What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Secretary of the Treasury (the federal official in charge of minting coins) to create special commemorative coins honoring the 1865 Sultana steamboat explosion. The coins will come in three types: gold $5 coins, silver $1 coins, and clad half-dollar coins (coins made of multiple metal layers). Money from selling these coins goes to the Sultana Historical Preservation Society to build and maintain a museum about this disaster.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of the Treasury carries out the coin minting and sales. The Sultana Historical Preservation Society receives all surcharges (extra fees added to coin prices) from sales. People who collect commemorative coins can purchase these coins.
Key Provisions
- The Treasury Secretary must mint no more than 100,000 gold $5 coins weighing 8.359 grams containing at least 90 percent gold, no more than 500,000 silver $1 coins weighing 26.73 grams containing at least 90 percent silver, and no more than 750,000 clad half-dollar coins weighing 11.34 grams (Sec. 3)
- Coins must display the value, the year "2023," and the words "Liberty," "In God We Trust," "United States of America," and "E Pluribus Unum" (Sec. 4)
- The Treasury Secretary may only issue coins during the one-year period beginning January 1, 2023 (Sec. 5)
- All coin sales include surcharges of $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver coin, and $5 per half-dollar coin, which go to the Sultana Historical Preservation Society (Sec. 7)
- The Treasury Secretary must ensure minting these coins costs the federal government no money and must recover all design and production costs before paying surcharges to the Sultana Historical Preservation Society (Sec. 8)
What Changes
The Treasury Department will design, mint and sell three types of Sultana commemorative coins during 2023. The Sultana Historical Preservation Society will receive surcharge money to establish, build, maintain and operate a museum about the Sultana disaster, create museum exhibits, acquire and preserve related artifacts, and maintain an operational reserve fund.
Important Definitions
- Numismatic items: coins that collectors want for their historical or rarity value rather than for regular spending (Sec. 3)
- Uncirculated and proof qualities: two different ways coins are manufactured and finished for collectors (Sec. 5)
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1388
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins to honor and
memorialize the tragedy of the Sultana steamboat explosion of 1865.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 7, 2023
Mr. CRAWFORD (for himself, Mr. TURNER, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. SES-
SIONS, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. SMITH of Missouri, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. CLOUD,
Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mrs. LESKO, Mr. WOMACK, Mr. HERN, Mr.
PFLUGER, Mr. BALDERSON, Ms. DE LA CRUZ, Mr. BOST, Mr. ZINKE,
Mr. MOORE of Alabama, Mr. BABIN, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. KELLY of
Pennsylvania, Mr. CARTER of Georgia, Mr. JACKSON of Texas, Mr.
JOHNSON
of
Louisiana,
Mr.
WESTERMAN,
Mr.
MANN,
Mr.
FLEISCHMANN, Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. JOHNSON of South
Dakota, Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas, Mr. NEHLS, Mr. SCHWEIKERT,
Mr. EMMER, Mr. HILL, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. VAN ORDEN,
Mr. KELLY of Mississippi, Mr. ROGERS of Alabama, Mr. BURCHETT, Mr.
GRAVES of Missouri, and Mr. COHEN) 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
to honor and memorialize the tragedy of the Sultana
steamboat explosion of 1865.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
VerDate Sep 11 2014
02:45 Apr 20, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1388.IH
H1388
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
2
•HR 1388 IH
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
1
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sultana Steamboat
2
Disaster Commemorative Coin Act of 2023’’.
3
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
4
Congress finds the following:
5
(1) On April 27, 1865, the Sultana, a Mis-
6
sissippi River paddlewheel steamboat, exploded kill-
7
ing nearly 1,200 of the 2,137 passengers and crew
8
on board. Based on the number of recorded casual-
9
ties, this event is the worst maritime disaster in
10
United States history.
11
(2) Those aboard the boat were mostly paroled
12
Union soldiers recently released from the Confed-
13
erate prisoner-of-war camps in Cahaba, Alabama,
14
and Andersonville, Georgia. These men largely
15
hailed from Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan,
16
Kentucky, and West Virginia.
17
(3) The Sultana disaster was overshadowed by
18
other major events surrounding the end of the
19
American Civil War, including the assassination of
20
President Abraham Lincoln on April 15, 1865, and
21
subsequently, the killing of President Lincoln’s as-
22
sassin, John Wilkes Booth, on April 26, 1865, just
23
1 day before the Sultana disaster.
24
(4) The Sultana Historical Preservation Society
25
now operates the Sultana Disaster Museum in Mar-
26
VerDate Sep 11 2014
02:45 Apr 20, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1388.IH
H1388
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
3
•HR 1388 IH
ion, Arkansas, with artifacts, stories, and exhibits
1
that tell this story. Plans and fundraising are pro-
2
gressing for a much larger facility that can better
3
acquire and preserve the Sultana history.
4
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
5
(a) DENOMINATIONS.—In recognition and remem-
6
brance of the tragedy of the Sultana steamboat explosion
7
of 1865, which is the greatest maritime disaster in United
8
States history, the Secretary of the Treasury (hereinafter
9
in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall mint and
10
issue the following coins:
11
(1) $5 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 100,000
12
$5 coins, which shall—
13
(A) weigh 8.359 grams;
14
(B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and
15
(C) contain not less than 90 percent gold.
16
(2) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 500,000
17
$1 coins, which shall—
18
(A) weigh 26.73 grams;
19
(B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
20
(C) contain not less than 90 percent silver.
21
(3) HALF-DOLLAR
CLAD
COINS.—Not more
22
than 750,000 half-dollar coins which shall—
23
(A) weigh 11.34 grams;
24
(B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
02:45 Apr 20, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1388.IH
H1388
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
4
•HR 1388 IH
(C) be minted to the specifications for half-
1
dollar coins contained in section 5112(b) of title
2
31, United States Code.
3
(b) LEGAL TENDER.—The coins minted under this
4
Act shall be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of
5
title 31, United States Code.
6
(c) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections
7
5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins
8
minted under this Act shall be considered to be numis-
9
matic items.
10
SEC. 4. DESIGNS OF COIN.
11
(a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.—The designs of the
12
coins minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the
13
historical significance of the Sultana disaster and the sac-
14
rifice of the many people of the United States who died
15
and survived on April 27, 1865.
16
(b) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS.—On each coin
17
minted under this Act, there shall be—
18
(1) a designation of the value of the coin;
19
(2) an inscription of the year ‘‘2023’’; and
20
(3) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, ‘‘In
21
God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of America’’, and
22
‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’.
23
(c) SELECTION.—The designs for the coins minted
24
under this Act shall be—
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
02:45 Apr 20, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1388.IH
H1388
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
5
•HR 1388 IH
(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation
1
with the Commission of Fine Arts; and
2
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory
3
Committee.
4
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.
5
(a) QUALITY OF COINS.—Coins minted under this
6
Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.
7
(b) PERIOD OF ISSUANCE.—The Secretary may issue
8
coins minted under this Act only during the 1-year period
9
beginning on January 1, 2023.
10
SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS.
11
(a) SALE PRICE.—The coins issued under this Act
12
shall be sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum
13
of—
14
(1) the face value of the coins;
15
(2) the surcharge provided in section 7(a) with
16
respect to such coins; and
17
(3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins
18
(including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery,
19
overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping).
20
(b) PREPAID ORDERS.—
21
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall accept
22
prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act
23
before the issuance of such coins.
24
VerDate Sep 11 2014
02:45 Apr 20, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1388.IH
H1388
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
6
•HR 1388 IH
(2) DISCOUNT.—Sale prices with respect to pre-
1
paid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a rea-
2
sonable discount.
3
(c) MARKETING
AND EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN.—
4
The Secretary shall develop and execute a marketing, pro-
5
motion, and educational program to promote the collecting
6
of the coins authorized under this Act.
7
SEC. 7. SURCHARGES.
8
(a) IN GENERAL.—All sales of coins issued under this
9
Act shall include a surcharge of—
10
(1) $35 per coin for the $5 coin;
11
(2) $10 per coin for the $1 coin; and
12
(3) $5 per coin for the half-dollar coin.
13
(b) DISTRIBUTION.—Subject to section 5134(f) of
14
title 31, United States Code, all surcharges received by
15
the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act
16
shall be promptly paid by the Secretary to the Sultana
17
Historical Preservation Society for the purpose of estab-
18
lishing, operating, and maintaining a museum to tell the
19
story of the Sultana, including—
20
(1) constructing the museum facility;
21
(2) creating, maintaining, and updating as nec-
22
essary museum exhibits;
23
VerDate Sep 11 2014
02:45 Apr 20, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1388.IH
H1388
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
7
•HR 1388 IH
(3) acquiring and preserving artifacts, memora-
1
bilia, and historic sites related to the Sultana dis-
2
aster; and
3
(4) maintaining an operational reserve fund for
4
the purposes described in this subsection.
5
(c) AUDITS.—The Sultana Historical Preservation
6
Society shall be subject to the audit requirements of sec-
7
tion 5134(f) of title 31, United States Code, with regard
8
to the amounts received under subsection (b).
9
(d) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding subsection (a),
10
no surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance
11
under this Act of any coin during a calendar year if, as
12
of the time of such issuance, the issuance of such coin
13
would result in the number of commemorative coin pro-
14
grams issued during such year to exceed the annual 2
15
commemorative coin program issuance limitation under
16
section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code (as in
17
effect on the date of enactment of this Act). The Secretary
18
may issue guidance to carry out this subsection.
19
SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES.
20
The Secretary shall take such actions as may be nec-
21
essary to ensure that—
22
(1) minting and issuing coins under this Act
23
will not result in any net cost to the United States
24
Government; and
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
02:45 Apr 20, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1388.IH
H1388
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
8
•HR 1388 IH
(2) no funds, including applicable surcharges,
1
are disbursed to the recipient designated in section
2
7 until the total cost of designing and issuing all of
3
the coins authorized by this Act (including labor,
4
materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses,
5
marketing, and shipping) is recovered by the United
6
States Treasury, consistent with sections 5112(m)
7
and 5134(f) of title 31, United States Code.
8
Æ
VerDate Sep 11 2014
02:45 Apr 20, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H1388.IH
H1388
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB