To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of the Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, and for other purposes.

March 9, 2005

Mr. PRYOR (for himself and Mrs. LINCOLN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of the Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, 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 `Little Rock Central High School Desegregation 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) September 2007, marks the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

(2) In 1957, Little Rock Central High School was the site of the first major national test for the implementation of the historic decision of the United States Supreme Court in Brown, et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka, et al., 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

(3) The courage of the `Little Rock Nine' (Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Melba Pattilo, Jefferson Thomas, Carlotta Walls, Terrence Roberts, Gloria Ray, Thelma Mothershed and Minnie Jean Brown), who stood in the face of violence, was influential to the Civil Rights movement and changed American history by providing an example on which to build greater equality.

(4) The desegregation of Little Rock Central High School by the 9 African American students was recognized by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as such a significant event in the struggle for civil rights that in May 1958, he attended the graduation of the first African American from Little Rock Central High School.

(5) A commemorative coin will bring national and international attention to the lasting legacy of this important event.

SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

(a) Denominations- The Secretary of the Treasury (in this Act referred to as the `Secretary') shall mint and issue not more than 500,000 $1 coins, each of which shall--

(1) weigh 26.73 grams;

(2) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and

(3) contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.

(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) Design Requirements- The design of the coins minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the desegregation of the Little Rock Central High School and its contribution to civil rights in America.

(b) Designation and Inscriptions- On each coin minted under this Act there shall be--

(1) a designation of the value of the coin;

(2) an inscription of the year `2007'; 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 the Commission of Fine Arts; and

(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee established under section 5135 of title 31, United States Code.

SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.

(a) Quality of Coins- Coins minted under this Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.

(b) Mint Facility- Only 1 facility of the United States Mint may be used to strike any particular quality of the coins minted under this Act.

(c) Commencement of Issuance- The Secretary may issue coins minted under this Act beginning January 1, 2007, except that the Secretary may initiate sales of such coins, without issuance, before such date.

(d) Termination of Minting Authority- No coins shall be minted under this Act after December 31, 2007.

SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS.

(a) Sale Price- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the coins issued under this Act shall be sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum of the face value of the coins, the surcharge required under section 7(a) for the coins, and the cost of designing and issuing such coins (including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses, and marketing).

(b) Bulk Sales- The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the coins issued under this Act at a reasonable discount.

(c) Prepaid Orders at a Discount-

(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) Surcharge Required- All sales shall include a surcharge of $10 per coin.

(b) Distribution- Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31, United States Code, all surcharges which are received by the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be equally divided and promptly paid by the Secretary to--

(1) the Jefferson National Parks Association for the purpose of providing support for programs and other developmental activities at the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site and support for the ongoing mission of the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site; and

(2) the Secretary of the Interior for site improvements at the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site, including the establishment of cooperative agreements to preserve and restore the historic character of the vicinity in the historic site's boundaries.

(c) Audits- The Jefferson National Parks Association shall be subject to the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code, with regard to the amounts received by the Association under subsection (b).

(d) Supplemental Funds- The surcharges provided to the Secretary of the Interior under this section are intended by the Congress to supplement amounts provided to such Secretary in appropriation Acts for the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site and are not intended to be a substitute for such appropriated amounts.

END