[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 145 (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H8255-H8258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    WORLD WAR I AMERICAN VETERANS CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT

  Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2366) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins 
in commemoration of the centennial of World War I, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2366

       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 ``World War I American 
     Veterans Centennial Commemorative Coin Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

       (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
       (1) The year 2018 is the 100th anniversary of the signing 
     of the armistice with Germany ending World War I battlefield 
     hostilities.
       (2) On the 6th of April 1917, the United States of America 
     entered World War I by declaring war against Germany.
       (3) Two million American soldiers served overseas during 
     World War I.
       (4) More than four million men and women from the United 
     States served in uniform during World War I.
       (5) The events of 1914 through 1918 shaped the world and 
     the lives of millions of people for decades.

[[Page H8256]]

       (6) Over 9 million soldiers worldwide lost their lives 
     between 1914 and 1918.
       (7) The centennial of America's involvement in World War I 
     offers an opportunity for people in the United States to 
     commemorate the commitment of their predecessors.
       (8) Frank Buckles, the last American veteran from World War 
     I died on February 27, 2011.
       (9) He was our last direct American link to the ``war to 
     end all wars''.
       (10) While other great conflicts, including the Civil War, 
     World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, have all 
     been memorialized on United States commemorative coins, there 
     currently exists no coin to honor the brave veterans of World 
     War I.
       (11) The 112th Congress established the World War I 
     Centennial Commission to plan, develop, and execute programs, 
     projects, and activities to commemorate the centennial of 
     World War I.
       (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to--
       (1) commemorate the centennial of America's involvement in 
     World War I; and
       (2) honor the over 4 million men and women from the United 
     States who served during World War I.

     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 the centennial of America's involvement in 
     World War I, each of which shall--
       (1) weigh 26.73 grams;
       (2) have a diameter of 1.500 inches (38.1 millimeters); 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 centennial of America's 
     involvement in World War I.
       (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 ``2018''; 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 selected by the Secretary based on the winning 
     design from a juried, compensated design competition 
     described under subsection (c).
       (c) Design Competition.--The Secretary shall hold a 
     competition and provide compensation for its winner to design 
     the obverse and reverse of the coins minted under this Act. 
     The competition shall be held in the following manner:
       (1) The competition shall be judged by an expert jury 
     chaired by the Secretary and consisting of 3 members from the 
     Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee who shall be elected by 
     such Committee and 3 members from the Commission of Fine Arts 
     who shall be elected by such Commission.
       (2) The Secretary shall determine compensation for the 
     winning design, which shall be not less than $5,000.
       (3) The Secretary may not accept a design for the 
     competition unless a plaster model accompanies the design.

     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.--Only one facility of the United States 
     Mint may be used to strike any particular quality of the 
     coins minted under this Act.
       (c) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins 
     under this Act only during the calendar year beginning on 
     January 1, 2018.

     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 by 
     the Secretary to the United States Foundation for the 
     Commemoration of the World Wars, to assist the World War I 
     Centennial Commission in commemorating the centenary of World 
     War I.
       (c) Audits.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
     shall have the right to examine such books, records, 
     documents, and other data of the United States Foundation for 
     the Commemoration of the World Wars 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. The Secretary 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, shall be 
     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, 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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Mexico (Mr. Pearce) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Cleaver) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Mexico.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous materials for the Record on H.R. 2366, as 
amended, currently under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Mexico?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, a few short weeks ago, the world marked the 96th 
anniversary of the signing of the peace accords between the Allied 
Forces and Germany that ended what, at the time, was called the Great 
War. Sadly, it was only the first of what we now call World Wars 
because it was followed only two short decades later by the beginning 
of what became known as World War II.
  That anniversary, which America today calls Veterans Day, was, for 
years, called Armistice Day, and it is still called that across Europe. 
Four years from now, November 11, 2018, will mark the signing of that 
armistice. It will be 100 years since the end of that ugly, bloody war 
that ushered in aerial warfare, chemical weapons, tanks, and a host of 
other horrors.
  Mr. Speaker, in the ensuing century we have not managed to move past 
war, and it is well that we remember its costs. For that reason, I rise 
in strong support of this legislation before us, H.R. 2366, introduced 
by the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) along with the gentleman 
from Missouri (Mr. Cleaver).
  The World War I American Veterans Centennial Commemorative Coin Act 
calls for the Treasury Secretary to mint and make available for sale no 
more than 350,000 silver coins in recognition of the centenary of the 
end of that war.
  The veterans of the Great War are long gone, the last having died 
nearly 4 years ago. It is well that we remember, though, that nearly 4 
million Americans, men and women, served in uniform during the First 
World War. Half of them served overseas, and some even volunteered to 
fight for other Allied armies even before the U.S. entered the war in 
April of 1917.
  Of those 4 million veterans, even those who are not students of 
military history know some of the names, such as General John Joseph 
Pershing, known as ``Black Jack'' Pershing, who led the American 
Expeditionary Forces in that war and became the only general of the 
armies promoted to that rank while he was alive.
  Sergeant Alvin York was perhaps the best known and most decorated 
soldier, winning a Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a nest of 
enemy machine guns at the height of the Meuse-Argonne battles in 
France, capturing 32

[[Page H8257]]

of them and 132 enemies while killing 28.
  James Norman Hall, an Iowa youngster, went to France before the U.S. 
entered the war to fly with the American-staffed Lafayette Escadrille 
of the French Air Corps, and later drifted to the South Seas where he 
cowrote the ``Mutiny on the Bounty'' trilogy.
  Mr. Speaker, the coins authorized by this legislation would be sold 
at a price that would recoup all costs to taxpayers. The sale price 
would include a surcharge that, after requirements for raising private 
matching funds are met, would support the work of the World War I 
Centennial Commission established by the 111th Congress to plan and 
execute activities marking the centennial of the war.
  This legislation currently has 302 cosponsors, and a companion bill 
introduced by Senator Blunt has 72.
  Mr. Speaker, while not celebrating this or any other war, I urge 
Members to soberly reflect on the horrors and tragedy of this first 
global conflict and to support this legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2366, the World War I 
American Veterans Centennial Commemorative Coin Act, introduced by 
Representative Doug Lamborn of Colorado's Fifth Congressional District, 
and seek its immediate passage.
  Mr. Speaker, as you may know, this summer marked the 100th 
anniversary of the start of World War I. The United States formally 
joined the war in April of 1917. During that time, more than 4.7 
million Americans served, and of those brave men and women, more than 
116,000 soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice.
  While other great conflicts, including the Civil War, World War II, 
the Korean war, and the Vietnam war, have all been memorialized on 
United States commemorative coins, there currently exists no coin to 
honor the brave veterans of World War I. This bill would honor their 
service by directing the Secretary of the Treasury to, number one, hold 
a competition to design the coins and, number two, mint and issue $1 
silver coins in commemoration of the centennial of America's 
involvement in World War I.
  The sale of the coins will assist the World War I Centennial 
Commission in raising funds that will be utilized in commemorating U.S. 
involvement in the Great War and educating a new generation of 
Americans about the role the United States assumed in that war.
  I am also pleased to report that the passage of this bill entails no 
net cost to taxpayers.
  I would urge my colleagues to join me in passing this commonsense, 
bipartisan bill without further delay.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn).
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague 
from the State of New Mexico for his leadership.
  I rise in support of H.R. 2366, which I introduced with the help of 
my colleague, Representative Emanuel Cleaver, which would require the 
Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the 
centennial of World War I.
  The year 2018 will be the 100th anniversary of the signing of the 
armistice with Germany, marking the end of battlefield hostilities in 
World War I. During the war, more than 4 million men and women from the 
United States served in uniform, and more than 100,000 gave their 
lives.
  To honor their service and sacrifices, Congress created the World War 
I Centennial Commission in 2013 and tasked them with planning and 
executing activities to commemorate the centennial of World War I 
through the use of private donations and coin sales.
  By requiring the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins to 
commemorate this centennial, this bill would allow us to honor the 
memory, service, and sacrifices of the brave veterans of World War I, 
while also providing the means to pay tribute to the end of World War I 
battlefield hostilities.
  Other great conflicts, including the Civil War, World War II, the 
Korean war, and the Vietnam war, have all been memorialized on United 
States commemorative coins, but no such honor has been extended to the 
brave veterans of World War I. This year, 2014, as has been said, is 
the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, making it a very 
fitting tribute that we pass the measure for this year.
  It is my pleasure to offer H.R. 2366. I am grateful for the 
opportunity to work with both Representative Emanuel Cleaver and 
Senator Roy Blunt on this important bill. Together, we have gathered 
300 cosponsors in the House for this patriotic bill. It will not cost 
the U.S. Treasury anything, as has been said, but, on a voluntary 
basis, will actually raise money.
  It is no coincidence that Representatives and Senators from the State 
of Missouri are helping on this effort. There is a wonderful memorial 
to World War I in Kansas City, Missouri, with an adjoining museum that 
is a world-class museum. For those who haven't had the opportunity to 
visit that museum and learn about this chapter in our Nation's history, 
I would strongly urge them to do so.
  I thank Chairman Hensarling and the Financial Services Committee for 
their support of this legislation, and I ask my colleagues to join me 
in honoring the brave veterans of World War I by supporting this bill.
  Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas, Judge Poe.

                              {time}  1515

  Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the gentleman from New Mexico.
  Mr. Speaker, it was called the ``War to End All Wars.'' It began 100 
years ago, and after 3 years, World War I was a bloody stalemate.
  Then the American doughboys entered the bloody trenches of Europe, 
and the tenacious teenagers went over there to a land they had never 
seen fighting for people they did not know. But soon after, the war 
turned in the favor of the Allies, and the war was over.
  Allied victory was declared in 1918. Millions and millions of people 
throughout the world had died. 116,000 Americans died. Many more 
thousands died when they came back to America from the Spanish flu that 
they got while they were overseas.
  The last surviving World War I veteran was Frank Buckles. This is a 
photograph of him shortly before his death. I got to know Frank Buckles 
before he died at the age of 110. Like I said, he was the last 
surviving World War I veteran from America.
  He lied to get into the United States Army. He was probably 15. He 
convinced some Army recruiter that he was 21, and they signed him up. 
He served in World War I.
  After World War I was over with, World War II started, and he found 
himself in the Philippines. He was captured by the Japanese and put in 
a prisoner-of-war camp until World War II was over.
  But he came to the United States Capitol and met with many Members of 
the House and Senate for the sole purpose of making sure that those 
doughboys he fought with and who died were remembered by the United 
States Congress. His dying wish was that those he served with would be 
honored by the House of Representatives and the Senate.
  The proceeds from the sale of the coins will be used for the World 
War I Commission to help commemorate the sacrifices of those warriors. 
I was privileged to be appointed as an original member of the World War 
I Commission and still serve on the World War I Foundation.
  I want to thank Congressman Cleaver from Missouri for all the work he 
has done to remember those doughboys, not only in this specific bill of 
getting this coin act passed but the original commission that he worked 
on to make sure that we, as an American Nation, remembered them.
  I appreciate the work that the gentleman does in Kansas City with the 
first-class memorial that we have to honor those World War I veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, all those that served, every one of them that served in 
World War I, they are all gone. There are none left. Frank Buckles was 
the last one.
  But the United States World War I Commission will make sure we 
Americans remember and honor them, for the

[[Page H8258]]

worst casualty of war is to be forgotten.
  And that is just the way it is.
  Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of the time.
  First of all, thanks to Mr. Cleaver and Mr. Lamborn for bringing this 
bill to the floor today. Thanks for your dedicated work on that.
  Thanks to Mr. Poe. Around here we just simply know him as ``Judge,'' 
but thanks for his poignant comments.
  As a Vietnam veteran returning to the United States in the 1973 era, 
I found a Nation that was disrespectful to young men and women who had 
served, myself included. I took my uniform off and put it in a closet, 
never to pull it out until I ran for Congress and people began to ask 
why I didn't tell about the military story.
  That is a condition and a mindset that no matter how you are 
registered, no matter what culture you are in, what race, what 
religion, we must never let this happen again. We must be willing to 
sacrifice for those who have sacrificed for us and those who have been 
willing to make the sacrifice.
  My grandfather was in World War I. As I was approaching my time to go 
to Vietnam, he visited with me about being in the Argonne Forest and 
about being gassed there. It left him with a lung condition and frailty 
throughout the rest of his life. But he never was sorry for serving, 
never was sorry for those things that had happened to him.
  It is young men and women who are willing to do anything for others' 
freedom that we are honoring here today. And again, I would urge all to 
support this legislation. It is a noble concept and a noble tradition 
of remembering those who have served this country in the military.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2366, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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