2009 United States Coin Legislation as of 01/07/09
Arizona Coin Collector
Below is the current 111-congress 2009 coin legislation
as of Wednesday, January 7, 2008.
Nine different silver and gold coins. First new legislated
coin act for 2009.
You should see were $4,000,000.00 dolars of the raised
sale money goes to. It does not should like a bad thing.
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H.R.255
Title: To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint
coins in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the
establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
Sponsor: Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18]
(introduced 1/7/2009), Cosponsors (2)
Latest Major Action: 1/7/2009 Referred to House
committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on
Financial Services.
H.R.255
NASA 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act
(Introduced in House)
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `NASA 50th Anniversary
Commemorative Coin Act'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that--
(1) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
began operation on October 1, 1958, with about 8,000
employees and an annual budget of $100,000,000;
(2) over the next 50 years, the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration has been involved in many
defining events which have shaped the course of human
history and demonstrated to the world the character
of the people of the United States;
(3) among the many firsts by the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration are that--
(A) on December 6, 1958, the United States launched
Pioneer 3, the first United States satellite to ascend
to an altitude of 63,580 miles;
(B) on March 3, 1959, the United States sent Pioneer 4
to the Moon, successfully making the first United States
lunar flyby;
(C) on April 1, 1960, the United States launched TIROS 1,
the first successful meteorological satellite, observing
Earth's weather;
(D) on May 5, 1961, Freedom 7, carrying Astronaut Alan B.
Shepard, Jr., was the first American space flight involving
human beings;
(E) on February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first
American to circle the Earth, making 3 orbits in his
Friendship 7 Mercury spacecraft;
(F) on December 14, 1962, Mariner 2 became the first
spacecraft to commit a successful planetary flyby (Venus);
(G) on April 6, 1965, the United States launched Intelsat
I (also known as Early Bird 1), the first commercial
satellite (communications), into geostationary orbit;
(H) on June 3 through 7, 1965, the second piloted Gemini
mission, Gemini IV, stayed aloft for 4 days, and astronaut
Edward H. White II performed the first EVA or `spacewalk'
by an American;
(I) on June 2, 1966, Surveyor 1 became the first American
spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon;
(J) on May 31, 1971, the United States launched Mariner 9,
the first mission to orbit another planet (Mars) beginning
November 13, 1971;
(K) on April 12, 1981, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration launched the Space Shuttle Columbia on the
first flight of the Space Transportation System (STS-1);
(L) on June 18, 1983, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration launched Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-7)
carrying 3 mission specialists, including Sally K. Ride,
the first woman astronaut;
(M) in another historic mission, 2 months later, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched
STS-8 carrying the first black American astronaut,
Guion S. Bluford; and
(N) on July 23, 1999, the Space Shuttle Columbia's 26th
flight was led by Air Force Col. Eileen Collins, the first
woman to command a Shuttle mission;
(4) on April 9, 1959, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration unveiled the Mercury astronaut corps, 7 men
with `the right stuff': John H. Glenn, Jr., Walter M.
Schirra, Jr., Alan B. Shepard, Jr., M. Scott Carpenter, L.
Gordon Cooper, Virgil I. `Gus' Grissom, and Donald K.
`Deke' Slayton;
(5) on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy, reflecting
the highest aspirations of the American people,
proclaimed: `I believe this Nation should commit itself to
achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a
man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth. No single
space project in this period will be more impressive to
mankind, or more important in the long-range exploration of
space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to
accomplish.';
(6) on September 19, 1961, the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration announced that the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration center dedicated to human space
flight would be built in Houston, Texas;
(7) on February 17, 1973, the Manned Spacecraft Center in
Houston was renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center;
(8) on December 21, 1968, Apollo 8 took off atop a Saturn V
booster from the Kennedy Space Center for a historic
mission to orbit the Moon;
(9) as Apollo 8 traveled outward, the crew focused a portable
television camera on Earth and for the first time humanity
saw its home from afar, a tiny, lovely, and fragile `blue
marble' hanging in the blackness of space;
(10) this transmission and viewing of Earth from a distance
was an enormously significant accomplishment and united the
Nation at a time when American society was in crisis over
Vietnam, race relations, urban problems, and a host of other
difficulties;
(11) on July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong
and Edwin E. Aldrin made the first lunar landing mission
while Michael Collins orbited overhead in the Apollo
command module;
(12) Armstrong set foot on the surface of the Moon, telling
the millions of listeners that it was `one small step for
a man, one giant leap for mankind', and Aldrin soon followed
and planted an American flag, but omitted claiming the land
for the United States, as had routinely been done during
European exploration of the Americas;
(13) the two Moon walkers left behind an American flag and
a plaque bearing the inscription: `Here Men From The Planet
Earth First Set Foot Upon the Moon. Jul. 1969 A.D. We Came
in Peace for All Mankind.';
(14) on April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was
launched into space aboard the STS-31 mission of the Space
Shuttle Discovery, and since then, the Hubble has
revolutionized astronomy, while expanding our knowledge of
the universe and inspiring millions of scientists, students,
and members of the public with its unprecedented deep and
clear images of space;
(15) on July 4, 1997, the Mars Pathfinder landed on Mars
and on January 29, 1998, an International Space Station
agreement among 15 countries met in Washington, DC, to sign
agreements to establish the framework for cooperation among
the partners on the design, development, operation, and
utilization of the Space Station;
(16) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's
stunning achievements over the last 50 years have been
won for all mankind at great cost and sacrifice; in the
quest to explore the universe, many National Aeronautics
and Space Administration employees have lost their lives,
including the crews of Apollo 1, the Space Shuttle
Challenger, and the Space Shuttle Columbia;
(17) the success of the United States space exploration
program in the 20th Century augurs well for its continued
leadership in the 21st Century, such leadership being
attributable to the remarkable and indispensable partnership
between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
and its 10 space and research centers, including--
(A) from small spacecraft to supercomputers, science
missions and payloads to thermal protection systems,
information technology to aerospace, the Ames Research
Center in California's Silicon Valley, which provides
products, technologies, and services that enable NASA
missions and expand human knowledge;
(B) the Dryden Flight Research Center, the leading center
for innovative flight research;
(C) the Glenn Research Center, which develops power,
propulsion, and communication technologies for space
flight systems and aeronautics research;
(D) the Goddard Space Flight Center, which specializes
in research to expand knowledge on the Earth and its
environment, the solar system, and the universe through
observations from space;
(E) the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the leading center
for robotic exploration of the solar system;
(F) the Johnson Space Center, which manages the
development, testing, production, and delivery of all
United States human spacecraft and all human
spacecraft-related functions;
(G) the Kennedy Space Center, the gateway to the
Universe and world leader in preparing and launching
missions around the Earth and beyond;
(H) the Langley Research Center, which continues to
forge new frontiers in aviation and space research
for aerospace, atmospheric sciences, and technology
commercialization to improve the way the world lives;
(I) the Marshall Space Flight Center, a world leader
in developing space transportation and propulsion
systems that accelerate exploration and scientific
discovery, including the Michoud Assembly Facility,
which has been a world-class facility since 1961 for
fabrication of large space structures, including the
Saturn V and the Space Shuttle External Tank, and
which will have a critical role in the Constellation
program, including manufacturing major pieces of the
Orion crew capsule, the Ares I upper stage, and the
Ares V core stage; and
(J) the Stennis Space Center, which is responsible for
rocket propulsion testing and for partnering with
industry to develop and implement remote sensing
technology;
(18) the United States should pay tribute to the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and to
its successful partnerships with the space and research
centers, by minting and issuing a commemorative silver
dollar coin; and
(19) the surcharge proceeds from the sale of a
commemorative coin would generate valuable funding
for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Families Assistance Fund, for the purposes of
providing need-based financial assistance to the
families of any National Aeronautics and Space
Administration personnel who lose their lives as a
result of injuries suffered in the performance of their
official duties, and for other worthy and important
purposes.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations- In commemoration of the 50th
anniversary of the establishment of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Secretary
of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to
as the `Secretary') shall mint and issue the
following coins:
(1) $50 GOLD COINS- Not more than 50,000 $50 gold
coins, which shall--
(A) weigh 33.931 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 32.7 millimeters; and
(C) contain 1 troy ounce of fine gold.
(2) $1 SILVER COINS- Not more than 300,000 $1 coins
of each of the 9 designs specified in
section 4(a)(3)(B), which shall--
(A) weigh 26.73 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
(C) contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.
(b) Legal Tender- The coins minted under this Act
shall be legal tender, as provided in section 5103
of title 31, United States Code.
(c) Numismatic Items- For purposes of section 5134
of title 31, United States Code, all coins minted
under this Act shall be considered to be
numismatic items.
(d) Mintage Level Limit- Notwithstanding the mintage
level limit described under
section 5112(m)(2)(A)(ii) of title 31, United States
Code, the Secretary may mint and issue not more than
300,000 of each of the nine $1 coins authorized to
be minted under this Act.
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS.
(a) Design Requirements-
(1) IN GENERAL- The design of the coins minted under
this Act shall be emblematic of the 50 years of
exemplary and unparalleled achievements of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
(2) DESIGNATION AND INSCRIPTIONS- On each coin
minted under this Act, there shall be--
(A) a designation of the value of the coin;
(B) an inscription of the year `2011'; and
(C) inscriptions of the words `Liberty', `In God
We Trust', `United States of America', and
`E Pluribus Unum', and such other inscriptions
as the Secretary may determine to be appropriate
for the designs of the coins.
(3) COIN IMAGES-
(A) $50 COINS-
(i) OBVERSE- The obverse of the $50 coins issued
under this Act shall bear an image of the sun.
(ii) REVERSE- The reverse of the $50 coins issued
under this Act shall bear a design emblematic of
the sacrifice of the United States astronauts who
lost their lives in the line of duty over the
course of the space program.
(iii) HIGH RELIEF- The design and inscriptions on
the obverse and reverse of the $50 coins issued
under this Act shall be in high relief.
(B) $1 COINS-
(i) OBVERSE- The obverse of the $1 coins issued
under this Act shall bear nine different designs,
each of which shall consist of an image of one
of the nine planets of the solar system,
including Earth.
(ii) REVERSE- The reverse of the $1 coins issued
under this Act shall bear different designs, each
of which shall be emblematic of the contributions
of the research and space centers, subject to the
following requirements:
(I) EARTH COIN- The reverse of the $1 coins
issued under this Act which bear an image of the
Earth on the obverse shall bear images emblematic
of, and honoring, the discoveries and missions of
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
the Mercury, Gemini, and Space Shuttle missions
and other manned Earth-orbiting missions, and the
Apollo missions to the Moon.
(II) JUPITER COIN- The reverse of the $1 coins
issued under this Act which bear an image of the
planet Jupiter on the obverse shall include a
scientifically accurate depiction of the Galilean
moon Europa and depict both a past and future
mission to Europa.
(III) SATURN COIN- The reverse of the $1 coins
issued under this Act which bear an image of the
planet Saturn on the obverse shall include a
scientifically accurate depiction of the moon
Titan and depict both a past and a future
mission to Titan.
(IV) PLUTO (AND OTHER DWARF PLANETS) COIN- The
reverse of the $1 coins issued under this Act
which bear an image of the planet Pluto on the
obverse shall include a design that is emblematic
of telescopic exploration of deep space by the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
and the ongoing search for Earth-like planets
orbiting other stars.
(4) REALISTIC AND SCIENTIFICALLY ACCURATE
DEPICTIONS- The images for the designs of coins
issued under this Act shall be selected on the
basis of the realism and scientific accuracy of
the images and on the extent to which the images
are reminiscent of the dramatic and beautiful
artwork on coins of the so-called `Golden Age
of Coinage' in the United States, at the
beginning of the Twentieth Century, with the
participation of such noted sculptors and medallic
artists as James Earle Fraser, Augustus
Saint-Gaudens, Victor David Brenner, Adolph A.
Weinman, Charles E. Barber, and George T. Morgan.
(b) Selection- The design for the coins minted
under this Act shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary, after
consultation with the Administrator of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
and the Commission of Fine Arts; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coin Advisory Committee.
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS.
(a) Quality of Coins- Coins minted under this Act
shall be issued in proof quality only.
(b) Mint Facility- Only 1 facility of the United
States Mint may be used to strike any particular
combination of denomination and quality of the
coins minted under this Act.
(c) Period for Issuance- Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, the Secretary--
(1) may accept orders for the coins authorized
under this Act during the period beginning on
January 1, 2011 and ending on
December 31, 2011; and
(2) may mint and issue such coins required to
fulfill such orders during the period beginning
on January 1, 2011 and ending on December 31, 2011.
(d) Exception to Program Limitation- Notwithstanding
any other provision of law, the minting or issuance
of coins under this Act in 2011 shall not--
(1) preclude the Secretary from including a surcharge
on the issuance of any other commemorative coin
minted or issued in 2011; and
(2) be counted against the annual 2 commemorative
coin program minting and issuance limitation under
section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code.
(e) Issuance of Gold Coins- Each gold coin minted
under this Act may be issued only as part of a
complete set with one of each of the nine $1 coins
minted under this Act.
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(a) 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) 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.
(c) Presentation- In addition to the issuance of
coins under this Act in such other methods of
presentation as the Secretary determines to be
appropriate, the Secretary shall provide, as a sale
option, a presentation case which displays the $50
gold coin in the center, surrounded by the $1 silver
coins in elliptical orbits. All such presentation
cases shall bear a plaque with appropriate
inscriptions that include the names and dates of
the spacecraft missions on which United States
astronauts lost their lives over the course of the
space program and the names of such astronauts.
SEC. 7. SURCHARGES.
(a) In General- All sales of coins minted under
this Act shall include a surcharge as follows:
(1) A surcharge of $50 per coin for the $50 coin.
(2) A surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin.
(3) A surcharge of $1 per coin for any bronze
duplicate minted under section 8.
(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 promptly
distributed as follows:
(1) The first $4,000,000 available for distribution
under this section, to the NASA Family Assistance
Fund, for the purpose of providing need-based
financial assistance to the families of NASA
personnel who lose their lives as a result of
injuries suffered in the performance of their
official duties.
(2) Of amounts available for distribution after
the payment under paragraph (1), 1/2 of the next
$1,000,000 to each of the following:
(A) The Dr.
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