[109th Congress Public Law 146]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


[DOCID: f:publ146.109]

[[Page 2675]]

     LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DESEGREGATION 50TH ANNIVERSARY 
                         COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT

[[Page 119 STAT. 2676]]

Public Law 109-146
109th Congress

                                 An Act


 
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration 
of the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of the Little Rock Central 
          High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, and for other 
            purposes. <<NOTE: Dec. 22, 2005 -  [H.R. 358]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Little Rock 
Central High School Desegregation 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin 
Act. 31 USC 5112 note.>> 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Little Rock Central High School 
Desegregation 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) September 2007, marks the 50th anniversary of the 
        desegregation of Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, 
        Arkansas.
            (2) In 1957, Little Rock Central High was the site of the 
        first major national test for the implementation of the historic 
        decision of the United States Supreme Court in Brown, et al. v. 
        Board of Education of Topeka, et al., 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
            (3) The courage of the ``Little Rock Nine'' (Ernest Green, 
        Elizabeth Eckford, Melba Pattillo, Jefferson Thomas, Carlotta 
        Walls, Terrence Roberts, Gloria Ray, Thelma Mothershed, and 
        Minnijean Brown) who stood in the face of violence, was 
        influential to the Civil Rights movement and changed American 
        history by providing an example on which to build greater 
        equality.
            (4) The desegregation of Little Rock Central High by the 9 
        African American students was recognized by Dr. Martin Luther 
        King, Jr. as such a significant event in the struggle for civil 
        rights that in May 1958, he attended the graduation of the first 
        African American from Little Rock Central High School.
            (5) A commemorative coin will bring national and 
        international attention to the lasting legacy of this important 
        event.

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 500,000 $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.

[[Page 119 STAT. 2677]]

    (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 desegregation of the Little Rock Central 
High School and its contribution to civil rights in America.
    (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 ``2007''; 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, 2007, 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, 2007.

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, and subsection (d), all surcharges which are received by 
the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be 
promptly paid by the Secretary to the Secretary of the

[[Page 119 STAT. 2678]]

Interior for the protection, preservation, and interpretation of 
resources and stories associated with Little Rock Central High School 
National Historic Site, including the following:
            (1) Site improvements at Little Rock Central High School 
        National Historic Site.
            (2) Development of interpretive and education programs and 
        historic preservation projects.
            (3) Establishment of cooperative agreements to preserve or 
        restore the historic character of the Park Street and Daisy L. 
        Gatson Bates Drive corridors adjacent to the site.

    (c) 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.
    (d) Creditable Funds.--Notwithstanding any other provision of the 
law and recognizing the unique partnership nature of the Department of 
the Interior and the Little Rock School District at the Little Rock 
Central High School National Historic Site and the significant 
contributions made by the Little Rock School District to preserve and 
maintain the historic character of the high school, any non-Federal 
funds expended by the school district (regardless of the source of the 
funds) for improvements at the Little Rock Central High School National 
Historic Site, to the extent such funds were used for the purposes 
described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (b), shall be 
deemed to meet the requirement of funds from private sources of section 
5134(f)(1)(A)(ii) of title 31, United States Code, with respect to the 
Secretary of the Interior.

    Approved December 22, 2005.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 358:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 109-134, Pt. 1 (Comm. on Financial Services).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 151 (2005):
            June 27, considered and passed House.
            Nov. 18, considered and passed Senate, amended.
            Dec. 18, House concurred in Senate amendment.

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