[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 10, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H5167-H5170]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   NATIONAL INFANTRY MUSEUM AND SOLDIER CENTER COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT

  Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3229) to require the Secretary of the 
Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the legacy of the United 
States Army Infantry and the establishment of the National Infantry 
Museum and Soldier Center, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3229

       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 Infantry Museum and 
     Soldier Center Commemorative Coin Act''.

     SEC. 2. 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 the legacy of the United State Army Infantry 
     and the establishment of the National

[[Page H5168]]

     Infantry Museum and Soldier Center, 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. 3. DESIGN OF COINS.

       (a) Design Requirements.--
       (1) In general.--The design of the coins minted under this 
     Act shall be emblematic of the courage, pride, sacrifice, 
     sense of duty, and history of the United States Infantry.
       (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 ``2012''; 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 
     National Infantry Foundation and the Commission of Fine Arts; 
     and
       (2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

     SEC. 4. 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, 2012.

     SEC. 5. 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 6 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. 6. 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 National Infantry Foundation for the purpose of 
     establishing an endowment to support the maintenance of the 
     National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center following its 
     completion.
       (c) Audits.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
     shall have the right to examine such books, records, 
     documents, and other data of the National Infantry 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 
Tennessee (Mr. Lincoln Davis) and the gentlewoman from West Virginia 
(Mrs. Capito) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to advise 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 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  The oldest and largest branch of the U.S. Army, the U.S. Army 
infantry, was established on June 14, 1775, when the Continental 
Congress ordered the formation of 10 companies of riflemen. The 
riflemen comprised the first armed force of a new Nation, a Nation 
destined to become the greatest democracy the world has ever known. 
Since that time, the infantry has gone where other forces could not go 
and accomplished missions others could not attempt.
  The story of the Queen of Battle has been written by individual 
infantrymen who have done their duty with pride, courage and honor. 
Their suffering and sacrifices won our freedom, preserved that freedom 
for over two centuries and will guarantee it in the future. Some were 
called heroes, some were not, but they were all members of a band of 
brothers who fought for their country in the cause of freedom.
  For more than two centuries the United States infantry has fought 
alongside other armed forces to protect their freedom. Their missions 
have sent them around the world and literally brought them face-to-face 
with the enemy.
  From the Siege of Boston of 1775 to San Juan Hill, to the Battle of 
New Orleans, to the Argonne Forest, where Sergeant York distinguished 
himself, to the beaches of Normandy, they hunted the enemy in the Shau 
Valley, parachuted into Panama, and currently subdue our enemies on 
cold mountainside and hot desert sands in both Iraq and Afghanistan. 
When policymakers finished talking, when debate has ceased, when 
negotiations have failed and orders are given, it becomes the mission 
of the United States infantry to execute our national policy.
  Their courage, pride and sense of beauty to country and each other 
stood tall above any fear they faced. But the battle for our freedom 
has been costly. As many as 80 percent of all the servicemen and women 
who have died serving their country were part of the infantry.
  To honor the infantry's decorated history, the National Infantry 
Foundation, in coordination with the United States Army, have broken 
ground on a new world-class museum honoring them. Located on a 200-acre 
site of Fort Benning, Georgia, the National Infantry Museum will serve 
as a tribute to the infantry's legacy of valor and sacrifice. This 
museum will honor these soldiers for their selfless service to our 
country, while also preserving for all time the artifacts so poignantly 
telling their stories.
  It will tell the story of our ground soldiers, from the colonial 
period to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lessons of the past will be retold 
to help lead us in the future.
  Our children must learn and know that there are values and beliefs 
worth living for and worth dying for, that the freedom and liberty we 
enjoy today has come at a high price, and that the American values of 
patriotism, duty, courage and leadership are the hallmarks of the 
infantry and must be preserved.
  With 290 cosponsors, this bipartisan legislation honors the legacy of 
the United States infantry with the minting of the infantry coin. Money 
raised from the sale of the coins will go towards maintaining the 
National Infantry Museum.
  I applaud the efforts of the National Infantry Foundation, its rich 
history deserves to be kept alive for all who follow. These heroes are 
perhaps too humble to tell their own story, so we will have to do it 
for them.
  I thank the gentleman from Georgia for authoring this legislation, 
and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3229, the 
National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center Commemorative Coin Act 
sponsored by our colleague from Georgia, Representative Westmoreland, 
and urge its immediate passage.
  This legislation, as we have heard, authorizes the minting and sale 
of up to 350,000 silver $1 coins in the year 2012, with surcharges on 
the sale of the coin going to fund work on the National Infantry Museum 
and Soldier Center being built in Patriot Park at Fort Benning near 
Columbus, Georgia.

[[Page H5169]]

  The new National Infantry Museum will honor the legacy of the United 
States infantry on a 200-acre site that links Columbus, Georgia, with 
Fort Benning, the home of the infantry. The museum's galleries will 
trace infantry history from colonial times to the present and be 
designed to attract and educate all segments of the population with 
interactive learning, opportunities, high-tech classrooms, theatres and 
dramatic venues for sacred ceremonies.
  An active education program will make the venue a must-see attraction 
for school groups and students of all ages. The focus of the 
educational effort will be to teach history, as the history of the 
United States Army Infantry parallels the history and growth of our 
country. Additional instruction will focus on leadership skills and the 
Army values of loyalty, duty, selfless service, respect, honor, 
integrity and personal courage. Research done by an internationally 
known museum planning firm estimates annual visitation of up to 
400,000, which will make it one of Georgia's top tourist attractions.
  In addition to the museum, there will be a 7-acre parade field for 
infantry and basic training graduations and change-of-command 
ceremonies. A Walk of Honor flanked by gardens and memorials will lead 
visitors to the museum and a recreated World War II-era Company Street, 
featuring the headquarters and sleeping quarters used by General George 
S. Patton in 1941 will take visitors back to the scenes of our 
country's largest wartime buildup. The facility will include a 3-D IMAX 
theater restaurant and museum store.
  Visitors to this museum that is scheduled to open in just over a year 
will meet the infantryman face-to-face and join him on his journey. 
They will come to understand why an infantryman does what he does, why 
he puts himself in harm's way in defense of an idea. Surcharges on the 
sale of these coins will raise funds for a long-term endowment to 
ensure the maintenance of this important facility.
  The infantryman is historic, and it is a heroic idea to build this 
museum to the infantry. I urge passage of this legislation, commend my 
colleague for offering it, and reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Bishop) such time as he may consume.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleague from Georgia (Mr. 
Westmoreland) and 288 other bipartisan cosponsors in support of H.R. 
3229, the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center Commemorative 
Coin Act.
  In the history of organized military operations, the infantry 
occupies a unique place of honor. Life as an infantryman is a constant 
barrage of exercise and training often in brutal situations that 
simulate combat zone operations.
  Due to the very nature of an infantry position of work with arms, 
bombs, and physical stress, casualties occur in both war and peacetime 
situations. The infantry is the main combatant in war. It fights the 
battle at the root and cuts off the enemy at the knee. It is at once 
the most fearless, courageous, noble, intelligent and selfless branch 
of the military.

                              {time}  1645

  From crossing the ice-filled Delaware River to walking the streets of 
Baghdad, it is the infantryman who is willing to pay the ultimate price 
to protect American freedoms.
  I am proud to represent ``The Home of the Infantry,'' Fort Benning, 
here in Congress, and I am humbled and honored to be a cosponsor of 
this legislation. A great nation is measured in part by how it 
remembers those who defended, preserved, and contributed to its 
heritage. The United States Army Infantry has contributed greatly over 
the years at a tremendous human cost, and it is incumbent upon those of 
us serving in Congress to pay tribute to their sacrifices.
  The minting of the infantry coin will not cost the taxpayers any 
money and the sale of the coins will completely cover the cost of the 
minting. The mint will actually receive a small profit from every coin 
that is sold. Money raised from the sale of the coins will help make 
sure that the National Infantry Museum located at Fort Benning will 
always be the keeper of the history, artifacts, and memories of our 
brave Army Infantry.
  The National Infantry Museum sits on a 200-acre site that will serve 
as a tribute to the infantry's legacy of valor and sacrifice, and will 
also serve as a functional area for basic training graduations and 
other special and community events. The museum will honor infantry 
soldiers for their selfless service to our country while also 
preserving for all time the history that so poignantly tells their 
stories.
  I want to thank Major General (Retired) Jerry White and Colonel 
(Retired) Greg Camp for their years of hard work and dedication in 
making the National Infantry Museum a reality. In addition, I would 
like to thank Congressman Lynn Westmoreland as well as Edward Jones 
from Congressman Westmoreland's office, and Jonathan Halpern and Ed 
Larkin from my staff for their steadfast efforts on this project.
  I urge my colleagues to please join me in supporting this legislation 
and in supporting our proud Army Infantry.
  I urge the adoption of this legislation.
  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
Westmoreland).
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. It is my honor to be here today, and I do want to 
thank my colleague, Sanford Bishop, for his hard work and helping me 
get the required number of signatures to get this commemorative coin, 
and anybody who has ever done that knows what a challenge it is to get 
the number of signatures required. I want to thank him and his staff; 
and also Edward Jones from my staff for all of their hard work and 
dedication that we have had over the months trying to get the requisite 
number of signatures.
  For more than 200 years the United States Infantry has sought to 
protect our freedom. H.R. 3229 will honor the legacy of the United 
States Infantry with the minting of a commemorative coin. Eighty 
percent, as has been mentioned before here today, of American 
casualties are young men and women who have lost their life in battle 
were members of the infantry.
  The Infantry Museum Foundation, in coordination with the United 
States Army, have already broken ground on this new National Infantry 
Museum. It has been my honor to visit it, and with General White walk 
through the street, the World War II street, to see the buildings that 
will afford our young men and women an opportunity to see what Army 
life was like during World War II. It also has the parade field which 
is now under construction, and will be a place where many ceremonies in 
the future will be held. Also, this building is going to be a green 
building. It is high tech. There is geothermal heating and cooling in 
the building. And as Mrs. Capito mentioned, a professional museum 
planner has worked very hard on this.
  I would like to tell one story General White told me. In doing some 
of the exhibits, they have one exhibit where paratroopers are flying on 
a plane to jump out, and the architect of this one ride told General 
White, ``I don't know how we are doing on this. A lot of the people who 
are testing it are getting motion sickness, almost to a point of losing 
their lunch.''
  And General White said, ``Then you're almost there.''
  This museum is going to be a place where people can go in and feel 
the sense of battle that these young men and women feel.
  And as you know, Fort Benning is the place where about 80 percent of 
our young men and women go that are going into harm's way in Iraq and 
Afghanistan and other places that we may send them, and it will give a 
great opportunity for them to go and see some of the legacy that has 
come before them and also give their families a chance to visit this 
great facility.
  So it is with great honor that I introduce this bill, and I want to 
thank all of the cosponsors of this bill. It was amazing the number of 
people that I would go up to and ask to sign this legislation that 
said, you know, I spent 3 months of my life at Fort Benning going 
through my military boot camp; and so I hope that when this thing is 
open next year, that these Members that have gone through there and 
experienced that type of military life will

[[Page H5170]]

come down and join us in a grand opening.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to please support this 
resolution.
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
3229, and would like to commend my good friend from Georgia, 
Congressman Lynn Westmoreland, for offering it.
  The bill before us today will allow coins to be issued in support of 
the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center during the year 2012. 
The coins will be emblematic of the courage, pride, sacrifice, sense of 
duty, and history of the infantry, and the proceeds received from 
issuance of the coin will be used to establish an endowment to support 
the maintenance of the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center.
  Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the House Armed Services Committee who 
previously had Ft. Benning--the Home of the Infantry--in my district, I 
have long supported the efforts of the National Infantry Foundation to 
establish the new National Infantry Museum and wholeheartedly support 
the issuance of this coin in support of the museum.
  The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center at Patriot Park will 
honor the 233-year heritage of the Army's largest branch, the infantry. 
This museum will be instrumental in helping to educate future 
generations about the vital role of the infantry in the history of our 
Nation. Furthermore, this building will honor the men and women who 
serve in and support the infantry, and preserve the infantry's legacy 
of service.
  This legacy of service is indeed quite remarkable, Mr. Speaker. The 
first successful and systematic training of the U.S. infantry can be 
tracked back to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in 1778. It was not until 
1826 that a formal post for infantry training was established, and over 
the course of history, the Infantry School has existed at the Jefferson 
Barracks in Missouri, Ft. Leavenworth in Kansas, in Monterrey, 
California, at Ft. Sill in Oklahoma, and at Fort Benning--the ``Home of 
the Infantry''--since 1918. Through the years the Infantry School at 
Ft. Benning has gradually emerged as the most influential infantry 
center in the modern world. The school has either trained in its 
officer courses or honed in its command structure some of the Nation's 
most prominent military figures, including five-star generals Omar 
Bradley, Dwight Eisenhower, and George Marshall, as well as George 
Patton and Colin Powell. And, Mr. Speaker, over the course of American 
history, nearly 80 percent of all servicemen and women who have died 
serving our Nation were part of the infantry.
  This museum has one mission, Mr. Speaker: to honor the infantryman 
and his more than two centuries of proud service to our great Nation. 
This coin will support this mission.
  I ask all of my colleagues to join me in support of this bill.
  Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following 
correspondence:

                                         House of Representatives,


                                  Committee on Ways and Means,

                                     Washington, DC, May 22, 2008.
     Hon. Barney Frank,
     Chairman, Financial Services Committee, Rayburn House Office 
         Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Frank: I am writing regarding H.R. 3229, the 
     ``National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center Commemorative 
     Coin Act.''
       As you know, the Committee on Ways and Means maintains 
     jurisdiction over bills that raise revenue. H.R. 3229 
     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. 3229, 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 21, 2008.
     Hon. Charles B. Rangel,
     Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, House of 
         Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing in response to your letter 
     regarding H.R. 3229, the ``National Infantry Museum and 
     Soldier Center Commemorative Coin Act,'' which was introduced 
     in the House and referred to the Committee on Financial 
     Services on July 30, 2007. It is my understanding that this 
     bill will be scheduled for Floor consideration shortly.
       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. 3229 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.

  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge passage 
of the resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I encourage passage of 
the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Lincoln Davis) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3229, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________