[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6214 Introduced in House (IH)]
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115th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6214
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins in
recognition of Paul Laurence Dunbar.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 25, 2018
Ms. Norton 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 Paul Laurence Dunbar.
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 ``Paul Laurence Dunbar Commemorative
Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that--
(1) Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the first influential
African-American poets in American literature, writing such
classics as ``Majors and Minors'' and ``Lyrics of Lowly Life'',
and composing the lyrics to ``In Dahomey'', the first all-
African-American musical produced on Broadway;
(2) Paul Laurence Dunbar was born June 27, 1872, to freed
slaves Joshua and Matilda Murphy Dunbar;
(3) Paul Laurence Dunbar first published a series of poems
at age 14 in the Dayton Herald;
(4) in 1893, Paul Laurence Dunbar published a series of
poems in a work entitled ``Oak and Ivy'';
(5) by the late 1890s, Paul Laurence Dunbar had become a
prominent author, having had his poems published in such major
national newspapers and magazines as The New York Times;
(6) over his career, Paul Laurence Dunbar went on to
publish more collections of poems, short stories, and novels;
(7) Paul Laurence Dunbar died on February 9, 1906, at 33
years of age;
(8) Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School (hereafter
referred to as Dunbar High School) was established in the
District of Columbia in 1870 as the Preparatory High School for
Colored Youth, and was the first public high school for
African-American students in the country;
(9) the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth was
renamed in 1916 in honor of Paul Laurence Dunbar;
(10) the Dunbar Alumni Federation (hereafter in this Act
referred to as the ``Federation'') was organized in 2002 to
provide scholarships and other financial support to students
and graduates of Dunbar High School;
(11) the Federation promotes and supports scholarship
efforts, along with school and community activities;
(12) the Federation leverages the prestige of Dunbar High
School and its distinguished alumni to enhance the education of
Dunbar High School students;
(13) the Federation promotes Dunbar High School alumni from
more than 35 years of graduating classes through their
scholarship efforts, community activities, and other endeavors
to support Dunbar High School;
(14) the Federation helps finance such student development
activities as the Debate Team, the Band, the Ski Team, the
Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, and athletics;
(15) the Federation funds faculty, staff, and parent
appreciation and development activities; and
(16) the Federation collects and assembles artifacts and
memorabilia from alumni for historical and legacy displays to
chronicle Dunbar High School's rich history.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--In recognition and celebration of Paul Laurence
Dunbar, 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. DESIGN OF COINS.
(a) In General.--The design for the coins minted under this Act
shall be emblematic of Paul Laurence Dunbar.
(b) Designations and Inscriptions.--On each coin minted under this
Act there shall be--
(1) a designation of the denomination of the coin;
(2) an inscription of the year ``2019''; and
(3) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God We
Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E Pluribus Unum''.
(c) Selection.--The design for the coins minted under this Act
shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with--
(A) the Commission of Fine Arts; and
(B) the Federation; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Commemorative Coin 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,
2019.
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 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 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 promptly paid by the Secretary to
the Federation.
(c) Exemption to Commemorative Coin Program Limitations.--This Act
shall--
(1) not be subject to section 5112(m)(1) of title 31,
United States Code; and
(2) not be a ``commemorative coin program'' for purposes of
such section.
(d) Audit.--The recipient described under subsection (b) 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).
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.
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