The first of the month is when I usually report about the introduction or progress of numismatic-related legislation in congress for the previous month. For April 2018, there is nothing to report.
Thus far, the 115th Congress passed The American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act (Pub. L. 115-68) which allows for a gold $5, silver dollar, and clad half-dollar coins to commemorate the American Legion in 2019.
There have been no authorizing laws passed for commemoratives after 2019.
Two bills have passed the House of Representatives and are waiting in committees in the Senate for action:
- The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act (H.R. 1235) would allow the minting of q gold $5, silver dollar, and clad half-dollar coins in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- The American Innovation $1 Coin Act (H.R. 770) would be a 14-year $1 coin program that would issue coins commemorating innovation and innovators representing each state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
Just because these bills passed in the House does not mean the Senate will do anything about them. Both can die in committee without any consideration.
So that the record is complete, here are the numismatic-related bills introduced in the House of Representatives waiting in committee:
- Muhammad Ali Commemorative Coin Act (H.R. 579)
- Duty First Act (H.R. 1582)
- National Purple Heart Hall of Honor Commemorative Coin Act (H.R. 1683)
- Cents and Sensibility Act (H.R. 2067)
- Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2017 (H.R. 2256)
- Currency Optimization, Innovation, and National Savings Act of 2017 (H.R. 2299)
- United States Coast Guard Commemorative Coin Act of 2017 (H.R. 2317)
- President John F. Kennedy Commemorative Coin Act (H.R. 3274)
- 75th Anniversary of the End of World War II Commemorative Coin Act (H.R. 4044)
- Plymouth 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2017 (H.R. 4539)
- National Law Enforcement Museum Commemorative Coin Act (H.R. 4732)
- Women’s History and Nineteenth Amendment Centennial Quarter Dollar Coin Program Act (H.R. 5308)
- To define the dollar as a fixed weight of gold. (H.R. 5404)
Not to be outdone, here is the list for the Senate:
- Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park Redesignation Act (S. 312)
- Currency Optimization, Innovation, and National Savings Act of 2017 (S. 759)
- Duty First Act (S. 921)
- United States Coast Guard Commemorative Coin Act of 2017 (S. 1021)
- American Innovation $1 Coin Act (S. 1326)
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act (S. 1503)
- President John F. Kennedy Commemorative Coin Act (S. 1568)
- Muhammad Ali Commemorative Coin Act (S. 166)
- 75th Anniversary of the End of World War II Commemorative Coin Act (S. 1718)
- Plymouth 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2017 (S. 2189)
- American Innovation $1 Coin Act (S. 2399)