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I 109TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3885 To provide for a circulating quarter dollar coin program to honor the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEPTEMBER 22, 2005 Ms. NORTON (for herself, Ms. BORDALLO, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, and Mr. FORTUN˜O) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services A BILL To provide for a circulating quarter dollar coin program to honor the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘District of Columbia 4 and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar 5 Program Act’’. 6 2 •HR 3885 IH SEC. 2. ISSUANCE OF REDESIGNED QUARTER DOLLARS 1 HONORING THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND 2 EACH OF THE TERRITORIES. 3 Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is 4 amended by inserting after subsection (m) the following 5 new subsection: 6 ‘‘(n) REDESIGN AND ISSUANCE OF CIRCULATING 7 QUARTER DOLLAR HONORING THE DISTRICT OF COLUM- 8 BIA AND EACH OF THE TERRITORIES.— 9 ‘‘(1) REDESIGN IN 2009.— 10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the 11 fourth sentence of subsection (d)(1) and sub- 12 section (d)(2) and subject to paragraph (6)(B), 13 quarter dollar coins issued during 2009, shall 14 have designs on the reverse side selected in ac- 15 cordance with this subsection which are em- 16 blematic of the District of Columbia and the 17 territories. 18 ‘‘(B) FLEXIBILITY WITH REGARD TO 19 PLACEMENT OF INSCRIPTIONS.—Notwith- 20 standing subsection (d)(1), the Secretary may 21 select a design for quarter dollars issued during 22 2009 in which— 23 ‘‘(i) the inscription described in the 24 second sentence of subsection (d)(1) ap- 25 3 •HR 3885 IH pears on the reverse side of any such quar- 1 ter dollars; and 2 ‘‘(ii) any inscription described in the 3 third sentence of subsection (d)(1) or the 4 designation of the value of the coin ap- 5 pears on the obverse side of any such quar- 6 ter dollars. 7 ‘‘(2) SINGLE DISTRICT OR TERRITORY DE- 8 SIGN.—The design on the reverse side of each quar- 9 ter dollar issued during 2009 shall be emblematic of 10 one of the following: The District of Columbia, the 11 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American 12 Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the 13 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 14 ‘‘(3) SELECTION OF DESIGN.— 15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each of the 6 designs 16 required under this subsection for quarter dol- 17 lars shall be— 18 ‘‘(i) selected by the Secretary after 19 consultation with— 20 ‘‘(I) the chief executive of the 21 District of Columbia or the territory 22 being honored, or such other officials 23 or group as the chief executive officer 24 of the District of Columbia or the ter- 25 4 •HR 3885 IH ritory may designate for such purpose; 1 and 2 ‘‘(II) the Commission of Fine 3 Arts; and 4 ‘‘(ii) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage 5 Advisory Committee. 6 ‘‘(B) SELECTION AND APPROVAL PROC- 7 ESS.—Designs for quarter dollars may be sub- 8 mitted in accordance with the design selection 9 and approval process developed by the Sec- 10 retary in the sole discretion of the Secretary. 11 ‘‘(C) PARTICIPATION.—The Secretary may 12 include participation by District or territorial 13 officials, artists from the District of Columbia 14 or the territory, engravers of the United States 15 Mint, and members of the general public. 16 ‘‘(D) STANDARDS.—Because it is impor- 17 tant that the Nation’s coinage and currency 18 bear dignified designs of which the citizens of 19 the United States can be proud, the Secretary 20 shall not select any frivolous or inappropriate 21 design for any quarter dollar minted under this 22 subsection. 23 ‘‘(E) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN REP- 24 RESENTATIONS.—No head and shoulders por- 25 5 •HR 3885 IH trait or bust of any person, living or dead, and 1 no portrait of a living person may be included 2 in the design of any quarter dollar under this 3 subsection. 4 ‘‘(4) TREATMENT AS NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For 5 purposes of sections 5134 and 5136, all coins mint- 6 ed under this subsection shall be considered to be 7 numismatic items. 8 ‘‘(5) ISSUANCE.— 9 ‘‘(A) QUALITY OF COINS.—The Secretary 10 may mint and issue such number of quarter 11 dollars of each design selected under paragraph 12 (4) in uncirculated and proof qualities as the 13 Secretary determines to be appropriate. 14 ‘‘(B) SILVER COINS.—Notwithstanding 15 subsection (b), the Secretary may mint and 16 issue such number of quarter dollars of each 17 design selected under paragraph (4) as the Sec- 18 retary determines to be appropriate, with a con- 19 tent of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. 20 ‘‘(C) TIMING AND ORDER OF ISSUANCE.— 21 Coins minted under this subsection honoring 22 the District of Columbia and each of the terri- 23 tories shall be issued in equal sequential inter- 24 vals during 2009 in the following order: the 25 6 •HR 3885 IH District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 1 Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the 2 United States Virgin Islands, and the Common- 3 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 4 ‘‘(6) OTHER PROVISIONS.— 5 ‘‘(A) APPLICATION IN EVENT OF ADMIS- 6 SION AS A STATE.—If the District of Columbia 7 or any territory becomes a State before the end 8 of the 10-year period referred to in subsection 9 (l)(1), subsection (l)(7) shall apply, and this 10 subsection shall not apply, with respect to such 11 State. 12 ‘‘(B) APPLICATION IN EVENT OF INDE- 13 PENDENCE.—If any territory becomes inde- 14 pendent or otherwise ceases to be a territory or 15 possession of the United States before quarter 16 dollars bearing designs which are emblematic of 17 such territory are minted pursuant to this sub- 18 section, this subsection shall cease to apply with 19 respect to such territory. 20 ‘‘(7) TERRITORY DEFINED.—For purposes of 21 this subsection, the term ‘territory’ means the Com- 22 monwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, 23 7 •HR 3885 IH the United States Virgin Islands, and the Common- 1 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.’’. 2 Æ