Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins in commemoration of Mark Twain.
Limits issuance of such coins to calendar year 2016.
Requires specified surcharges in the sale of such coins, which shall be promptly paid, in specified percentages, to: (1) the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, to support restoration of the house and grounds, and ensure continuing growth and innovation in museum programming to research, promote, and educate on the legacy of Mark Twain; (2) the Mark Twain Project at the Bancroft Library of University of California, Berkeley, California, to support programs to study and promote the legacy of Mark Twain; (3) the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College, New York, for the same purposes; and (4) the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, to preserve historical sites relating to Mark Twain and help support study and promote the legacy of Mark Twain.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1929 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1929
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of Mark Twain.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 30, 2011
Mr. Blumenthal (for himself, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Blunt,
Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mrs. Feinstein) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of Mark Twain.
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 ``Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was a
unique American voice whose literary work has had a lasting
effect on the history and culture of the United States.
(2) Mark Twain remains one of the best known Americans in
the world, with over 6,500 editions of his books translated
into 75 languages.
(3) The literary and educational legacy of Mark Twain
remains strong. Nearly every book he wrote is still in print,
including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn, neither of which has gone out of print since
it was first published, more than a century ago.
(4) In the past 2 decades alone, there have been more than
100 books published and more than 250 doctoral dissertations
written on the life and work of Mark Twain.
(5) Even today, people in the United States seek to know
more about the life and work of Mark Twain. People from around
the world and all 50 States visit national historic landmarks
like the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut,
and the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal,
Missouri.
(6) The work of Mark Twain is remembered for addressing the
complex social issues facing the United States at the turn of
the century, including the legacy of the Civil War, race
relations, and the economic inequalities of the so-called
``Gilded Age''.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--The Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in
this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue the
following coins in commemoration of Mark Twain:
(1) $5 gold coins.--Not more than 100,000 $5 coins, which
shall--
(A) weigh 8.359 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and
(C) contain 90 percent gold and 10 percent alloy.
(2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 350,000 $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.
(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 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 life and legacy of Mark Twain.
(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 ``2016''; 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--
(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with the
Commission of Fine Arts and the Board of the Mark Twain House
and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
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 1 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 minted
under this Act only during the 1-year period beginning on January 1,
2016.
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, 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--
(1) $35 per coin for the $5 coin; and
(2) $10 per coin for the $1 coin.
(b) Distribution.--Subject to section 5134(f)(1) 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 as follows:
(1) One-fourth of the surcharges shall be paid to the Mark
Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, to support the
restoration of the Mark Twain house and grounds and to ensure
growth and innovation in museum programming to research,
promote, and educate on the legacy of Mark Twain.
(2) One-fourth of the surcharges shall be paid to the Mark
Twain Project at the Bancroft Library of the University of
California, Berkeley, California, to support programs to study
and promote the legacy of Mark Twain.
(3) One-fourth of the surcharges shall be paid to the
Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College, New York, to
support programs to study and promote the legacy of Mark Twain.
(4) One-fourth of the surcharges shall be paid to the Mark
Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, to
preserve historical sites relating to Mark Twain and to support
programs to study and promote the legacy of Mark Twain.
(c) Audits.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall
have the right to examine such books, records, documents, and other
data of each of the organizations referred to in subsection (b) as may
be related to the expenditures of amounts paid under that subsection.
(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.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
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