[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 5, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H3152-H3153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MOTHER'S DAY CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT
Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 2421) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to
mint coins in commemoration of the centennial of the establishment of
Mother's Day, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2421
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 ``Mother's Day Centennial
Commemorative Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress hereby finds as follows:
(1) Anna Jarvis, who is considered to be the founder of the
modern Mother's Day, was born in Webster, West Virginia on
May 1, 1864.
(2) A resident of Grafton, West Virginia, Anna Jarvis
dedicated much of her adult life to honoring her mother, Anna
Reeves Jarvis, who passed on May 9, 1905.
(3) In 1908, the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church of
Grafton, West Virginia, officially proclaimed the third
anniversary of Anna Reeves Jarvis' death to be Mother's Day.
(4) In 1910, West Virginia Governor, William Glasscock,
issued the first Mother's Day Proclamation encouraging all
West Virginians to attend church and wear white carnations.
(5) On May 8, 1914, the Sixty-Third Congress approved H.J.
Res. 263 designating the second Sunday in May to be observed
as Mother's Day and encouraging all Americans to display the
American flag at their homes as a public expression of the
love and reverence for the mothers of our Nation.
(6) On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued a
Presidential Proclamation directing government officials to
display the American flag on all government buildings and
inviting the American people to display the flag at their
homes on the second Sunday of May as a public expression of
the love and reverence for the mothers of our nation.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--The Secretary of the Treasury
(hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'')
shall mint and issue not more than 400,000 $1 coins 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 section 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.--The design of the coins minted
under this Act shall be emblematic of the 100th anniversary
of President Wilson's proclamation designating the second
Sunday in May as Mother's Day.
(b) Designation and Inscriptions.--On each coin minted
under this Act there shall be--
(1) a designation of the value of the coin;
(2) an inscription of the year ``2014''; and
(3) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God We
Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E Pluribus
Unum''.
(c) Selection.--The design for the coins minted under this
Act shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with the
Commission of Fine Arts; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee
established under section 5135 of title 31, United States
Code.
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.
(a) Quality of Coins.--Coins minted under this Act shall be
issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.
(b) Commencement of Issuance.--The Secretary may issue
coins minted under this Act beginning January 1, 2014, except
that the Secretary may initiate sales of such coins, without
issuance, before such date.
(c) Termination of Minting Authority.--No coins shall be
minted under this Act after December 31, 2014.
SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS.
(a) Sale Price.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, the coins issued under this Act shall be sold by the
Secretary at a price equal to the sum of the face value of
the coins, the surcharge required under section 7(a) for the
coins, and the cost of designing and issuing such coins
(including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead
expenses, and marketing).
(b) Bulk Sales.--The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the
coins issued under this Act at a reasonable discount.
(c) Prepaid Orders at a Discount.--
(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) Surcharge Required.--All sales shall include a
surcharge of $10 per coin.
(b) Distribution.--Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31,
United States Code, all surcharges which are received by the
Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall
be promptly paid by the Secretary as follows:
(1) \1/2\ to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure for the
purpose of furthering research funded by the organization.
(2) \1/2\ to the National Osteoporosis Foundation for the
purpose of furthering research funded by the Foundation.
(c) Audits.--The Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the
National Osteoporosis Foundation shall be subject to the
audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United
States Code, with regard to the amounts received by the
respective organizations 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.
SEC. 8. BUDGET COMPLIANCE.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall
be determined by reference to the latest statement titled
``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act,
submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the
Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the House of
Representatives, provided that such statement has been
submitted prior to the vote on passage.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Meeks) and the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may 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
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. MEEKS of New York. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, on Sunday, we will be celebrating Mother's Day. On May
9, 2014, we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the
declaration by President Wilson of having Mother's Day celebrated on
the second Sunday in May.
I speak in strong support of the bill on which Mrs. Capito also
worked and drafted and for which she fought so hard to have a
commemorative coin made for that day in honor of Mother's Day.
As you know, Anna Jarvis, who is considered to be the founder of the
modern Mother's Day, was born in Webster, West Virginia, on May 1,
1864. She loved her mother so much that, when her mother passed, the
Governor of West Virginia and others came around and said, What a great
idea it is to celebrate mothers.
I don't know of a person in this House or in this Nation who does not
appreciate the value of their mothers and the greatness that Mother's
Day represents as it brings us together to celebrate mothers.
What a brilliant idea 100 years ago by the President, in following
the lead of West Virginia, to determine that we are going to have this
day of celebration for mothers. What better thing for us to do than to
have a commemorative coin established, which would also raise money for
two very important organizations.
One half of the profits, which would be received from the surcharge
of $10 per coin, would benefit women's causes, including the Susan G.
Komen for the Cure. This would further research funded by the
organization. The other half of the profits would go to the National
Osteoporosis Foundation for the purpose of further research funded by
that foundation.
So, Madam Speaker, I stand here today in strong support of the
passage
[[Page H3153]]
of the commemorative coin to celebrate the 100th anniversary, the
centennial, of Mother's Day as declared by President Wilson.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. CAPITO. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to thank the gentleman from New York, not only for his support
of this bill but also for his eloquent statement in support, not just
of the coin but of mothers in general. I want to thank him for yielding
time to me.
Madam Speaker, as he said, this Sunday, families across the Nation
will gather to honor their mothers and grandmothers. By the way, I am a
new grandmother. I had to put that in. They will show their gratitude
for the contributions these women have made not only to their immediate
families but also to their communities at large. The tradition of
honoring our mothers on the second Sunday in May goes back almost a
century. It is a very interesting and quite simple history.
The tradition of Mother's Day began in the mountains of Appalachia,
when a woman named Anna Jarvis sought a more formal way to honor her
mother. Her mother's name was Anna Reeves Jarvis, who had passed away
in 1905. Ms. Jarvis, a native of Webster County in the wilds of West
Virginia, began working with the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church of
Grafton, West Virginia, to honor her mother and her mother's
contributions to the community.
In 1908, the church officially proclaimed the third anniversary of
Anna Reeves Jarvis' passing to be Mother's Day, but Anna Jarvis was not
to be deterred. She continued her efforts to honor mothers across the
State of West Virginia. In 1910, she was successful in lobbying and in
encouraging the Governor of West Virginia to issue the first Mother's
Day proclamation, encouraging all West Virginians to attend church and
to wear white carnations in honor of their mothers.
{time} 1230
Ms. Jarvis built upon her success at home and began a nationwide
effort to have Federal recognition of Mother's Day. After 4 years of
hard work and dedication, President Woodrow Wilson issued a
presidential proclamation in 1914 encouraging all Americans to fly the
American flag at their homes on the second Sunday of May as a public
expression of the love and reverence for mothers of our Nation.
West Virginians, we are very proud of our heritage and of the role
that our State played in the creation and founding of Mother's Day.
Last year I introduced this underlying legislation, which calls for
the minting of a commemorative coin in 2014 to honor the centennial of
proclaiming and designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.
This coin will be minted in 2014, and as the gentleman from New York
expressed, the proceeds of the sales of the coin will go to the Susan
G. Komen Foundation and also to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. I
wanted to pick foundations that I knew were dedicated to women's health
so that the money will be used for research and development to help the
mothers of the future cope with the tragic consequences of osteoporosis
or cancer.
As an aside, I would like to wish my mother, Shelley Riley Moore, a
very happy and wonderful Mother's Day this Sunday. She has been a very
special person in my life and in the life of my entire family. And
while that's a personal aside, I know we all feel the same way about
our mothers, and taking the time to tell them. I would encourage
everyone to do that.
I would like to thank the 291 Members of the House who have joined me
in this effort allowing the bill to be considered today. I would
encourage the passage of this bill, and again I would encourage the
recognition of the place that the mothers of America and really across
the world play in the lives of all of us here today.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. MEEKS of New York. Let me again thank the gentlewoman from West
Virginia for her hard work on bringing this bill.
I think there's no more appropriate thing to do than to celebrate
mothers, as we will this Sunday, and celebrate the 100th anniversary of
Mother's Day, as we will in 2014, as well as raising money for those
causes that will help women.
Let me likewise just say that I would not be standing here today in
the well of the House of Representatives if it wasn't for many lessons
that were taught to me by my mother. And though she is no longer with
us, there is not a day that goes by that she is not in my thoughts and
in my heart and I don't hear her.
In closing, I must say on a personal note that I must give a special
thanks to my wife and what she does on a daily basis mothering our
children.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Ways and Means,
Washington, DC, April 29, 2010.
Hon. Barney Frank,
Chairman, Financial Services Committee, Rayburn House Office
Building, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Frank: I am writing regarding H.R. 2421, the
Mother's Day Centennial Commemorative Coin Act.
As you know, the Committee on Ways and Means maintains
jurisdiction over bills that raise revenue. H.R. 2421
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. 2421, and would ask
that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be
included in the record.
Sincerely,
Sander M. Levin,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Financial Services,
Washington, DC, May 3, 2010.
Hon. Sander M. Levin,
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. 2421, the ``Mother's Day Centennial
Commemorative Coin Act,'' which was introduced in the House
and referred to the Committee on Financial Services on May
14, 2009. 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. 2421 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 have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 2421, 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.
____________________