United States Foreign Service Commemorative Coin Act
This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the United States Foreign Service.
All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins must be paid to the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training to support the collection, curation, and sharing of diplomatic history in the United States via oral history, books, social media, and other means.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 789 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 789
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint a coin in recognition
of the 100th anniversary of the United States Foreign Service and its
contribution to United States diplomacy.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 14, 2023
Mr. Van Hollen (for himself and Mr. Sullivan) 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 a coin in recognition
of the 100th anniversary of the United States Foreign Service and its
contribution to United States diplomacy.
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 ``United States Foreign Service
Commemorative Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) On September 15, 1789, the 1st United States Congress
passed an Act creating the Department of State and appointing
duties to it, including the keeping of the Great Seal of the
United States. Initially there were 2 services devoted to
diplomatic and to consular activity. The Diplomatic Service
provided ambassadors and staff for embassies overseas, while
the Consular Service provided consuls to assist United States
sailors and promote international trade and commerce.
(2) After World War I ended, Congress complemented the
earlier efforts for Civil Service reform, interrupted by World
War I, to create a career, professional diplomatic service.
Representative John Jacob Rogers of Massachusetts introduced
his first Foreign Service reform bill in 1919, followed by
several others. He was strongly supported in his efforts by
Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes. The legislation
provided improvements in the Diplomatic and Consular Services
to attract highly qualified candidates ``by keen competition''.
The objective was to create ``a real diplomatic career, open to
any American citizen who has the necessary qualifications''.
(3) The Act entitled ``An Act for the reorganization and
improvement of the Foreign Service of the United States, and
for other purposes'', approved May 24, 1924 (43 Stat. 140,
chapter 182) (commonly known as the ``Rogers Act of 1924''),
unified the Diplomatic and Consular Services in one career
organization based on competitive examination and merit
promotion. It was named the ``Foreign Service of the United
States of America''. President Calvin Coolidge signed the bill
into law on May 24, 1924. The first class of new Foreign
Service officers was held in 1925.
(4) The Foreign Service of the United States is the primary
United States Federal Government professional cadre of
generalists and specialists charged with the conduct of United
States diplomacy under the aegis of the United States
Department of State. It consists of more than 15,000 career
professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United
States and aiding United States citizens abroad.
(5) In 1946, after World War II, Congress passed the
Foreign Service Act of 1946 (60 Stat. 999, chapter 957) to
update the 1924 Rogers Act.
(6) In 1980, the Congress again updated the Rogers Act,
passing the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3901 et
seq.), to promote the foreign policy of the United States by
strengthening and improving the Foreign Service of the United
States.
(7) Since the creation of the United States Foreign
Service, generations of Foreign Service members and families
have represented the United States around the world, in peace
and war. Over 320 names are inscribed in the memorial plaques
erected by the American Foreign Service Association and located
in the lobby of the Harry S. Truman Building, the headquarters
of the Department of State, to honor ``diplomatic and consular
officers of the United States who while on active duty lost
their lives under heroic or tragic circumstances''.
(8) The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training is
dedicated to capturing, preserving, and sharing the experiences
of United States diplomats. The Association has created,
managed, and maintained a Foreign Affairs Oral History program
consisting of more than 2,600 first-person oral histories of
United States diplomats to capture and share the legacy and
contributions of modern United States diplomacy. The
Association is a nongovernmental, member-based, nonprofit
501(c)(3) organization housed on the campus of the George P.
Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center and dependent
on funds from members, donations, contracts, and grants to
sustain its work.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--In celebration of diplomacy and in recognition
of the 100th anniversary of the United States Foreign Service, 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 of the coins minted under this
Act shall be emblematic of the importance of diplomacy to the
national interest of the United States and of the creation of
the United States Foreign Service and its contributions to
modern diplomacy in the United States.
(2) Designations 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 ``2025''; 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
Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training and the
Commission of 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) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins minted
under this Act only during the 1-year period beginning on January 1,
2025.
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 coins;
(2) $10 per coin for the $1 coins; and
(3) $5 for the half dollar coins.
(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 Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training to support the
collection, curation, and sharing of diplomatic history in the United
States via oral history, books, social media, and other means.
(c) Audits.--The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training
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 (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this
Act). 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 United States Government; and
(2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are
disbursed to the 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, 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 Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
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