Greatest Generation Commemorative Coin Act

117TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 1596 AN ACT To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the National World War II Memo- rial in Washington, DC, 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 2 † S 1596 ES SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Greatest Generation 2 Commemorative Coin Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 4 The Congress finds the following: 5 (1) The National World War II Memorial was 6 dedicated in Washington, DC, on May 29, 2004, and 7 is located on the east end of the Reflecting Pool on 8 the National Mall, opposite the Lincoln Memorial 9 and west of the Washington Monument. 10 (2) The dedication of the National World War 11 II Memorial was the culmination of a 17-year effort 12 that started on December 10, 1987 when the World 13 War II Memorial Act was first introduced in the 14 House of Representatives, and was authorized by an 15 Act of Congress signed into law on May 25, 1993. 16 Construction began September 4, 2001, after several 17 years of fundraising and public hearings. 18 (3) Opening to the public on April 29, 2004, 19 the World War II Memorial is the first national me- 20 morial dedicated to all who served during World 21 War II and acknowledges the commitment and 22 achievement of the entire Nation. 23 (4) The Memorial honors the more than 24 16,000,000 who served in the Armed Forces of the 25 United States during World War II, the more than 26 3 † S 1596 ES 400,000 who died, and the millions who supported 1 the war effort from home. 2 (5) It is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, 3 and commitment of the American people to the com- 4 mon defense of the Nation and to the broader causes 5 of peace and freedom from tyranny throughout the 6 world. 7 (6) Today, the Memorial is a top destination for 8 millions of annual visitors from all over the country 9 and the world. For many young visitors, their visit 10 to the Memorial is a first glimpse to a grateful Na- 11 tion’s remembrance of the sacrifices made by the 12 World War II generation. 13 (7) For World War II veterans, the Memorial 14 is a special destination, a rendezvous point, and a 15 gathering place for reunions and commemoration 16 programs. 17 (8) The Friends of the National World War II 18 Memorial play a vital role in the preservation and 19 maintenance of the National World War II Memorial 20 as a treasure for the American people, while helping 21 to facilitate key commemorative and educational pro- 22 grams at the Memorial to pay tribute to America’s 23 ‘‘Greatest Generation’’ and their efforts to preserve 24 liberty for generations to come. 25 4 † S 1596 ES (9) The National World War II Memorial 1 stands as an important symbol of America’s national 2 unity, a timeless reminder of the moral strength and 3 power that flows when free people are at once united 4 and bonded together in a common and just cause for 5 liberty. 6 SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 7 (a) DENOMINATIONS.—The Secretary of the Treas- 8 ury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 9 shall mint and issue the following coin: 10 (1) $5 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 50,000 $5 11 coins, which shall— 12 (A) weigh 8.359 grams; 13 (B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and 14 (C) contain not less than 90 percent gold. 15 (2) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 400,000 16 $1 coins, which shall— 17 (A) weigh 26.73 grams; 18 (B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and 19 (C) contain not less than 90 percent silver. 20 (3) HALF-DOLLAR CLAD COINS.—Not more 21 than 750,000 half-dollar coins which shall— 22 (A) weigh 11.34 grams; 23 (B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and 24 5 † S 1596 ES (C) be minted to the specifications for half- 1 dollar coins contained in section 5112(b) of title 2 31, United States Code. 3 (b) LEGAL TENDER.—The coins minted under this 4 Act shall be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of 5 title 31, United States Code. 6 (c) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 7 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins 8 minted under this Act shall be considered to be numis- 9 matic items. 10 SEC. 4. DESIGNS OF COINS. 11 (a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.— 12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The designs of the coins 13 minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the 14 National World War II Memorial and the service 15 and sacrifice of American soldiers and civilians dur- 16 ing World War II. 17 (2) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On 18 each coin minted under this Act there shall be— 19 (A) a designation of the value of the coin; 20 (B) an inscription of the year ‘‘2024’’; and 21 (C) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, 22 ‘‘In God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of Amer- 23 ica’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’. 24 6 † S 1596 ES (b) SELECTION.—The designs for the coins minted 1 under this Act shall be— 2 (1) selected by the Secretary after consultation 3 with the Commission of Fine Arts and the Friends 4 of the National World War II Memorial; and 5 (2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory 6 Committee. 7 SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 8 (a) QUALITY OF COINS.—Coins minted under this 9 Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities. 10 (b) PERIOD FOR ISSUANCE.—The Secretary may 11 issue coins minted under this Act only during the 1-year 12 period beginning on January 1, 2024. 13 SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 14 (a) SALE PRICE.—The coins issued under this Act 15 shall be sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum 16 of— 17 (1) the face value of the coins; 18 (2) the surcharge provided in section 7(a) with 19 respect to such coins; and 20 (3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins 21 (including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, 22 overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping). 23 7 † S 1596 ES (b) BULK SALES.—The Secretary shall make bulk 1 sales of the coins issued under this Act at a reasonable 2 discount. 3 (c) PREPAID ORDERS.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall accept 5 prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act 6 before the issuance of such coins. 7 (2) DISCOUNT.—Sale prices with respect to pre- 8 paid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a rea- 9 sonable discount. 10 SEC. 7. SURCHARGES. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—All sales of coins issued under this 12 Act shall include a surcharge of— 13 (1) $35 per coin for the $5 coin; 14 (2) $10 per coin for the $1 coin; and 15 (3) $5 per coin for the half-dollar coin. 16 (b) DISTRIBUTION.—Subject to section 5134(f) of 17 title 31, United States Code, all surcharges received by 18 the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act 19 shall be promptly paid by the Secretary to the Friends 20 of the National World War II Memorial to support the 21 National Park Service in maintaining and repairing the 22 National World War II Memorial, and for educational and 23 commemorative programs. 24 8 † S 1596 ES (c) AUDITS.—The Friends of the National World 1 War II Memorial shall be subject to the audit require- 2 ments of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States 3 Code, with regard to the amounts received under sub- 4 section (b). 5 (d) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), 6 no surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance 7 under this Act of any coin during a calendar year if, as 8 of the time of such issuance, the issuance of such coin 9 would result in the number of commemorative coin pro- 10 grams issued during such year to exceed the annual 2 11 commemorative coin program issuance limitation under 12 section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code (as in 13 effect on the date of the enactment of this Act). The Sec- 14 retary of the Treasury may issue guidance to carry out 15 this subsection. 16 SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES. 17 The Secretary shall take such actions as may be nec- 18 essary to ensure that— 19 (1) minting and issuing coins under this Act 20 will not result in any net cost to the United States 21 Government; and 22 (2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, 23 shall be disbursed to any recipient designated in sec- 24 tion 7 until the total cost of designing and issuing 25 9 † S 1596 ES all of the coins authorized by this Act (including 1 labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead ex- 2 penses, marketing, and shipping) is recovered by the 3 United States Treasury, consistent with sections 4 5112(m) and 5134(f) of title 31, United States 5 Code. 6 Passed the Senate May 16, 2022. Attest: Secretary. 117TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 1596 AN ACT To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, and for other purposes.