[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 116 (Tuesday, September 26, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H8188-H8191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT OF 2000
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 4259) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in
commemoration of the National Museum of the American Indian of the
Smithsonian Institution, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 4259
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 ``National Museum of the
American Indian Commemorative Coin Act of 2000'', or the
``American Buffalo Coin Commemorative Coin Act of 2000''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Smithsonian Institution was established in 1846,
with funds bequeathed to the United States by James Smithson
for the ``increase and diffusion of knowledge''.
(2) Once established, the Smithsonian Institution became an
important part of the process of developing the United States
national identity, an ongoing role which continues today.
(3) The Smithsonian Institution, which is now the world's
largest museum complex, including 16 museums, 4 research
centers, and the National Zoo, is visited by millions of
Americans and people from all over the world each year.
(4) The National Museum of the American Indian of the
Smithsonian Institution (hereafter referred to in this
section as the ``NMAI'') was established by an Act of
Congress in 1989, in Public Law 101-185.
(5) The purpose of the NMAI, as established by Congress, is
to--
(A) advance the study of Native Americans, including the
study of language, literature, history, art, anthropology,
and life;
(B) collect, preserve, and exhibit Native American objects
of artistic, historical, literary, anthropological, and
scientific interest; and
(C) provide for Native American research and study
programs.
(6) The NMAI works in cooperation with Native Americans and
oversees a collection that spans more than 10,000 years of
American history.
(7) It is fitting that the NMAI will be located in a place
of honor near the United States Capitol, and on the National
Mall.
(8) Thousands of Americans, including many American
Indians, came from all over the Nation to witness the ground-
breaking ceremony for the NMAI on September 28, 1999.
(9) The NMAI is scheduled to open in the summer of 2002.
(10) The original 5-cent buffalo nickel, as designed by
James Earle Fraser and minted from 1913 through 1938, which
portrays a profile representation of a Native American on the
obverse side and a representation of an American buffalo on
the reverse side, is a distinctive and appropriate model for
a coin to commemorate the NMAI.
(11) The surcharge proceeds from the sale of a
commemorative coin, which would have no net cost to the
taxpayers, would raise valuable funding for the opening of
the NMAI and help to supplement the endowment and educational
outreach funds of the NMAI.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) $1 Silver Coins.--In commemoration of the opening of
the Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian
Institution, the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this
Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue
not more than 500,000 $1 coins, each of 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.
SEC. 4. 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. 5. DESIGN OF COINS.
(a) Design Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The design of the $1 coins minted under
this Act shall be based on the original 5-cent buffalo nickel
designed by James Earle Fraser and minted from 1913
through 1938. Each coin shall have on the obverse side a
profile representation of a Native American, and on the
reverse side, a representation of an American buffalo
(also known as a bison).
(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 ``2001''; 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
Commission of Fine Arts; and
[[Page H8189]]
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory
Committee.
SEC. 6. ISSUANCE OF COINS.
(a) Quality of Coins.--Coins minted under this Act shall be
issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.
(b) Mint Facility.--
(1) In general.--Only 1 facility of the United States Mint
may be used to strike any particular quality of the coins
minted under this Act.
(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of the Congress
that the United States Mint facility in Denver, Colorado
should strike the coins authorized by this Act, unless the
Secretary determines that such action would be technically or
cost-prohibitive.
(c) Commencement of Issuance.--The Secretary may issue
coins minted under this Act beginning on January 1, 2001.
(d) Termination of Minting.--No coins may be minted under
this Act after December 31, 2001.
SEC. 7. 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 required by subsection (d) 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.
(d) Surcharges.--All sales of coins minted under this Act
shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin.
SEC. 8. DISTRIBUTION OF SURCHARGES.
(a) In General.--Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31,
United States Code, the proceeds from the surcharges received
by the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act
shall be paid promptly by the Secretary to the National
Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution
for the purposes of--
(1) commemorating the opening of the National Museum of the
American Indian; and
(2) supplementing the endowment and educational outreach
funds of the Museum of the American Indian.
(b) Audits.--The National Museum of the American Indian
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 museum under subsection (a).
SEC. 9. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES.
(a) No Net Cost to the Government.--The Secretary shall
take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that minting
and issuing coins under this Act will not result in any net
cost to the United States Government.
(b) Payment for Coins.--A coin shall not be issued under
this Act unless the Secretary has received--
(1) full payment for the coin;
(2) security satisfactory to the Secretary to indemnify the
United States for full payment; or
(3) a guarantee of full payment satisfactory to the
Secretary from a depository institution, the deposits of
which are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation or the National Credit Union Administration
Board.
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).
General Leave
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 4259.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Iowa?
There was no objection.
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the coin authorized by this act will commemorate the
opening of a museum that is long overdue, the Smithsonian's new
National Museum of the American Indian, under construction just a few
blocks away, between the Air and Space Museum and the Capitol Building.
The museum will hold as remarkable a collection of items from this
country's and this hemisphere's past as exists. It will be the last
museum the Smithsonian, the world's largest museum complex, will build
on the National Mall and the third physical installation of a truly
stunning personal collection of Native American artifacts now donated
to the Smithsonian.
The five floors of the museum will be the storehouse of a vast
collection of Native American artifacts, items from Canada and Central
and South America, as well as the United States, many of which were
collected by a New York tycoon named George Gustav Heye.
Mr. Heye, in nearly half a century of voracious collecting ending
with his death in 1957, amassed nearly 800,000 individual Native
American items and another 86,000 photographic images.
The items span nearly 10,000 years. Mr. Speaker, the museum was
established by an act of Congress in 1989 with the goal of advancing
the study of Native Americans, including language, literature, history,
art, anthropology and life and of collecting, preserving and exhibiting
Native American objects of artistic, historic, literary,
anthropological and scientific interests. Ground for the museum was
broken a year ago, and the building is scheduled to open 2 years from
now. The $110 million museum on 4 acres will be faced with Kasota
limestone from Minnesota, applied to evoke cliffs, and will include a
large copper dome designed to capture the light of the winter and the
summer solstices.
While the Congress appropriated two-thirds of the costs for the
museum and while the museum has received major grants to cover
construction, Native Americans are also contributing to its financing.
Gannett News reported in March that a Native American woman who ran a
fried bread stand sent a few dollars, and 400 students at the Native
American Magnet School in Buffalo, New York, ran a can-collecting drive
and sent in several hundred dollars.
The museum already has two locations, the George Gustav Heye Center
in lower Manhattan opened in 1994, exhibiting a number of items from
Mr. Heye's collection and a large cultural resources center in
Suitland, Maryland, opened 2 years ago.
In the latter, in addition to a library and conservation center, the
collection can be stored, studied and used by Native American scholars.
Mr. Speaker, it is anticipated that this new National Museum of the
American Indian will draw 5 million to 7 million visitors a year. The
coin authorized in this legislation will be magnificent, a silver
representation of one of the most-collected and best-loved coins in
American history.
The design is a replica of the so-called buffalo nickel. Collectors
tell me that the design, depicting on its face an Indian Head and on
its reverse the West's greatest beast, is so treasured that this
commemorative coin is likely to be extremely popular with the
numismatic community as well as with that part of the American public
interested in American history.
Mr. Speaker, the legislation which authorizes the minting of up to
500,000 1-dollar silver coins, was introduced by the gentleman from
Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), whose leadership on cultural issues of this
nature is so impressive.
In the Senate, similar legislation was introduced by Ben Nighthorse
Campbell; and it is important to note that Senator Campbell, among his
many other talents, is a well-known silversmith and his fine artistic
eye has identified the buffalo nickel designed as an appropriate one to
be struck this time in silver in contrast with the bass metal of the
original coin.
Mr. Speaker, the original buffalo nickel was struck from 1913 to 1938
and is the third of the four designs the mint used to make nickels in
the history of this country. Impetus for the coin grew out of Theodore
Roosevelt's observations that the country's coinage had hither to be
less than heroic and not even very good art, and a conversation he had
over dinner in 1905 with the noted sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
In fact, though Roosevelt had left office by the time the design was
chosen, Treasury Secretary Franklin MacVeagh, a Roosevelt appointee,
pursued the effort vigorously and in 1911 chose a former Saint-Gaudens
assistant, James Earle Fraser, to design the new nickel. Fraser is
probably best known for his large End of the Trail sculpture of Native
Americans, but also sculpted some figures for the United States Supreme
Court building.
Until that point, Native Americans portrayed on U.S. coinage had
primarily been engraved from Caucasian models wearing headdresses but
letters Fraser wrote in 1931 indicated he used Native Americans as
models.
[[Page H8190]]
The model for the bison, or buffalo, is the notorious black diamond,
a somewhat cantankerous inhabitant of a New York City zoo, whose coat
was unusually dark, even for a buffalo, and who weighed more than 1,500
pounds in his prime.
Roughly 1.2 billion buffalo nickels were struck at three United
States Mints during the life of the coin, a reflection of the size of
the country and the economy at that point. By comparison, more than 1.2
billion copies are struck of each State coin in the 50 State Quarter
program enacted by Congress last year.
Mr. Speaker, there will be no net costs to the taxpayer from this
legislation. All production and design costs will be covered before any
surcharges are paid out. Surcharges from the coin's sale will then go
to supplement the museum's endowment and educational outreach programs.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. LaFALCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4259, the
National Museum of the American Indian Commemorative Coin Act of 2000
or, alternatively, according to the bill, the American Buffalo Coin
Commemorative Coin Act of 2000.
Mr. Speaker, I have a rather lengthy statement that I will just put
in the Record, because the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach), our
distinguished chairman, has just given an outstanding presentation of
the history of the bill and the history of some of the efforts to
develop the National Museum of the American Indian.
I would just point out a number of things. First of all, I am proud
to be here as a Representative of the 29th District of New York, but
that also includes the city of Buffalo, New York, and Niagara Falls,
New York. And these people could argue about how Buffalo got its name,
but a good many individuals think it is because of the tremendous
number of buffalo that existed. And we refer in the bill, too, to
buffalo, the American buffalo also known as bisons, and that is right
on page 5 of the bill. And it makes me think of my baseball team, the
Buffalo Bisons.
Why am I going into this local history? Well, I will make the
connection pretty soon. I also represent Niagara Falls, New York. Now,
Niagara Falls, New York's ownership is in dispute; a lot of the people
who live there right now think they own the land, but some of the
people who used to live there, i.e., Indians, think they own that land,
and it is in litigation right now.
It is in Federal court; it is an Indian land claim. We also have
within the city of Niagara Falls one of the wonders of the world. It is
called Niagara Falls. It attracts more tourists than any national park
in the entire United States, about twice as many as any other national
park.
We also have a huge, wonderful building that looks like a turtle,
because it was built to be a turtle, exclusively with Federal dollars.
Way back in the 1970s, $5 million was appropriated to the Tuscarora to
build a building called the Turtle to house Indian artifacts, to house
all of those things pertaining to the history of Indians.
Now, why am I bringing this out? Well, that building happens to be
abandoned right now and ownership has reverted, but this bill is
important, not only because it would provide monies for the National
Museum of the American Indian, in Washington, DC., where we get so many
visitors per year, but also on page 7, this is why I was pleased to be
a cosponsor of it, the money shall be used not simply to commemorate
the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian, but also to
supplement the endowment on educational outreach funds of the Museum of
the American Indian under the auspices of the Smithsonian.
Mr. Speaker, we have close to 300 million people in the United States
right now and not all of them can come to Washington, DC; they live
throughout the entire United States of America. I believe we get more
tourists coming to Niagara Falls, New York, than most any place I am
aware of, more than any other national park. How wonderful it would be
if part of the outreach efforts of the Museum of the American Indian,
how wonderful it would be if an affiliate of the Smithsonian could be
at the Turtle within Niagara Falls, New York, part of the Buffalo-
Niagara Falls region so that the American Buffalo coin bill could be
used to reach out to Americans, to help enhance their knowledge of the
history of the Indian in the United States of America where tourists
come. That is where we should have our facilities also.
We get more tourists in Niagara Falls than anyplace else.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Iowa (Mr. Leach).
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, let me say to the gentleman from New York
(Mr. LaFalce) that pork sometimes gives this Congress a bad name, but
turtles never. But on a more serious note, this coin does have
implications for outreach education. More profoundly, the duty of the
Smithsonian is to reach out to all sectors of America, and this
wondrous collection of artifacts is so large that it would be very
thoughtful if some of it could be shared in more distant parts of the
country.
I think that the gentleman has pointed out one very appropriate place
that hopefully some of this could be shared, both in terms of
education, as well as in broader cultural ways as well.
Certainly, from my perspective, what the gentleman is describing is a
very common sense, thoughtful initiative.
Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Iowa (Mr.
Leach), chairman of the Committee on Banking and Financial Services,
for that clear-cut articulation of legislative intent.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), the principal sponsor of this
piece of legislation, someone who has worked harder on it than anyone
in the Congress and to whom I, as chairman of the Committee on Banking
and Financial Services, must say I am exceptionally grateful.
Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Iowa
(Mr. Leach) for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4259, the National
Museum of the American Indian Commemorative Coin Act of 2000, partly
because I introduced the bill earlier this year and partly because, as
my colleagues have just alluded to, it is a good piece of legislation.
I want to begin by thanking my colleagues on both sides of the aisle,
nearly 300 in total, who enabled H.R. 4259 to move forward by becoming
cosponsors.
{time} 2245
I appreciate all of the help that they have provided by signing on to
this important piece of legislation. Without their help, this would not
be here today. We would not be here today debating this bill.
Mr. Speaker, the museum of the American Indian, of the Smithsonian
Institute was established by an Act of Congress in 1989 to serve as a
permanent repository of Native American culture. With our 39 recognized
tribes, my home State of Oklahoma has a strong and rich heritage in our
country's Native American history and culture. In fact, the name
``Oklahoma'' means ``Land of the Red People'' in the Choctaw language.
My State has many wonderful and respected facilities that are
dedicated to preserving our country's Native American culture. We
appreciate that a museum is being built in our Nation's capital that
will supplement all of the diligent efforts of those in Oklahoma.
As a part of the highly respected Smithsonian Institute, which is now
one of the world's largest museum complexes, the National Museum of the
American Indian will collect, preserve, and exhibit Native American
objects of artistic, historical, cultural, literary and scientific
interest. It will provide for the Native American research and study
programs.
Mr. Speaker, I introduced H.R. 4259 in an effort to commemorate the
opening of this historic museum. It calls for the minting in the year
2001 of a special silver dollar coin, which collectors
[[Page H8191]]
would probably refer to as a standard silver dollar, modeled after the
old buffalo nickel which was designed by James Earle Fraser and minted
from 1913 through 1938.
The proceeds of the sale of this coin will go towards funding the
opening of the museum and will supplement the museums endowment and
educational outreach funds. Because the mint will be reimbursed the
cost of minting the coin before the funds are given to the museum, this
bill will have no net cost to the American taxpayer.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that H.R. 4259 has reached the floor today.
Again, I would like to thank my colleagues that have already shown
their support for H.R. 4259, and I urge the remainder of my colleagues
to support this bill as well.
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I would simply like to thank, again, the gentleman from
Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) for his leadership on this issue.
Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield for a question,
please?
Mr. LEACH. Yes, of course I yield to the gentleman from New York.
Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach) made
reference, I believe, to President Theodore Roosevelt, correct?
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I certainly did.
Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, I think the gentleman from Iowa said he was
the one who thought that the design of the buffalo should be on that
the nickel; is that correct?
Mr. LEACH. He is the one who inspired the design, yes, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, I point out to the gentleman from Iowa that
President Theodore Roosevelt was sworn into office as President of the
United States in Buffalo, New York.
Mr. LEACH. That is newsworthy and an anecdote I did not know.
If the gentleman from New York could help me, what political party
was Mr. Roosevelt associated with?
Mr. LaFALCE. The progressive party as I recall, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. LEACH. Yes, of course. We are certainly in line that the
President was a great American.
Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). 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. 4259.
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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