Bill Summary
This legislation, called the "75th Anniversary of the End of World War II Commemorative Coin Act," authorizes the minting of special coins to honor the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. The Act specifies the number, value, and design of the coins, which will feature the World War II Victory Medal and inscriptions related to the war and American values. The Act also directs that a surcharge from the sale of these coins will go to The National WWII Museum to fund its educational mission. The Act also includes provisions to ensure that the minting and sale of these coins will not result in any net cost to the government.
Possible Impacts
1. People who collect coins or are interested in World War II history may purchase these commemorative coins, thus affecting their personal finances.
2. The National WWII Museum will receive funds from the sale of these coins, impacting their financial resources and ability to carry out their educational mission.
3. The enactment of this bill may also bring attention to the sacrifices made by the military and civilians during World War II, potentially affecting the public's perception and understanding of this historic event.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3155 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3155
To authorize the minting of a coin in honor of the 75th anniversary of
the end of World War II, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 6, 2019
Mr. Scalise (for himself, Mr. Richmond, Mr. Graves of Louisiana, Mr.
Takano, Mr. Higgins of Louisiana, Mr. Vela, Mr. Abraham, Mr. Lipinski,
Mr. Johnson of Louisiana, Mr. Kinzinger, Mr. Westerman, Mr. Walden, Mr.
Dunn, Ms. Herrera Beutler, Ms. Cheney, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr.
Evans, and Mr. Costa) introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the minting of a coin in honor of the 75th anniversary of
the end of World War II, 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 ``75th Anniversary of the End of World
War II Commemorative Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the United States entered World War II as a result of
the surprise Japanese attack against our fleet at Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, which killed 2,403 people of the
United States;
(2) the United States joined the wartime Allied cause
against the militarist, fascist, and racist dictatorships of
Germany, Japan, and Italy (the Axis), fighting for President
Franklin D. Roosevelt's ``Four Freedoms'' (freedom of speech,
of worship, from want, and from fear);
(3) the United States placed no more than 16,000,000 of its
citizens into uniform in the course of the struggle, enduring a
string of early defeats, recovering to conduct a total war on
land, sea, and air, and eventually establishing total dominance
over its enemies;
(4) the war took the lives of 405,399 United States
military personnel, fellow citizens who made the supreme
sacrifice in a perilous moment in the history of the United
States, giving their lives for the cause of democracy and
peace;
(5) the conflict led to a comprehensive transformation of
the home front from a civilian economy dedicated to peacetime
production into the mightiest engine of military might in human
history (labeled the ``Arsenal of Democracy''), demanding the
participation of the entire citizenry and thus leading to
increased opportunities for racial minorities and women;
(6) the war ended on September 2, 1945, after the
unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and
Imperial Japan, and a total victory for the United States and
the Allies;
(7) Allied victory in World War II transformed the United
States into the leader of the ``free world,'' a community of
countries dedicated to democratic principles and to resisting
all forms of tyranny, including authoritarian, militarist, or
communist, and an international order founded on open
societies, liberal economies, and the peaceful resolution of
disputes;
(8) participation in the wartime struggle emboldened women,
African Americans and other previously marginalized groups to
seek equal rights, encouraged the growth of the civil rights
movement, and thus contributed to the development of ``a more
perfect union,'' guaranteeing freedom, justice, and equality
for all;
(9) the generation of United States citizens who fought
World War II is passing away with the march of time, and that
therefore the urgent need to give honor to those who served is
all the more critical; and
(10) the period from May 8, 2020, to September 2, 2020,
will mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the involvement of
the United States in World War II and the surrender of Nazi
Germany and Imperial Japan, respectively.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) $5 Gold Coins.--The Secretary of the Treasury (in this Act
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue not more than
50,000 $5 coins in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of
World War II, each of which shall--
(1) weigh 8.359 grams;
(2) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and
(3) contain not less than 90 percent gold.
(b) $1 Silver Coins.--The Secretary shall mint and issue not more
than 500,000 $1 coins in commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the
end of World War II, each of which shall--
(1) weigh 26.73 grams;
(2) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
(3) contain not less than 90 percent silver.
(c) Half Dollar Clad Coins.--The Secretary shall mint and issue not
more than 750,000 half dollar clad coins in commemoration of the 75th
Anniversary of the end of World War II, each of which shall--
(1) weigh 11.34 grams;
(2) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and
(3) be minted to the specifications for half dollar coins
contained in section 5112 (b) of title 31, United States Code.
(d) Legal Tender.--The coins minted under this Act shall be legal
tender, as provided in section 5103 of title 31, United States Code.
(e) 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) In General.--The design of the coins minted under this Act
shall be emblematic of the great sacrifices made by millions of people
of the United States 75 years ago to bring a victorious end to World
War II.
(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 ``2020''; and
(3) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God We
Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E Pluribus Unum''.
(c) Design.--On each coin minted under this Act, there shall be a
representation of the World War II Victory Medal, awarded to all 16
million United States military personnel who served from December 7,
1941, to December 31, 1946.
(d) Selection.--The design for the coins minted under this Act
shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary, after consultation with The
National WWII Museum and the Commission of Fine Arts; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens of Coinage Advisory Committee.
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) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins under this
Act only during the period beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on
December 31, 2020.
SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS.
(a) Sale Price.--The coins issued under this Act shall be sold by
the Secretary at a price equal to the sum of--
(1) the face value of the coins;
(2) the surcharge provided in section 7 with respect to
such coins; and
(3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins (including
labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses,
marketing, and shipping).
(b) Bulk Sales.--The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the coins
issued under this Act at a reasonable discount.
(c) Prepaid Orders.--
(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) In General.--All sales of coins issued under this Act shall
include a surcharge as follows:
(1) A surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin.
(2) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin.
(3) A surcharge of $5 per coin for the half dollar coin.
(b) Distribution.--Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31, United
States Code, all surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of
coins issued under this Act shall be paid to the congressionally
designated The National WWII Museum Inc. to fund its educational
mission of telling the story of the United States experience in World
War II.
(c) Limitation.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), no surcharge may
be included with respect to the issuance under this Act of any coin
during a calendar year if, as of the time of such issuance, the
issuance of such coin would result in the number of commemorative coin
programs issued during such year to exceed the annual 2 commemorative
coin programs issuance limitation under section 5112(m)(1) of title 31,
United States Code (as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act).
The Secretary may issue guidance to carry out this subsection.
SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSURANCES.
The Secretary shall take such actions as may be necessary to ensure
that--
(1) minting and issuing coins under this Act will not
result in any net cost to the United States Government; and
(2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are
disbursed to any recipient designated in section 7 until the
total cost of designing and issuing all of the coins authorized
by this Act (including labor, materials, dies, use of
machinery, overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping) is
recovered by the United States Treasury, consistent with
sections 5112(m) and 5134(f) of title 31, United States Code.
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