Selena Commemorative Coin Act
This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue coins in recognition and celebration of Selena Quintanilla, an award-winning Tejano music artist. All sales of coins issued under this bill must include a surcharge to be paid to the Friends of the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History to support the museum’s general expenses, including costs associated with museum operations and an exhibit on Selena.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8019 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8019
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins in
recognition of Selena Quintanilla.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 16, 2024
Ms. De La Cruz (for herself, Mr. Cloud, Ms. Crockett, and Mr. Weber of
Texas) 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 Selena Quintanilla.
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 ``Selena Commemorative Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Selena Quintanilla, born on April 16, 1971, was a South
Texas music artist who greatly contributed to the rise of
Tejano music and culture across the United States.
(2) She was an extremely talented young artist who started
singing at the age of eight. Her parents took joy in her talent
and had her start performing with her family. The band they
formed was known as Selena y Los Dinos. Selena was just
thirteen years old when she was introduced on the Johnny
Canales Show.
(3) Selena first won the Tejano Music Awards' ``Female
Vocalist of the Year'' in 1986 at the age of fifteen. From 1987
to 1996, she won as ``Female Entertainer of the Year'' every
year, along with other awards such as ``Song of the Year''.
(4) Selena's musical accomplishments are recognized by the
Guinness World Record where she holds the most wins of Female
Entertainer of the Year at the Tejano Music Awards.
(5) Selena's album Selena Live! won a Grammy Award in 1994,
making her the first Tejano artist to win a Grammy. Also in
1994, Texas Monthly named her one of the twenty most
influential Texans.
(6) Selena's fourth album, Amor Prohibido, became the first
Tejano record to peak at number one on the Billboard Top Latin
Albums chart. As of October 2017, it is the fourth best-selling
Latin album of all time in the United States with over 1.2
million copies sold.
(7) Selena's final album, Dreaming of You, was released
after her death in 1995 and was the first Tejano album to debut
atop the United States Billboard 200.
(8) Aside from her musical contributions, Selena also was
passionate about public service. She participated with the
Texas Prevention Partnership, sponsored by the Texas Commission
on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Tour to Schools. She was involved
with the D.A.R.E. program and worked with the Coastal Bend Aids
Foundation. Selena also taped a public service announcement for
the Houston Area Women's Center, a shelter for battered women,
in 1993.
(9) After her untimely death at the age of 23, she was
honored in many ways. Then Texas Governor George W. Bush
proclaimed April 16, 1995, ``Selena Day''.
(10) Selena, a movie about Selena's life, was released in
1997 and starred Jennifer Lopez in the leading role.
(11) The City of Corpus Christi unveiled a life-size bronze
statue of Selena, named ``Mirador de la Flor'', or Overlook of
the Flower, in 1997 to honor Selena Quintanilla-Perez and her
contributions to music and Corpus Christi.
(12) In 2011, the United States Postal Service honored
Selena as a ``Latin Legend'' with the issuance of a memorial
postage stamp.
(13) Selena did not realize all of her dreams, but she
remains a beacon for young Tejanas and Latinas in Texas and the
United States to follow their dreams.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--In recognition and celebration of Selena
Quintanilla, the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act
referred to 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) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and
(C) contain not less than 90 percent gold.
(2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 400,000 $1 coins, which
shall--
(A) weigh 26.73 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
(C) contain not less than 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. DESIGNS OF COINS.
(a) Design Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The designs for the coins minted under
this Act shall be emblematic of Selena Quintanilla and her life
and accomplishments. At least one obverse design shall bear the
image of Selena Quintanilla.
(2) Designation and inscriptions.--On each coin minted
under this Act, there shall be--
(A) a designation of the denomination of the coin;
(B) an inscription of the year ``2029''; and
(C) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God
We Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E
Pluribus Unum''.
(b) Selection.--The designs for the coins minted under this Act
shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary, after consultation with the
Friends of the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History;
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) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins minted
under this Act only during the calendar year beginning on January 1,
2029.
SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS.
(a) Sale Price.--The coins issued under this Act shall be sold by
the Secretary at a price based upon 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 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 minted under this Act shall
include a surcharge as follows:
(1) A surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin.
(2) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin.
(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 paid to the Friends of the Corpus
Christi Museum of Science and History for application to general
expenses associated with the fulfillment of the mission of the Friends
the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, including costs
associated with--
(1) museum operations; and
(2) a Selena exhibit.
(c) Audits.--The Friends of the Corpus Christi Museum of Science
and History 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.
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 Federal Government; and
(2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are
disbursed to any recipient designated in section 7(b) until to
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.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H2459)
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