[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 10, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5456-S5457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       AMERICAN VETERANS DISABLED FOR LIFE COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 757, H.R. 634.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will state the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 634) to require the Secretary of the Treasury 
     to mint coins in commemoration of veterans who became 
     disabled for life while serving in the Armed Forces of the 
     United States.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs, with an amendment, as follows:
  (Omit the part in boldface brackets and insert the part printed in 
italic.)

                                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 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.]
       (1) Design.--The design of the coins minted under this Act 
     shall be emblematic of the service of our disabled veterans 
     who, having survived the ordeal of war, made enormous 
     personal sacrifices defending the principles of our 
     democracy.
       (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.

[[Page S5457]]

       (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, DC.
       (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.

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee 
amendment be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read the third time 
and passed, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, with no 
intervening action or debate, and that any statements related to the 
bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee amendment was agreed to.
  The bill (H.R. 634), as amended, was ordered to be read a third time, 
was read the third time, and passed.

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