[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 55 (Thursday, May 1, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S3904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. STEVENS:
  S. 683. A bill to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins 
in commemoration of the bicentennial of the Library of Congress; to the 
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.


     the library of congress bicentennial commemorative act of 1997

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation that 
would authorize the minting of silver $1 coins and gold $5 coins in 
commemoration of the bicentennial of the Library of Congress. The year 
2000 will mark this important event for the Congress and the Nation. 
Over the past two centuries, the U.S. Congress has built its library 
into America's library and the greatest repository of recorded 
knowledge and creativity in the history of the World.
  Proceeds from the coin will help the library support bicentennial 
programs, educational outreach, and other activities including programs 
with schools and libraries across the Nation.
  The Library of Congress' bicentennial merits a U.S. commemorative 
coin. The library is an institution that has an enduring effect on the 
Nation's culture and history. As vice chairman of the Joint Committee 
on the Library, I am pleased to offer this legislation and I welcome 
and encourage my colleagues to join as cosponsors.
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