Cesar Chavez Commemorative Coin Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2404 To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of Cesar Chavez’s work for the betterment of legal workers, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 8, 2021 Mr. GOSAR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services A BILL To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of Cesar Chavez’s work for the better- ment of legal workers, 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 ‘‘Cesar Chavez Com- 4 memorative Coin Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 The Congress finds the following: 7 (1) Cesar Chavez was born on March 31, 1927, 8 in Yuma, Arizona. 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2404.IH H2404 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2404 IH (2) In 1962, Chavez founded the National 1 Farm Workers Association, which later became the 2 United Farm Workers, to improve the wages and 3 working conditions for American farmworkers. 4 (3) Chavez’s union drew on the imagery of civil 5 rights to use nonviolence and mass mobilization to 6 improve the conditions of persecuted and impover- 7 ished American workers. 8 (4) Chavez believed that preventing illegal im- 9 migration was an essential prerequisite to improving 10 the circumstances of American farmworkers. 11 (5) In 1969, Chavez led a march to the Mexi- 12 can border to protest illegal immigration, joined by 13 Senator Walter Mondale and Martin Luther King’s 14 successor as head of the Southern Christian Leader- 15 ship Conference, Ralph Abernathy. 16 (6) Chavez noted that it is ‘‘almost impossible 17 to start some effective program to get these people 18 their jobs back from the braceros’’ once employers 19 replace them. 20 (7) In the 1970s, Chavez combined a campaign 21 of identifying and reporting illegal workers with a 22 campaign to boycott nonunionized farms in order to 23 protect the labor of the unionized American worker. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2404.IH H2404 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2404 IH (8) Chavez recognized that flooding the labor 1 market with people from abroad undermines the 2 unionized American worker. 3 (9) In 1979, at the National Press Club, Cha- 4 vez emphatically supported enforcement of immigra- 5 tion laws, stating that ‘‘people are being hurt and 6 being destroyed, and with the complicity and with 7 the help, of the Federal Government’’. 8 (10) President Clinton recognized Chavez’s 9 work saying, ‘‘We can be proud of his enormous ac- 10 complishments and in the dignity and comfort he 11 brought to the lives of so many of our country’s 12 least powerful and most dispossessed workers.’’. 13 SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 14 (a) DENOMINATIONS.—The Secretary of the Treas- 15 ury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 16 shall mint and issue the following coin: 17 (1) $5 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 50,000 $5 18 coins, which shall— 19 (A) weigh 8.359 grams; 20 (B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and 21 (C) contain not less than 90 percent gold. 22 (2) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 400,000 23 $1 coins, which shall— 24 (A) weigh 26.73 grams; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2404.IH H2404 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2404 IH (B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and 1 (C) contain not less than 90 percent silver. 2 (3) HALF-DOLLAR CLAD COINS.—Not more 3 than 750,000 half-dollar coins which shall— 4 (A) weigh 11.34 grams; 5 (B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and 6 (C) be minted to the specifications for half- 7 dollar coins contained in section 5112(b) of title 8 31, United States Code. 9 (b) LEGAL TENDER.—The coins minted under this 10 Act shall be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of 11 title 31, United States Code. 12 (c) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 13 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins 14 minted under this Act shall be considered to be numis- 15 matic items. 16 SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS. 17 (a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.— 18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The designs of the coins 19 minted under this Act shall be emblematic of Cesar 20 Chavez and his fight to defend the interests of 21 American farmworkers, his birth in Yuma, Arizona, 22 and his commitment to and work for American agri- 23 cultural workers. At least one coin design shall in- 24 clude the name and likeliness of Cesar Chavez. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2404.IH H2404 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2404 IH (2) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On 1 each coin minted under this Act, there shall be— 2 (A) a designation of the value of the coin; 3 (B) an inscription of the year ‘‘2024’’; and 4 (C) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, 5 ‘‘In God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of Amer- 6 ica’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’. 7 (b) SELECTION.—The design for the coins minted 8 under this Act shall be— 9 (1) selected by the Secretary after consultation 10 with the Commission of Fine Arts and the Smithso- 11 nian Institution; and 12 (2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory 13 Committee. 14 SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 15 (a) QUALITY OF COINS.—Coins minted under this 16 Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 17 (b) PERIOD FOR ISSUANCE.—The Secretary may 18 issue coins minted under this Act only during the 1-year 19 period beginning on January 1, 2024. 20 SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 21 (a) SALE PRICE.—The coins issued under this Act 22 shall be sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum 23 of— 24 (1) the face value of the coins; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2404.IH H2404 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2404 IH (2) the surcharge provided in section 7(a) with 1 respect to such coins; and 2 (3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins 3 (including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, 4 overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping). 5 (b) BULK SALES.—The Secretary shall make bulk 6 sales of the coins issued under this Act at a reasonable 7 discount. 8 (c) PREPAID ORDERS.— 9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall accept 10 prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act 11 before the issuance of such coins. 12 (2) DISCOUNT.—Sale prices with respect to pre- 13 paid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a rea- 14 sonable discount. 15 SEC. 7. SURCHARGES. 16 (a) IN GENERAL.—All sales of coins issued under this 17 Act shall include a surcharge of— 18 (1) $35 per coin for the $5 coin; 19 (2) $10 per coin for the $1 coin; and 20 (3) $5 per coin for the half-dollar coin. 21 (b) DISTRIBUTION.—Subject to section 5134(f) of 22 title 31, United States Code, all surcharges received by 23 the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act 24 shall be promptly paid by the Secretary to the Smithso- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2404.IH H2404 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2404 IH nian Institution to support the development, maintenance, 1 and repair of the National Museum of the American 2 Latino, and for educational and commemorative programs 3 of American Latino heritage and culture. 4 (c) AUDITS.—The Smithsonian Institution shall be 5 subject to the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of 6 title 31, United States Code, with regard to the amounts 7 received under subsection (b). 8 (d) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), 9 no surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance 10 under this Act of any coin during a calendar year if, as 11 of the time of such issuance, the issuance of such coin 12 would result in the number of commemorative coin pro- 13 grams issued during such year to exceed the annual 2 14 commemorative coin program issuance limitation under 15 section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code (as in 16 effect on the date of the enactment of this Act). The Sec- 17 retary may issue guidance to carry out this subsection. 18 SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES. 19 The Secretary shall take such actions as may be nec- 20 essary to ensure that— 21 (1) minting and issuing coins under this Act 22 will not result in any net cost to the United States 23 Government; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2404.IH H2404 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 2404 IH (2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, 1 shall be disbursed to any recipient designated in sec- 2 tion 7 until the total cost of designing and issuing 3 all of the coins authorized by this Act (including 4 labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead ex- 5 penses, marketing, and shipping) is recovered by the 6 United States Treasury, consistent with sections 7 5112(m) and 5134(f) of title 31, United States 8 Code. 9 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2404.IH H2404 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS