[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 15, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H4973-H4976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       AMERICAN VETERANS DISABLED FOR LIFE COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 634) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to 
mint coins in commemoration of veterans who become disabled for life 
while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 634

       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 ``American Veterans Disabled 
     for Life Commemorative Coin Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds as follows:
       (1) The Armed Forces of the United States have answered the 
     call and served with distinction around the world--from 
     hitting the beaches in World War II in the Pacific and 
     Europe, to the cold and difficult terrain in Korea, the 
     steamy jungles of Vietnam, and the desert sands of the Middle 
     East.
       (2) All Americans should commemorate those who come home 
     having survived the ordeal of war, and solemnly honor those 
     who made the ultimate sacrifice in giving their lives for 
     their country.
       (3) All Americans should honor the millions of living 
     disabled veterans who carry

[[Page H4974]]

     the scars of war every day, and who have made enormous 
     personal sacrifices defending the principles of our 
     democracy.
       (4) In 2000, Congress authorized the construction of the 
     American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.
       (5) The United States should pay tribute to the Nation's 
     living disabled veterans by minting and issuing a 
     commemorative silver dollar coin.
       (6) The surcharge proceeds from the sale of a commemorative 
     coin would raise valuable funding for the construction of the 
     American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.

     SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

       (a) $1 Silver Coins.--The Secretary of the Treasury 
     (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') 
     shall mint and issue not more than 350,000 $1 coins in 
     commemoration of disabled American veterans, 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.
       (c) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of sections 5134 and 
     5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins minted under 
     this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.

     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 design selected by the 
     Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the American 
     Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.
       (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 ``2010''; 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 
     Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation and the 
     Commission of Fine Arts; and
       (2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage 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.--
       (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) Use of the united states mint at west point, new 
     york.--It is the sense of the Congress that the coins minted 
     under this Act should be struck at the United States Mint at 
     West Point, New York, to the greatest extent possible.
       (c) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins 
     under this Act only during the calendar year beginning on 
     January 1, 2010.

     SEC. 6. 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 provided in section 7 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.

     SEC. 7. SURCHARGES.

       (a) In General.--All sales of coins issued under this Act 
     shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin.
       (b) Distribution.--Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31, 
     United States Code, all surcharges received by the Secretary 
     from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be paid to 
     the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation for the 
     purpose of establishing an endowment to support the 
     construction of American Veterans' Disabled for Life Memorial 
     in Washington, D.C.
       (c) Audits.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
     shall have the right to examine such books, records, 
     documents, and other data of the Disabled Veterans' LIFE 
     Memorial Foundation as may be related to the expenditures of 
     amounts paid under subsection (b).
       (d) Limitation.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), no 
     surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance under 
     this Act of any coin during a calendar year if, as of the 
     time of such issuance, the issuance of such coin would result 
     in the number of commemorative coin programs issued during 
     such year to exceed the annual 2 commemorative coin program 
     issuance limitation under section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, 
     United States Code (as in effect on the date of the enactment 
     of this Act). The Secretary of the Treasury may issue 
     guidance to carry out this subsection.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Moore) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kansas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on this legislation and to insert any other material.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Kansas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, this legislation that we are considering today is a 
simple, straightforward bill that would take a small but important step 
to recognize and honor the more than 3 million American veterans 
currently living with disabilities as a result of their sacrifice and 
service in our United States Armed Forces. In fact, of 26 million 
American veterans today, nearly one in 10 embody the physical cost of 
their service in permanent disability.
  While there are many other steps that Congress should take to improve 
the lives of disabled veterans, by passing this bipartisan legislation 
today, which I have introduced with my friend and colleague, Mr. Kirk 
of Illinois, we hope to honor and show our gratitude for their 
sacrifice and the toll this has taken on their lives. Specifically, 
Madam Speaker, this legislation provides for the design, manufacture 
and sale of special commemorative silver coins and authorizes special 
surcharges on these coins to be contributed toward the construction of 
a memorial to disabled veterans.
  The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial will occupy an 
impressive 2-acre site located just southwest of the Rayburn House 
Office Building adjacent to the National Mall within full view of the 
United States Capitol. The memorial will embody America's lasting 
gratitude for the men and women whose lives are forever changed in 
their service to our country. It will also serve as an important 
reminder to Members of Congress of the human cost of war and the need 
to support our veterans. We must never forget the sacrifices these 
American heroes made and continue to make in order to promote a better 
world for our fellow citizens.
  Building this long overdue memorial is something we need to do and 
should do as Americans.
  Madam Speaker, I include the following letter exchange for the 
Record:

                                         House of Representatives,


                                  Committee on Ways and Means,

                                      Washington, DC, May 2, 2007.
     Hon. Barney Frank,
     Chairman, Financial Services Committee, Rayburn House Office 
         Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Barney: I am writing regarding H.R. 634, the American 
     Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act.
       As you know, the Committee on Ways and Means maintains 
     jurisdiction over bills that raise revenue. H.R. 634 contains 
     a provision that establishes a surcharge for the sale of 
     commemorative coins that are minted under the bill, and thus 
     falls within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and 
     Means.
       However, as part of our ongoing understanding regarding 
     commemorative coin bills and in order to expedite this bill 
     for floor consideration, the Committee will forgo action. 
     This is being done with the understanding that it does not in 
     any way prejudice the Committee with respect to the 
     appointment of conferees or its jurisdictional prerogatives 
     on this bill or similar legislation in the future.
       I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming 
     this understanding with respect to H.R. 634, and would ask 
     that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be 
     included in the Record.
           Sincerely,
                                                Charles B. Rangel,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                              Committee on Financial Services,

                                      Washington, DC, May 2, 2007.
     Hon. Charles B. Rangel,
     Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, House of 
         Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Charlie: I am writing in response to your letter 
     regarding H.R. 634, the ``American Veterans Disabled for Life 
     Commemorative Coin Act,'' which was introduced in the House 
     and referred to the Committee on Financial Services on 
     January 23, 2007. It is my

[[Page H4975]]

     expectation that this bill will be scheduled for floor 
     consideration in the near future.
       I wish to confirm our mutual understanding on this bill. As 
     you know, section 7 of the bill establishes a surcharge for 
     the sale of commemorative coins that are minted under the 
     bill. I acknowledge your committee's jurisdictional interest 
     in such surcharges as revenue matters. However, I appreciate 
     your willingness to forego committee action on H.R. 634 in 
     order to allow the bill to come to the floor expeditiously. I 
     agree that your decision to forego further action on this 
     bill will not prejudice the Committee on Ways and Means with 
     respect to its jurisdictional prerogatives on this or similar 
     legislation. I would support your request for conferees on 
     those provisions within your jurisdiction should this bill be 
     the subject of a House-Senate conference.
       I will include this exchange of letters in the 
     Congressional Record when this bill is considered by the 
     House. Thank you again for your assistance.
                                                     Barney Frank,
                                                         Chairman.

  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROSKAM. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 634, the 
American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act introduced 
by Mr. Moore and by my colleague from Illinois (Mr. Kirk).
  Madam Speaker, occasionally we disagree on the floor of this great 
Chamber, and we heard some of those disagreements aired a couple of 
minutes ago, but now there can be no disagreement about the goals of 
this legislation, honoring the heroes who have been grievously injured 
in the defense of this country, in defense of liberty, in defense of 
democracy.
  There are plenty of monuments, as well there ought to be, for those 
who gave their lives for those causes, but I know of no monument to 
those who lived, but whose lives were drastically altered, whose bodies 
were broken, but whose spirits are still strong. But now they will have 
their own monument, and it is only right, Madam Speaker.
  This memorial will be for the World War II vet who came back without 
a hand, the Korean War vet who uses a wheelchair, the Vietnam vet who 
uses the white cane of the blind, and for the veterans of the conflicts 
in the gulf, who came back to us forever changed.
  In 2000, Congress approved the building of the American Veterans 
Disabled for Life Memorial. It will be a $65 million privately funded 
memorial just west of the Rayburn Building, across from the Botanic 
Garden and in full view of the Capitol. The Commission of Fine Arts and 
the National Capital Planning Commission approved the conceptual design 
in 2004 and reaffirmed it in 2006.
  The memorial will express our Nation's gratitude to those who paid 
the terrible cost of defending freedom. It represents the values of 
duty, of courage and of sacrifice that are the lifeblood of American 
democracy.
  I urge Members, staff and the rest of the country to look at the Web 
site of the memorial at avdlm.org.
  About half of the money for construction already has been raised, and 
this legislation, through surcharges on the sale of silver one-dollar 
coins to be issued by the U.S. Mint in 2010, could raise another $3.5 
million to be used for construction or to maintain the dramatic 
memorial.
  Madam Speaker, I am glad to be one of more than 300 Members of 
Congress who have cosponsored this bill, which is supported by the VFW, 
the American Legion, the DAV, and thousands of veterans and veteran 
organizations across the Nation who have contributed to the memorial's 
creation.
  Madam Speaker, I ask for the immediate passage of H.R. 634 and urge 
all Members to support it.
  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROSKAM. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Kirk), the sponsor of the bill.
  Mr. KIRK. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, there are over 50 million Americans who have worn our 
country's uniform, and over 20 million are alive today. Among them 
there are 3 million Americans who are disabled from wounds in battle. 
Thanks to advances in military medicine, soldiers who once died of 
their wounds are now surviving and they return from battle with broken 
bodies, but not broken spirits. It is that spirit of men and women that 
we honor today. This Moore-Kirk bill will help raise funds for a 
memorial to disabled American veterans.
  I want to particularly thank my bipartisan partner in this effort, 
Representative Dennis Moore of Kansas. We formed a bond and a 
partnership to pass this bill first authored by Representative Sue 
Kelly of New York. Mr. Moore and I worked many weeks to get over 290 
cosponsors, Republicans and Democrats, to make sure this bill could 
come to the floor.
  In 2000, Congress authorized the construction of the Americans 
Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial just south of the Rayburn Building 
within sight of the U.S. Capitol. Last December, President Bush signed 
into law a bill transferring control of the land for the memorial from 
the District of Columbia to the National Park Service. Now, the 
American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation needs to raise 
approximately $65 million to cover the cost of construction.
  Our bill today will authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to mint 
commemorative silver dollars to be sold with a surcharge that will help 
the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation to raise 
the money it needs for this memorial. Not only will these coins be 
collectors' items, but they will benefit this worthy cause.
  Earlier this year, I had the privilege of meeting with an 
extraordinary young man, Sergeant Bryan Anderson of Rolling Meadows, 
Illinois. Bryan's story is, unfortunately, all too common for our 
soldiers in Iraq, but his spirit is uncommon, and his attitude sets him 
apart from the average person.
  You see, Bryan lost both legs and an arm to a roadside bomb in Iraq. 
He jokes that he would have lost both arms if he hadn't been smoking 
when the bomb detonated. His sense of humor and determination are 
clearly apparent in the interview that he gave to Esquire Magazine in 
January. In it he said, ``This wound does not define me. It may be how 
I look on the outside, but it is not who I am. I guess you could 
remember me easily as being a triple amputee, but that's not who I am. 
It has nothing to do with who I am. I have always been the same 
person.''
  Bryan is a self-described ``adrenalin junkie'' who hopes one day to 
become a Hollywood stuntman. Since his appearances on the cover of 
Esquire, he has had numerous opportunities to use his story for the 
gain of this legislation, often being baited to say if he has any 
political affiliation or asked what he thinks about the war. Each time 
he refuses to take the bait. He says he doesn't want to talk about 
politics. But he is always willing and excited to talk about the 
American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.
  Washington has legions of professional advocates who make a living 
convincing people to see issues from their point of view, but none of 
them compare to Bryan Anderson. With Bryan, what you see is what you 
get, an American veteran with an inspirational story that has dedicated 
a good portion of his life to seeing that this memorial be built, not 
just for himself, but for 3 million disabled American veterans, and for 
everyone to remember the sacrifices that they have made.
  Bryan is a genuine man that you may one day meet. I hope passage of 
this legislation brings us closer to a day when Bryan returns to 
Capitol Hill to see the memorial that he helped to build.
  With more than 3 million disabled American veterans in the United 
States, it is fitting that we construct a memorial in Washington, D.C., 
within sight of this Capitol. It is my hope that my colleagues will 
answer Bryan Anderson's call to action and support this legislation to 
make this memorial a reality.
  With that, I just want to once again thank my colleague from Kansas 
(Mr. Moore) for an outstanding partnership and a great bipartisan 
victory today.
  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I want to again thank my 
colleague from Illinois (Mr. Kirk) for the wonderful display of 
bipartisanship here. I wish we could set an example and hope we set an 
example for all of our colleagues here to work on other matters 
together.

[[Page H4976]]

  Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Stupak).
  Mr. STUPAK. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, let me compliment the sponsors of this bill, Mr. Moore 
from Kansas and Mr. Kirk from Illinois. I am down here on another bill, 
but I felt compelled to say a few words, if I may, on this piece of 
legislation, which really honors American disabled veterans with this 
commemorative coin. This will help us raise the money to build this 
monument, which is long overdue.
  Whether you are talking about my father-in-law, Ken Olsen, up in 
Escanaba, who was disabled in World War II, or the recent disabled 
members of our Armed Forces coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq, I 
think we can all personally relate to different stories.
  Today, Derek Gagne, who spent quite a bit of time at Walter Reed Army 
Hospital, is coming back to the upper peninsula of Michigan, where 
family and friends will be waiting to greet him home. Unfortunately, as 
Derek has left his bed at Walter Reed for an amputation he had to have 
because of injuries sustained in Iraq, unfortunately, that bed is being 
taken by another member from my district who also was wounded in Iraq.
  We talk about our disabled veterans and we honor them throughout our 
time, especially in the summer months through the Memorial Day and 4th 
of July and all the holidays we celebrate in parades and ceremonies 
like that, but it is time that we have the memorial here in Washington, 
so those of us who make decisions on war understand that it is more 
than just sending an army here or there, but that there is consequences 
of it.

                              {time}  1045

  Whether the injury is an amputation or a closed-head injury, which we 
are seeing so much of in the war in Iraq, each and every injury serves 
to remind us of the horrors of war but also that these men and women 
and their families and their spouses deserve our utmost respect.
  So I am very pleased to see this memorial start to take on more and 
more life, to become a reality. And the work of Mr. Moore and Mr. Kirk 
will certainly help bring forth this memorial. I am very honored to not 
only cosponsor H.R. 634, but also to support the American Veterans 
Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act.
  Mr. ROSKAM. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 634, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

                          ____________________