S 3214
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3214
To provide for a program for circulating quarter dollar coins
that are emblematic of a national park or other national site in each
State, the District of Columbia, and each territory of the United States,
and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 26, 2008
Mr. BARRASSO introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
A BILL
To provide for a program for circulating quarter dollar coins
that are emblematic of a national park or other national site in each
State, the District of Columbia, and each territory of the United States,
and for other purposes.
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 `America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter
Dollar Coin Act of 2008'.
TITLE I--NATIONAL SITE QUARTER DOLLARS
SEC. 101. ISSUANCE OF REDESIGNED QUARTER DOLLARS EMBLEMATIC OF NATIONAL
PARKS OR OTHER NATIONAL SITES IN EACH STATE, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,
AND EACH TERRITORY.
Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (r) (as added by section 622 of the
Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2008
(Public Law 110-161; 121 Stat. 2016)) as subsection (s); and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
`(t) Redesign and Issuance of Quarter Dollars Emblematic of National
Sites in Each State, the District of Columbia, and Each Territory-
`(1) REDESIGN BEGINNING UPON COMPLETION OF PRIOR PROGRAM-
`(A) IN GENERAL- Notwithstanding the fourth sentence of subsection
(d)(1) and subsection (d)(2), quarter dollars issued beginning in
2010 shall have designs on the reverse selected in accordance with
this subsection which are emblematic of the national sites in the
States, the District of Columbia and the territories of the United
States.
`(B) FLEXIBILITY WITH REGARD TO PLACEMENT OF INSCRIPTIONS- Notwithstanding
subsection (d)(1), the Secretary may select a design for quarter
dollars referred to in subparagraph (A) in which--
`(i) the inscription described in the second sentence of subsection
(d)(1) appears on the reverse side of any such quarter dollars;
and
`(ii) any inscription described in the third sentence of subsection
(d)(1) or the designation of the value of the coin appears on
the obverse side of any such quarter dollars.
`(C) INCLUSION OF DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND TERRITORIES- For purposes
of this subsection, the term `State' has the same meaning as in
section 3(a) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813(a)).
`(2) SINGLE SITE IN EACH STATE- The design on the reverse side of
each quarter dollar issued during the period of issuance under this
subsection shall be emblematic of one national site in each State.
`(3) SELECTION OF SITE AND DESIGN-
`(i) IN GENERAL- The selection of a national park or other national
site in each State to be honored with a coin under this subsection
shall be made by the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation
with the Secretary of the Interior and the governor or other chief
executive of each State with respect to which a coin is to be
issued under this subsection, and after giving full and thoughtful
consideration to national sites that are not under the jurisdiction
of the Secretary of the Interior so that the national site chosen
for each State shall be the most appropriate in terms of natural
or historic significance.
`(ii) TIMING- The selection process under clause (i) shall be
completed before the end of the 270-day period beginning on the
date of the enactment of the America's Beautiful National Parks
Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008.
`(B) DESIGN- Each of the designs required under this subsection
for quarter dollars shall be--
`(i) selected by the Secretary after consultation with--
`(I) the Secretary of the Interior;
`(II) the Secretary of Agriculture for national sites within
the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture; and
`(III) the Commission of Fine Arts; and
`(ii) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
`(C) SELECTION AND APPROVAL PROCESS- Recommendations for site selections
and designs for quarter dollars may be submitted in accordance with
the site and design selection and approval process developed by
the Secretary in the sole discretion of the Secretary.
`(D) PARTICIPATION IN DESIGN- The Secretary may include participation
by officials of the State, artists from the State, engravers of
the United States Mint, and members of the general public.
`(E) STANDARDS- Because it is important that the Nation's coinage
and currency bear dignified designs of which the citizens of the
United States can be proud, the Secretary shall not select any frivolous
or inappropriate design for any quarter dollar minted under this
subsection.
`(F) PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN REPRESENTATIONS- No head and shoulders
portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, no portrait of a
living person, and no outline or map of a State may be included
in the design on the reverse of any quarter dollar under this subsection.
`(A) YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK- Since Yellowstone National Park
was established by an Act signed by President Ulysses S. Grant on
March 1, 1872, as the Nation's first National Park, Yellowstone
National Park shall be--
`(i) depicted on the first quarter dollar issued; and
`(ii) designated to the State of Wyoming.
`(B) ORDER OF ISSUANCE- Subject to subparagraph (A), the quarter
dollar coins issued under this subsection bearing designs of national
sites shall be issued in the order in which the sites selected under
paragraph (3) were first established as a national site.
`(C) RATE OF ISSUANCE- The quarter dollar coins bearing designs
of national sites under this subsection shall be issued at the rate
of 5 new designs during each year of the period of issuance under
this subsection.
`(D) NUMBER OF EACH OF FIVE COIN DESIGNS IN EACH YEAR- Of the quarter
dollar coins issued during each year of the period of issuance,
the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe, on the basis of such
factors as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, the number
of quarter dollars which shall be issued with each of the designs
selected for such year.
`(5) TREATMENT AS NUMISMATIC ITEMS- For purposes of sections 5134
and 5136, all coins minted under this subsection shall be considered
to be numismatic items.
`(A) QUALITY OF COINS- The Secretary may mint and issue such number
of quarter dollars of each design selected under paragraph (3) in
uncirculated and proof qualities as the Secretary determines to
be appropriate.
`(B) SILVER COINS- Notwithstanding subsection (b), the Secretary
may mint and issue such number of quarter dollars of each design
selected under paragraph (3) as the Secretary determines to be appropriate,
with a content of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.
`(A) IN GENERAL- Subject to paragraph (2), the program established
under this subsection shall continue in effect until a national
site in each State has been honored.
`(B) SECOND ROUND AT DISCRETION OF SECRETARY-
`(i) DETERMINATION- The Secretary may make a determination before
the end of the 9-year period beginning when the first quarter
dollar is issued under this subsection to continue the period
of issuance until a second national site in each State, the District
of Columbia, and each territory referred to in this subsection
has been honored with a design on a quarter dollar.
`(ii) NOTICE AND REPORT- Within 30 days after making a determination
under clause (i), the Secretary shall submit a written report
on such determination to the Committee on Financial Services of
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing,
and Urban Affairs of the Senate.
`(iii) APPLICABILITY OF PROVISIONS- If the Secretary makes a determination
under clause (i), the provisions of this subsection applicable
to site and design selection and approval, the order, timing,
and conditions of issuance shall apply in like manner as the initial
issuance of quarter dollars under this subsection, except that
the issuance of quarter dollars pursuant to such determination
bearing the first design shall commence in order immediately following
the last issuance of quarter dollars under the first round.
`(iv) CONTINUATION UNTIL ALL STATES ARE HONORED- If the Secretary
makes a determination under clause (i), the program under this
subsection shall continue until a second site in each State has
been so honored.
`(8) DESIGNS AFTER END OF PROGRAM- Upon the completion of the coin
program under this subsection, the design on--
`(A) the obverse of the quarter dollar shall revert to the same
design containing an image of President Washington in effect for
the quarter dollar before the institution of the 50-State quarter
dollar program; and
`(B) notwithstanding the fourth sentence of subsection (d)(1), the
reverse of the quarter dollar shall contain an image of General
Washington crossing the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton.
`(9) NATIONAL SITE- For purposes of this subsection, the term `national
site' means any site under the supervision, management, or conservancy
of the National Park Service, the United States Forest Service, the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or any similar department
or agency of the Federal Government, including any national park,
national monument, national battlefield, national military park, national
historical park, national historic site, national lakeshore, seashore,
recreation area, parkway, scenic river, or trail and any site in the
National Wildlife Refuge System.
`(10) APPLICATION IN EVENT OF INDEPENDENCE- If any territory becomes
independent or otherwise ceases to be a territory or possession of
the United States before quarter dollars bearing designs which are
emblematic of such territory are minted pursuant to this subsection,
this subsection shall cease to apply with respect to such territory.'.
TITLE II--BULLION INVESTMENT PRODUCTS
SEC. 201. SILVER BULLION COIN.
Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting
after subsection (t) (as added by section 101 of this Act) the following:
`(u) Silver Bullion Investment Product-
`(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall strike and make available for
sale such number of bullion coins as the Secretary determines to be
appropriate that are exact duplicates of the quarter dollars issued
under subsection (t), each of which shall--
`(A) have a diameter of 3.0 inches and weigh 5.0 ounces;
`(B) contain .999 fine silver;
`(C) have incused into the edge the fineness and weight of the bullion
coin;
`(D) bear an inscription of the denomination of such coin, which
shall be `quarter dollar'; and
`(E) not be minted or issued by the United States Mint as so-called
`fractional' bullion coins or in any size other than the size described
in paragraph (A).
`(2) AVAILABILITY FOR SALE- Bullion coins minted under paragraph (1)--
`(A) shall become available for sale no sooner than the first day
of the calendar year in which the circulating quarter dollar of
which such bullion coin is a duplicate is issued; and
`(B) may only be available for sale during the year in which such
circulating quarter dollar is issued.
`(A) IN GENERAL- In addition to the authorized dealers utilized
by the Secretary in distributing bullion coins and solely for purposes
of distributing bullion coins issued under this subsection, the
Director of the National Park Service, or the designee of the Director,
may purchase numismatic items issued under this subsection, but
only in units of no fewer than 1,000 at a time, and the Director,
or the Director's designee, may resell or repackage such numismatic
items as the Director determines to be appropriate.
`(B) RESALE- The Director of the National Park Service, or the designee
of the Director, may resell, at cost and without repackaging, numismatic
items acquired by the Director or such designee under subparagraph
(A) to any party affiliated with any national site honored by a
quarter dollar under subsection (t) for repackaging and resale by
such party in the same manner and to the same extent as such party
would be authorized to engage in such activities under subparagraph
(A) if the party were acting as the designee of the Director under
such subparagraph.'.
TITLE III--ADMINISTRATION
SEC. 301. NO NET COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
The Secretary of the Treasury shall take such actions as are necessary
to ensure that minting and issuing coins under this Act and the amendments
made by this Act will not result in any net cost to the Federal Government.
END
