[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 30 (Monday, February 25, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H1013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1645
PROVIDING FOR THE CONTINUED MINTING AND ISSUANCE OF CERTAIN $1 COINS IN 
                                  2008

  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 5478) to provide for the continued minting and 
issuance of certain $1 coins in 2008.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5478

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,  That 
     clause (i) of section 5112(n)(1)(B) of title 31, United 
     States Code (as in effect on the day before the date of the 
     enactment of Public Law 110-82) shall continue in effect, 
     notwithstanding the amendment made by section 3 of Public Law 
     110-82, until the effective date of the amendment made by 
     section 2 of such Public Law.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Wisconsin (Ms. Moore) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Wisconsin.


                             General Leave

  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. 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 extraneous material thereon.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5478 corrects an oversight made in the Native 
American $1 Coin Act which passed the House by voice vote on June 12, 
2007, and became public law on September 20, 2007.
  The Native American $1 Coin Act authorized the minting of the 
``Sacagawea Design'' golden dollar coin for circulation beginning in 
January, 2009. In that legislation, we purposely did not require the 
production of 2008 Sacagawea coins for circulation; however, the act 
unintentionally eliminated the Mint's authority to issue ``Sacagawea 
Design'' golden dollars in 2008 for coin collection purposes.
  As a result, many of the standard U.S. Mint products the coin-
collecting public is expecting to order and receive this year, such as 
annual proof and uncirculated sets, will not include a 2008 Sacagawea 
dollar.
  The legislation before us would correct this oversight and 
immediately authorize the continued minting and issuance of 2008 
``Sacagawea Design'' golden dollars for numismatic purposes only. This 
is an important bill for coin collectors nationwide and for the 
popularity of the Sacagawea dollar coin.
  I urge all Members to support its passage.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill before us is truly a technical amendment that 
deals with the Native American $1 coin. It is a good bill for 
collectors. It does no harm to the Nation. It does not cost the 
taxpayers a dime, or in this case, it doesn't cost them a dollar. I 
urge its immediate passage.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill before us is a technical amendment only. When 
the Native American $1 Coin Act passed the House last spring, it was 
envisioned the one-dollar coins with a regularly changed reverse 
celebrating different Native American themes would start being issued 
by the Mint last month--January 2008.
  However, due to the press of other important business, the Senate was 
unable to pass the bill until the end of July and the minor changes 
made there required House approval. The result was that this very 
laudable program did not get to the President's desk until September, 
which triggered language in the text intended to ensure that the U.S. 
Mint had enough time to properly design the first coin, and so the 
program wills start next January instead.
  To avoid having to send the bill back to the Senate again and further 
elongate the timeline, no attempt was made to change language that 
ended the production of the then-current design of the Sacagawea dollar 
coin, so that there would not be two designs co-circulating. That meant 
that the Sacagawea dollar by law cannot be produced this year, for the 
5-10 million U.S. Mint proof sets that otherwise would have contained 
it.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill merely corrects that issue, so that collectors 
will be able to get the last of that design of the dollar coin during 
2008 in their collectible sets. Next year new dollar coins will start 
circulating alongside the Presidential dollars, still bearing the image 
of Sacagawea on the front but once a year having a different reverse 
design representing the contributions of Native Americans to our 
heritage.
  This bill will be good for collectors, will do no harm and will not 
cost the taxpayers a dime--or a dollar. I urge its immediate passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. I have no other speakers, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5478.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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