March of Dimes Commemorative Coin Act of 2011- Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 500,000 $1 coins emblematic of the mission and programs of the March of Dimes.
Permits issuance of such coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2014.
Requires all surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of such coins to be promptly paid to the March of Dimes to help finance research, education, and services aimed at improving the health of women, infants, and children.
Subjects the March of Dimes to federal audit requirements.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1935 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1935
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in recognition
and celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the
March of Dimes Foundation.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 1, 2011
Mrs. Hagan (for herself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Kirk, and Mr.
Akaka) 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 recognition
and celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the
March of Dimes Foundation.
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 ``March of Dimes Commemorative Coin
Act of 2011''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) President Franklin Roosevelt's personal struggle with
polio led him to create the National Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis (now known as the March of Dimes) on January 3, 1938,
at a time when polio was on the rise.
(2) The Foundation established patient aid programs and
funded research for polio vaccines developed by Jonas Salk, MD,
and Albert Sabin, MD.
(3) Tested in a massive field trial in 1954 that involved
1.8 million schoolchildren known as ``polio pioneers'', the
Salk vaccine was licensed for use on April 12, 1955 as ``safe,
effective, and potent''. The Salk and Sabin polio vaccines
funded by the March of Dimes ended the polio epidemic in the
United States.
(4) With its original mission accomplished, the Foundation
turned its focus to preventing birth defects, prematurity, and
infant mortality in 1958. The Foundation began to fund research
into the genetic, prenatal, and environmental causes of over
3,000 birth defects.
(5) The Foundation's investment in research has led to 13
scientists winning the Nobel Prize since 1954, including Dr.
James Watson's discovery of the double helix.
(6) Virginia Apgar, MD, creator of the Apgar Score, helped
develop the Foundation's mission for birth defects prevention;
joining the Foundation as the head of its new birth defects
division in 1959.
(7) In the 1960s, the Foundation created over 100 birth
defects treatment centers, and then turned its attention to
assisting in the development of Neonatal Intensive Care Units,
or NICUs.
(8) With March of Dimes support, a Committee on Perinatal
Health released Toward Improving the Outcome of Pregnancy in
1976, which included recommendations that led to the
regionalization of perinatal health care in the United States.
(9) Since 1998, the March of Dimes has advocated for and
witnessed the passage of the Birth Defects Prevention Act,
Children's Health Act, PREEMIE Act, and Newborn Screening Save
Lives Act.
(10) In 2003, the March of Dimes launched a Prematurity
Campaign to increase awareness about and reduce the incidence
of preterm birth, infant mortality, birth defects, and lifelong
disabilities and disorders.
(11) The March of Dimes actively promotes programs for and
funds research into newborn screening, pulmonary surfactant
therapy, maternal nutrition, smoking cessation, folic acid
consumption to prevent neural tube defects, increased access to
maternity care, and similar programs to improve maternal and
infant health.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) $1 Silver Coins.--In recognition and celebration of the
founding and proud service of the March of Dimes, the Secretary of the
Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall
mint and issue not more than 500,000 $1 coins, 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 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 mission and programs of the
March of Dimes, and its distinguished record of generating
Americans' support to protect our children's health.
(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 ``2014''; 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--
(1) contain motifs that represent the past, present, and
future of the March of Dimes and its role as champion for all
babies, such designs to be consistent with the traditions and
heritage of the March of Dimes;
(2) be selected by the Secretary, after consultation with
the March of Dimes and the Commission of Fine Arts; and
(3) be reviewed by the Citizens Coin Advisory Committee.
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE.
(a) Quality of Coins.--Coins minted under this Act shall be issued
in uncirculated and proof qualities.
(b) Mint Facility.--For the coins minted under this Act, at least 1
facility of the United States Mint shall be used to strike proof
quality coins, while at least 1 other such facility shall be used to
strike the uncirculated quality coins.
(c) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary of the Treasury 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, 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 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 promptly paid by the Secretary to
the March of Dimes to help finance research, education, and services
aimed at improving the health of women, infants, and children.
(c) Audits.--The March of Dimes 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 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.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8151)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
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