[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 102 (Monday, July 19, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H5762-H5763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             LEIF ERICSON MILLENNIUM COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT

  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 31) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in 
conjunction with the minting of coins by the Republic of Iceland in 
commemoration of the millennium of the discovery of the New World by 
Leif Ericson.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 31

       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 ``Leif Ericson Millennium 
     Commemorative Coin Act''.

     SEC. 2. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

       (a) $1 Silver Coins.--In conjunction with the simultaneous 
     minting and issuance of commemorative coins by the Republic 
     of Iceland in commemoration of the millennium of the 
     discovery of the New World by Leif Ericson, the Secretary of 
     the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 
     ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue not more than 500,000 1 
     dollar coins, which shall--
       (1) weigh 26.73 grams;
       (2) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
       (3) contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.
       (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 section 5136 of 
     title 31, United States Code, all coins minted under this Act 
     shall be considered to be numismatic items.

     SEC. 3. SOURCES OF BULLION.

       The Secretary may obtain silver for minting coins under 
     this Act from any available source, including stockpiles 
     established under the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock 
     Piling Act.

     SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS.

       (a) Design Requirements.--
       (1) In general.--The design of the coins minted under this 
     Act shall be emblematic of the millennium of the discovery of 
     the New World by Leif Ericson.
       (2) Designation 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 ``2000''; and
       (C) 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 the 
     Leifur Eirikson Foundation and the Commission of Fine Arts; 
     and
       (2) reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin 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) Commencement of Issuance.--The Secretary may issue 
     coins minted under this Act beginning January 1, 2000.
       (d) Termination of Minting Authority.--No coins may be 
     minted under this Act after December 31, 2000.

     SEC. 6. SURCHARGES.

       (a) In General.--All sales of coins minted under this Act 
     shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin.
       (b) Distribution.--All surcharges received by the Secretary 
     from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be 
     promptly paid by the Secretary to the Leifur Eirikson 
     Foundation for the purpose of funding student exchanges 
     between students of the United States and students of 
     Iceland.
       (c) Audits.--The Leifur Eirikson Foundation shall be 
     subject to the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of 
     title 31, United States Code, with regard to the amounts 
     received by the Foundation under subsection (b).

     SEC. 7. GENERAL WAIVER OF PROCUREMENT REGULATIONS.

       (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), no 
     provision of law governing procurement or public contracts 
     shall be applicable to the procurement of goods and services 
     necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Act.
       (b) Equal Employment Opportunity.--Subsection (a) shall not 
     relieve any person entering into a contract under the 
     authority of this Act from complying with any law relating to 
     equal employment opportunity.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Iowa (Mr. Leach) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaFalce) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach).
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 31, a bill that will implement 
a unique program to issue a millennium commemorative dollar coin. The 
year 2000 will mark the 1,000th anniversary of the voyage of discovery 
by Leif Ericson, an Icelander, who was the son of Eric the Red, a 
Norseman, in 1000 A.D. Ericson set off from Iceland to explore lands to 
the west, beyond Greenland. Recent archaeological research has 
confirmed evidence of contemporaneous European settlement on 
Newfoundland as a result of this voyage and its successors.
  A unique feature of this bill is that it would permit the 
simultaneous issuance of a commemorative U.S. silver dollar and a 
silver Kronor Icelandic coin, both produced by the United States Mint 
and both celebrating the voyage of Leif Ericson. Both of these coins 
would be produced in limited mintages with 250,000 silver dollars 
authorized. This will be a significant numismatic event, a 1,000-year 
anniversary, two countries jointly issuing coins commemorating the same 
event, a limited boxed edition of both coins being issued by the Mint 
and the surcharge proceeds going to promote scholarship and student 
exchanges between the two countries.
  Interestingly, the Icelandic coin will depict Leif Ericson as he 
appears on a statue that stands today in Reykjavik. This statue of the 
great explorer was created by the sculptor Stirling Calder, father of 
another great artist of this century, Alexander Calder, and was 
presented by the United States Congress to the parliament of Iceland, 
known as the Althing, on its 1,000th anniversary in 1930. It is very 
appropriate that our relatively young country take this opportunity to 
commemorate a 1,000-year link to Europe and one of the earliest of the 
many ethnic strains that make up our society today. During the year 
2000 the Smithsonian will be mounting a traveling exhibition devoted to 
the millennium of the Viking contacts with the new world. It will trace 
how the Nordic sagas recorded during these voyages entered European 
consciousness and the myth describing a fertile land far to the west. 
Recent archaeological finds hint that 11th century Viking explorers 
might have visited coastal and interior areas considerably to the south 
of the Newfoundland site. Additional research and scholarship funded by 
this coin program is designed to contribute to a better understanding 
of this hardy folk and their relationship to modern peoples of this 
hemisphere.
  In conclusion, I would like to thank the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. 
Bachus), the subcommittee chairman; and the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. LaFalce) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), the 
ranking members of the full committee and subcommittee, for their 
extraordinary cooperation.
  As Members may recall, this bill passed this Chamber in the last 
Congress. I urge its adoption today.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 31. I commend the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. 
Leach), the chairman of the committee, and the gentleman from Minnesota 
(Mr. Vento), the distinguished ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on 
Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, for the tremendous work 
they have done on this bill. I would point out that the gentleman from 
Minnesota very much wanted to be the floor manager from the Democratic 
respective on this bill, but he had been apprised it would be taken up 
tomorrow, had made a number of previous important appointments that he 
simply could not break, and asked me to substitute in his stead.
  This bill commemorates the millennium of Leif Ericson's arrival in 
the New World, a watershed event in the history of our continent. The 
bill would require the Secretary of the Treasury, in conjunction with 
the simultaneous minting and issuance by the Republic of Iceland of its 
own coin, to mint up to, I believe, one-half million dollars of one-
dollar commemorative coins.

[[Page H5763]]

  If I may ask the gentleman from Iowa, is it correct that it is one-
half million, as opposed to 250,000?
  Mr. LEACH. If the gentleman will yield, that is what the legislation 
suggests, that is correct.
  Mr. LaFALCE. The coins will be made up of 90 percent silver and 10 
percent copper, and will commemorate the importance of Leif Ericson's 
arrival in the New World nearly 1,000 years ago.
  Mr. Speaker, the proceeds from the sale of this coin will go to the 
Leifur Eirikson Foundation, which will use the funds to finance student 
exchanges between the United States and the Republic of Iceland. I 
would urge all my colleagues to support the bill.
  Mr. SABO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Leif Ericson, the Norse 
navigator and explorer, and to voice my support for the Leif Ericson 
Millennium Commemorative Coin Act.
  Leif Ericson played a vital role in the European discovery of our 
continent. It is a role that, over the years, has not been widely 
recognized. Within the past 30 years, new historical evidence has 
surfaced to show that Leif Ericson landed in North America around 1000 
A.D., almost 500 years prior to Christopher Columbus' arrival in the 
New World.
  Leif Ericson was born around 970 A.D. in Greenland, son of the famous 
warrior, explorer, and discoverer of Greenland, ``Eric the Red.'' There 
are two traditional accounts of Leif Ericson's discovery of America. 
However, the one that is best upheld by the evidence states that a 
contemporary of Leif's, Bjarni Herjolfsson, chanced upon America after 
drifting off course. Herjolfsson did not land in the New World, but 
upon his return to Greenland, he described his course to Leif. 
Following Herjolfsson's course, Leif later landed in North America. He 
named the new land ``Vinland,'' after the plentiful supply of grapes he 
found there. He built a small settlement and spent the winter in 
Vinland before he returned to Greenland.
  At the end of his career, Leif Ericson settled on his father's estate 
in Brattahlid, Greenland, where he lived until he died. It is rumored 
that he is buried in an unmarked grave in the Brattahlid cemetery.
  The Leif Ericson Millennium Commemorative Coin Act will create silver 
dollars for the 1000-year anniversary of Ericson's landing in North 
America, in conjunction with a series of coins to be minted in the 
Republic of Iceland. All proceeds will support student exchanges 
between the U.S. and Iceland. This is an appropriate way to pay tribute 
to the pioneering spirit of Leif Ericson, and these coins will stand as 
symbols of his courage and perseverance--virtues we all must embrace in 
order to accomplish our goals.
  Finally, this legislation will honor all Americans of Scandinavian 
descent. For generations, they have proven themselves brave and loyal 
Americans, carrying on the tradition of courage and exploration started 
by their Norse ancestors, including Leif Ericson.
  Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 31.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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