What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and sell special coins that honor working dogs and their contributions to society. The money made from selling these coins, after covering costs, goes to America's VetDogs, an organization that trains service dogs for veterans, active-duty military members, and first responders with disabilities.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of the Treasury, America's VetDogs organization, veterans and active-duty service members who receive service dogs, first responders with disabilities, and people who purchase commemorative coins.
Key Provisions
• The Treasury must mint three types of coins: up to 50,000 gold coins worth $5 each, up to 500,000 silver coins worth $1 each, and up to 750,000 half-dollar coins (Sec. 3a)
• Each coin must include the year 2025 and the words "Liberty," "In God We Trust," "United States of America," and "E Pluribus Unum" (Sec. 4a)
• Coins can only be sold during the one-year period starting January 1, 2025 (Sec. 5c)
• Surcharge amounts are $35 per gold coin, $10 per silver coin, and $5 per half-dollar coin, with all surcharge money going to America's VetDogs (Sec. 7a and 7b)
• The Treasury must ensure minting these coins costs the government nothing and will not disburse surcharge money until all design and issuance costs are recovered (Sec. 8)
What Changes
Special commemorative coins honoring working dogs will be designed, minted and sold by the U.S. Mint. Revenue from surcharges will be directed to America's VetDogs for training service dogs and covering client expenses like travel and housing.
Important Definitions
"Numismatic items" means coins that are collected for their value and historical interest rather than their face value (Sec. 3c).
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 711
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of the invaluable service that working dogs provide to society.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 8, 2023
Mr. BUDD (for himself, Mr. KELLY, Mr. TILLIS, and Ms. DUCKWORTH) intro-
duced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Com-
mittee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins
in commemoration of the invaluable service that working
dogs provide to society.
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 ‘‘Working Dog Com-
4
memorative Coin Act’’.
5
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
6
Congress finds the following:
7
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(1) Dogs going back thousands of years have
1
been tied to humans whether for protection, compan-
2
ionship, or assisting in daily activities.
3
(2) The United States had an unofficial canine
4
military presence assisting soldiers in the Civil War
5
and World War I, but military K–9s did not become
6
officially recognized until March 13, 1942. During
7
the height of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the
8
United States military employed approximately
9
2,500 K–9s.
10
(3) Military K–9s have seen service in every
11
major United States combat since World War I and
12
have been praised by military leadership as an indis-
13
pensable asset for military, police, government, and
14
private security teams around the world.
15
(4) In 2000, section 2583 of title 10, United
16
States Code (commonly known as ‘‘Robby’s Law’’),
17
was enacted, which allowed for the adoption of mili-
18
tary K–9s by law enforcement agencies, former han-
19
dlers, and other care groups.
20
(5) Since 2000, military K–9s have left service
21
and gone onto work explosive detection for police
22
forces and work as service dogs for veterans and
23
families.
24
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(6) Beyond their military working capacity,
1
working dogs provide enhanced mobility assistance
2
and renewed independence for the injured and dis-
3
abled. Service dogs are able to support veterans
4
struggling after war, hear for those who are deaf,
5
see for those who are blind, and even sense changes
6
in a person’s body before a seizure. Working dogs
7
play a vital role in improving the lives of many.
8
(7) The service dog programs of America’s
9
VetDogs were created to provide enhanced mobility
10
and renewed independence to United States vet-
11
erans, active-duty service members, and first re-
12
sponders with disabilities.
13
(8) America’s VetDogs provides—
14
(A) guide dogs for individuals who are
15
blind or have low vision;
16
(B) hearing dogs for those who have lost
17
their hearing later in life by alerting to alarms,
18
door bells, sirens, and more;
19
(C) service dogs for those with other phys-
20
ical disabilities that are specially trained to pro-
21
vide balance, retrieve dropped items, open and
22
close doors, turn on and off lights, carry a
23
backpack, and more;
24
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(D) facility dogs that are specially trained
1
to spend time working with wounded veterans
2
recovering at military hospitals and veterans
3
medical centers;
4
(E) dogs that work with physical and occu-
5
pational therapists as they treat soldiers and
6
become an essential part of the healing process;
7
and
8
(F) posttraumatic stress disorder service
9
dogs that are trained to help mitigate the symp-
10
toms of posttraumatic stress disorder by pro-
11
viding the emotional and physical support a vet-
12
eran may need.
13
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
14
(a) DENOMINATIONS.—In commemoration of the in-
15
valuable service that working dogs provide to society, the
16
Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter referred to in this
17
Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall mint and issue the following
18
coins:
19
(1) $5 GOLD COINS.—Not more than 50,000 $5
20
coins, which shall—
21
(A) weigh 8.359 grams;
22
(B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and
23
(C) contain 90 percent gold.
24
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(2) $1 SILVER COINS.—Not more than 500,000
1
$1 coins, which shall—
2
(A) weigh 26.73 grams;
3
(B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
4
(C) contain not less than 90 percent silver.
5
(3) HALF-DOLLAR
CLAD
COINS.—Not more
6
than 750,000 half-dollar coins which shall—
7
(A) weigh 11.34 grams;
8
(B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and
9
(C) be minted to the specifications for half-
10
dollar coins contained in section 5112(b) of title
11
31, United States Code.
12
(b) LEGAL TENDER.—The coins minted under this
13
Act shall be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of
14
title 31, United States Code.
15
(c) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections
16
5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all coins
17
minted under this Act shall be considered to be numis-
18
matic items.
19
SEC. 4. DESIGNS OF COINS.
20
(a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.—
21
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The designs of the coins
22
minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the
23
vast contributions that working dogs serve in society
24
to include the range of services that the dogs provide
25
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in detection, military service, therapy, and assist-
1
ance.
2
(2) DESIGNATIONS
AND
INSCRIPTIONS.—On
3
each coin minted under this Act, there shall be—
4
(A) a designation of the value of the coin;
5
(B) an inscription of the year ‘‘2025’’; and
6
(C) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’,
7
‘‘In God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of Amer-
8
ica’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’.
9
(b) SELECTION.—The designs for the coins minted
10
under this Act shall be—
11
(1) selected by the Secretary, after consultation
12
with America’s VetDogs and the Commission of
13
Fine Arts; and
14
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory
15
Committee.
16
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.
17
(a) QUALITY OF COINS.—Coins minted under this
18
Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.
19
(b) MINT FACILITY.—Only 1 facility of the United
20
States Mint may be used to strike any particular quality
21
of the coins minted under this Act.
22
(c) PERIOD
FOR ISSUANCE.—The Secretary may
23
issue coins minted under this Act only during the 1-year
24
period beginning on January 1, 2025.
25
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•S 711 IS
SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS.
1
(a) SALE PRICE.—The coins issued under this Act
2
shall be sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum
3
of—
4
(1) the face value of the coins;
5
(2) the surcharge provided in section 7(a) with
6
respect to such coins; and
7
(3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins
8
(including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery,
9
overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping).
10
(b) BULK SALES.—The Secretary shall make bulk
11
sales of the coins issued under this Act at a reasonable
12
discount.
13
(c) PREPAID ORDERS.—
14
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall accept
15
prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act
16
before the issuance of such coins.
17
(2) DISCOUNT.—Sale prices with respect to pre-
18
paid orders under paragraph (1) shall be at a rea-
19
sonable discount.
20
SEC. 7. SURCHARGES.
21
(a) IN GENERAL.—All sales of coins issued under this
22
Act shall include a surcharge of—
23
(1) $35 per coin for the $5 coins;
24
(2) $10 per coin for the $1 coins; and
25
(3) $5 per coin for the half-dollar coins.
26
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(b) DISTRIBUTION.—Subject to section 5134(f) of
1
title 31, United States Code, all surcharges received by
2
the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act
3
shall be promptly paid by the Secretary to America’s
4
VetDogs for general expenses associated with the fulfill-
5
ment of the mission of America’s VetDogs, including for
6
costs associated with—
7
(1) personnel related to training, dog care, and
8
consumer needs;
9
(2) consultants to facilitate the training of
10
America’s VetDogs certified service dog instructors;
11
and
12
(3) travel, room, and board for clients served by
13
America’s VetDogs.
14
(c) AUDITS.—America’s VetDogs shall be subject to
15
the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31,
16
United States Code, with regard to the amounts received
17
under subsection (b).
18
(d) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding subsection (a),
19
no surcharge may be included with respect to the issuance
20
under this Act of any coin during a calendar year if, as
21
of the time of such issuance, the issuance of such coin
22
would result in the number of commemorative coin pro-
23
grams issued during such year to exceed the annual 2
24
commemorative coin program issuance limitation under
25
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•S 711 IS
section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code (as in
1
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act). The Sec-
2
retary may issue guidance to carry out this subsection.
3
SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES.
4
The Secretary shall take such actions as may be nec-
5
essary to ensure that—
6
(1) minting and issuing coins under this Act
7
will not result in any net cost to the United States
8
Government; and
9
(2) no funds, including applicable surcharges,
10
are disbursed to any recipient designated in section
11
7 until the total cost of designing and issuing all of
12
the coins authorized by this Act (including labor,
13
materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses,
14
marketing, and shipping) is recovered by the United
15
States Treasury, consistent with sections 5112(m)
16
and 5134(f) of title 31, United States Code.
17
Æ
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