[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 21 (Thursday, February 11, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S570-S571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SPECTER (for himself and Mr. Casey):
  S. 3009. A bill to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint 
coins in recognition of and to commemorate the 1863 Invasion of 
Pennsylvania, the Battle of Gettysburg, and President Abraham Lincoln's 
Gettysburg Address; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, today, I have sought recognition to offer 
legislation supporting the 150th anniversary of the Battle of 
Gettysburg. This legislation will serve to commemorate three historic 
events in our country: the 1863 Invasion of Pennsylvania, the decisive 
Battle of Gettysburg, and President Lincoln's famous Gettysburg 
Address.
  On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln chose Gettysburg for 
his most famous address because the battle was the turning point of the 
Civil War. The safety and security of Pennsylvania's capital, 
railroads, industries, and citizens were at stake. The resulting Battle 
of Gettysburg was the largest and costliest of the Civil War and of the 
country to date with 51,000 Union and Confederate casualties. Soldiers 
from the U.S. Regular Army and volunteer units from Pennsylvania, 
Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, 
Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, 
Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, 
North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, 
Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin served during this 
campaign and battle. Their sacrifices should not be forgotten.
  This legislation will authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to mint 
and issue commemorative Gettysburg coins in three denominations: $5 
gold, $1 silver, and half-dollar silver. These coins will only be 
distributed during the calendar year of 2013, the 150th anniversary of 
Gettysburg, and will have surcharges of $35, $10, and $5 respectively. 
The revenue generated from these surcharges will be divided between the 
Gettysburg Foundation and the Army Heritage Center Foundation to help 
finance their respective nonprofit programs dedicated to supporting the 
hundreds of thousands of visitors who walk the Gettysburg grounds each 
year and to preserve the memory of those who served and the history 
that they made.
  These two foundations are nongovernmental, member-based, and publicly 
supported nonprofit organizations that are dependent on funds from 
members, donations, and grants for support. The foundations use such 
support to help create and sustain the Gettysburg National Military 
Park and the Army Heritage and Education Center. The Gettysburg 
Foundation is recognized as the official partner of Gettysburg National 
Military Park and the Army Heritage Center Foundation is recognized by 
the Secretary of the Army as the lead agency supporting the development 
of the Army Heritage and Education Center.
  The Gettysburg Act will greatly benefit our nation by preserving this 
historic battle ground for countless visitors from across the nation 
and from around the world. It will help fund battlefield preservation 
and rehabilitation

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projects at Gettysburg National Military Park by restoring 
approximately 27 acres of battlefield to its 1863 appearance. This act 
will help preserve the hallowedness of the ground by relocating 12 
monuments to their original locations, where the veterans themselves 
placed these monuments several generations ago. Visitors to Gettysburg 
will benefit from increased educational programming at both the Army 
Heritage and Education Center and the Gettysburg Battle Visitor Center 
as the act helps facilitate the continued expansion of the Army 
Heritage and Education Center and construction of the Army Heritage 
Museum, both of which are dedicated ``to telling the Army story . . . 
one Soldier at a time.''
  The importance of the 1863 Campaign in Pennsylvania, the Battle of 
Gettysburg, and Lincoln's address stretch well beyond the Commonwealth 
of Pennsylvania and stand as an enduring reminder of how our nation was 
reborn out of the Civil War as a stronger Union more dedicated to its 
ideals of freedom and liberty. I urge each of my colleagues to join 
Senator Casey and myself in supporting this legislation.

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