[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 104 (Thursday, July 12, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4980-S4981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Banking
Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2527 and the
Senate proceed to its consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report the bill by title.
The bill clerk read as follows:
A bill (H.R. 2527) to require the Secretary of the Treasury
to mint coins in recognition and celebration of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that a Gillibrand substitute
amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be
read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the
table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related
to the bill be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment (No. 2553) was agreed to, as follows:
(Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `National Baseball Hall of
Fame Commemorative Coin Act'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) On June 12, 1939, the National Baseball Hall of Fame
and Museum opened in Cooperstown, New York. Ty Cobb, Walter
Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, and Honus Wagner
comprised the inaugural class of inductees. This class set
the standard for all future inductees. Since 1939, just one
percent of all Major League Baseball players have earned
induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
(2) The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is
dedicated to preserving history, honoring excellence, and
connecting generations through the rich history of our
national pastime. Baseball has mirrored our Nation's history
since the Civil War, and is now an integral part of our
Nation's heritage.
[[Page S4981]]
(3) The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
chronicles the history of our national pastime and houses the
world's largest collection of baseball artifacts, including
more than 38,000 three dimensional artifacts, 3,000,000
documents, 500,000 photographs, and 12,000 hours of recorded
media. This collection ensures that baseball history and its
unique connection to American history will be preserved and
recounted for future generations.
(4) Since its opening in 1939, more than 14,000,000
baseball fans have visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame
and Museum to learn about the history of our national pastime
and the game's connection to the American experience.
(5) The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an
educational institution, reaching 10,000,000 Americans
annually. Utilizing video conference technology, students and
teachers participate in interactive lessons led by educators
from the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum. These award-
winning educational programs draw upon the wonders of
baseball to reach students in classrooms nationwide. Each
educational program uses baseball as a lens for teaching
young Americans important lessons on an array of topics,
including mathematics, geography, civil rights, women's
history, economics, industrial technology, arts, and
communication.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--In recognition and celebration of the
National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Secretary of the Treasury
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'')
shall mint and issue the following coins:
(1) $5 gold coins.--Not more than 50,000 $5 coins, which
shall--
(A) weigh 8.359 grams;
(B) have diameter of 0.850 inches; and
(C) contain 90 percent gold and 10 percent alloy.
(2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 400,000 $1 coins, which
shall--
(A) weigh 26.73 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
(C) contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.
(3) Half-dollar clad coins.--Not more than 750,000 half-
dollar coins which shall--
(A) weigh 11.34 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and
(C) be minted to the specifications for half-dollar coins
contained in section 5112(b) of title 31, United States Code.
(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.
(d) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that,
to the extent possible without significantly adding to the
purchase price of the coins, the $1 coins and $5 coins minted
under this Act should be produced in a fashion similar to the
2009 International Year of Astronomy coins issued by Monnaie
de Paris, the French Mint, so that the reverse of the coin is
convex to more closely resemble a baseball and the obverse
concave, providing a more dramatic display of the obverse
design chosen pursuant to section 4(c).
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS.
(a) In General.--The design for the coins minted under this
Act shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with--
(A) the National Baseball Hall of Fame;
(B) the Commission of Fine Arts; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory
Committee.
(b) Designations 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 and Approval Process for Obverse Design.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall hold a competition to
determine the design of the common obverse of the coins
minted under this Act, with such design being emblematic of
the game of baseball.
(2) Selection and approval.--Proposals for the design of
coins minted under this Act may be submitted in accordance
with the design selection and approval process developed by
the Secretary in the sole discretion of the Secretary. The
Secretary shall encourage 3-dimensional models to be
submitted as part of the design proposals.
(3) Proposals.--As part of the competition described in
this subsection, the Secretary may accept proposals from
artists, engravers of the United States Mint, and members of
the general public.
(4) Compensation.--The Secretary shall determine
compensation for the winning design under this subsection,
which shall be not less than $5,000. The Secretary shall take
into account this compensation amount when determining the
sale price described in section 6(a).
(d) Reverse Design.--The design on the common reverse of
the coins minted under this Act shall depict a baseball
similar to those used by Major League Baseball.
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.
(a) Quality of Coins.--Coins minted under this Act shall be
issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.
(b) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins
minted under this Act only during the 1-year period beginning
on January 1, 2014.
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(a) with respect to
such coins; and
(3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins (including
labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, winning design
compensation, 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 minted under this Act
shall include a surcharge as follows:
(1) A surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin.
(2) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin.
(3) A surcharge of $5 per coin for the half-dollar 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
promptly paid by the Secretary to the National Baseball Hall
of Fame to help finance its operations.
(c) Audits.--The National Baseball Hall of Fame shall be
subject to the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of
title 31, United States Code, with regard to the amounts
received 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 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. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES.
The Secretary shall take such actions as may be necessary
to ensure that--
(1) minting and issuing coins under this Act will not
result in any net cost to the United States Government; and
(2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are
disbursed to any recipient designated in section 7 until the
total cost of designing and issuing all of the coins
authorized by this Act (including labor, materials, dies, use
of machinery, winning design compensation, overhead expenses,
marketing, and shipping) is recovered by the United States
Treasury, consistent with sections 5112(m) and 5134(f) of
title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 9. 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 amendment was ordered to be engrossed and the bill to be read a
third time.
The bill (H.R. 2527), as amended, was read the third time and passed.
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