make Federal reserve notes
redeemable for and exchangeable with gold at the fixed price
determined under paragraph (1) and create processes that
facilitate such redemptions and exchanges between member banks
and the public; and
(3) if a Federal reserve bank does not fulfill its duties
under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall make the redemption or
exchange as guarantor and place a corresponding first and
paramount lien on all assets of such bank.
SEC. 4. DISCLOSURE OF HOLDINGS.
To enable the market and market participants to arrive at the fixed
Federal Reserve note dollar-gold parity in an orderly fashion, during
the 24-month period following the date of enactment of this Act--
(1) the Secretary and the Federal Reserve shall each make
publicly available, in both electronic and published format,
all holdings of gold, with a report of any purchases, sales,
swaps, leases, and any other financial transactions involving
gold, since the temporary suspension in August 15, 1971, of
gold redeemability obligations under the Bretton Woods
Agreement of 1944; and
(2) the Secretary and the Federal Reserve shall make
publicly available, in both electronic and published formats,
all records pertaining to redemptions and transfers of United
States gold in the 10 years preceding the temporary suspension
in August 15, 1971, of gold redeemability obligations under the
Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944.
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