Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act
This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the legacy of Harriet Tubman as an abolitionist.
The Secretary may issue coins under this bill only during the period of January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022.
All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins must be paid to Project Legacy in Brooklyn, New York, for the purpose of accomplishing and advancing its mission.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5873 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5873
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins in
recognition of the Bicentennial of Harriet Tubman's birth.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 12, 2020
Mr. Meeks (for himself and Mr. Katko) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins in
recognition of the Bicentennial of Harriet Tubman's birth.
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 ``Harriet Tubman Bicentennial
Commemorative Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Harriet Tubman was an abolitionist who guided over 300
people from slavery to freedom in 10 years.
(2) Born on January 29, 1820, Tubman was a notable
abolitionist who not only freed herself, but also freed others
from slavery.
(3) Harriet Ross Tubman, born Araminta ``Minty'' Ross, was
born a slave in the plantation of Edward Brodess in Dorchester
County, Maryland.
(4) With the Underground Railroad System, in the fall of
1849, Tubman escaped from the Poplar Neck Plantation, heading
north to Pennsylvania.
(5) With the passing of the Fugitive Slave Law as part of
the Compromise of 1850, the operations to help enslaved persons
escape became a threat to her life.
(6) Despite the passing of the Compromise of 1850 and the
Fugitive Slave Law, Tubman was not deterred and continued her
work, rerouting the railroad to Canada instead.
(7) Tubman made 13 trips back to Maryland, guiding 300
enslaved persons to freedom in the process.
(8) During the arduous process of helping fugitive enslaved
persons escape through the Underground Railroad System not a
single person succumbed to death under her supervision.
(9) Tubman led an estimated 50 to 60 enslaved persons
towards Canada.
(10) During the year of 1858, Tubman aided John Brown, by
recruiting supporters for the John Brown's Harper's Ferry Raid,
a plan to attack slaveholders in Virginia and Maryland to help
enslaved persons flee and become freedmen.
(11) In the beginning of the Civil War, Tubman served as a
cook and as a nurse in South Carolina and Florida.
(12) Tubman also recruited African-American soldiers to
join the regiment of African-American Soldiers.
(13) Later in recognition for her abilities, Tubman served
as an army scout and spy for Colonel James Montgomery.
(14) Tubman distinguished herself as the first woman to
lead an armed expedition in the Civil War, the Combahee River
Raid, resulting in more than 700 enslaved persons in South
Carolina being freed.
(15) After the Civil War, Tubman frequently sheltered and
fed freed slaves at her home in South Street even though she
had little money herself. She found a means to an end by
selling produce from her garden, taking in donations of food,
loans from friends, and raising pigs in her backyard.
(16) In her retirement, Tubman became active in the women's
suffrage movement, where she attended meetings and gave
speeches in her home State of New York, as well as in Boston
and Washington, DC.
(17) Tubman was an avid advocate for African-American women
and their rights. In 1896, she was invited as a speaker at the
first meeting of the National Association of Colored Women.
(18) Although living in financial insecurity, Tubman gave a
parcel of her land to the African Methodist Episcopal Church,
which eventually became a home for the aged and indigent
colored people. At the time few social services existed for the
elderly.
(19) Escaping slavery; risking everything to save her
family; aiding enslaved persons escape; leading a military
raid; championing the cause of women's suffrage; Harriet Tubman
is an individual that has performed achievements that has had
profound impacts on American history and culture.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--In commemoration of Harriet Tubman, the
Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter referred to in this Act 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) be struck on a planchet having a diameter of
0.850 inches; and
(C) contain at least 90 percent gold.
(2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 400,000 $1 coins, which
shall--
(A) weigh 26.73 grams;
(B) be struck on a planchet having a diameter of
1.500 inches; and
(C) contain at least 90 percent silver.
(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.
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS.
(a) Design Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The designs of the coins minted under this
Act shall be emblematic of the legacy of Harriet Tubman as an
abolitionist. At least one obverse design shall bear the image
of Harriet Tubman.
(2) Designation and inscriptions.--On each coin minted
under this Act, there shall be--
(A) an inscription of Harriet Tubman;
(B) a designation of the value of the coin;
(C) an inscription of the year ``2022''; and
(D) 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
Project Legacy (Brooklyn, NY) and the Commission of the Fine
Arts; 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 under this
Act only during the period beginning on January 1, 2022, and ending on
December 31, 2022.
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 under section 7(a) with respect
to the 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 the
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--
(1) a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coins;
(2) a surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coins; and
(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
Project Legacy (Brooklyn, NY) for the purpose of accomplishing and
advancing its mission.
(c) Audits.--Project Legacy (Brooklyn, NY) 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 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.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
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