Each two-year term of congress is marked by sessions that begin every January 3rd at noon. When the House and Senate gavel into session on January 3, 2018, it will be the second session of the 115th Congress.

Political watchers have called the 115th congress everything from contentious to partisan to dysfunctional to names that cannot be repeated to a family audience. One thing they have not called this congress: boring.

For numismatists, Congress did pass The American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act (Public Law No. 115-65) making it the second commemorative coin program for 2019. The Apollo 11 50th Anniversary commemorative is the other. Also, two bills passed the House and have been sent to the Senate for their consideration:

  • Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park Redesignation Act (H.R. 965)
    This bill redesignates the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, in New Hampshire, as the “Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park.”
  • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act (H.R. 1235)
    This bill creates the first commemorative coin program in 2020 in recognition and celebration of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

In between the partisan wrangling, there were three bills were introduced in Congress last month. They are as follows:

H.R. 4539: Plymouth 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2017
Sponsor: Rep. William R. Keating (D-MA)
Introduced: December 4, 2017
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. — Dec 4, 2017
This bill can be tracked at http://bit.ly/115-HR4539.

S. 2189: Plymouth 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2017
Sponsor: Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-MA)
Introduced: December 4, 2017
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. — Dec 4, 2017
This bill can be tracked at http://bit.ly/115-S2189.

H.R. 4732: National Law Enforcement Museum Commemorative Coin Act
Sponsor: Rep. David G. Reichert (R-WA)
Introduced: December 21, 2017
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. — Dec 21, 2017
This bill can be tracked at http://bit.ly/115-HR4732.

In the meantime, the nomination of David Ryder to be the next Director of the U.S. Mint is now 73rd on the Senate Executive Calendar, down from 70th last month. A few nominations for key administrative positions were added to the calendar in front of Ryder. It is possible that his nomination will be confirmed within the next two months.

PN1082: David J. Ryder — Department of the Treasury
Date Received from President: October 5, 2017
Summary: David J. Ryder, of New Jersey, to be Director of the Mint for a term of five years, vice Edmund C. Moy, resigned.
Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. — Oct 5, 2017
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Hearings held. — Oct 24, 2017
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Ordered to be reported favorably. — Nov 1, 2017
Reported by Senator Crapo, Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, without printed report. — Nov 1, 2017
Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar No. 458. Subject to nominee’s commitment to respond to requests to appear and testify before any duly constituted committee of the Senate. — Nov 1, 2017
This nomination can be tracked at http://bit.ly/115-PN1082.

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