National Purple Heart Hall of Honor Commemorative Coin Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1830) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the Senate amendment is as follows:
Senate amendment: Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Purple Heart Hall of Honor Commemorative Coin Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor's mission is--
(A) to commemorate the extraordinary sacrifice of America's servicemen and servicewomen who were killed or wounded by enemy action; and
(B) to collect and preserve the stories of Purple Heart recipients from all branches of service and across generations to ensure that all recipients are represented.
(2) The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor first opened its doors on November 10, 2006, in New Windsor, NY.
(3) The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is co-located with the New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site.
(4) The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is the first to recognize the estimated 1.8 million U.S. servicemembers wounded or killed in action representing recipients from the Civil War to the present day, serving as a living memorial to their sacrifice by sharing their stories through interviews, exhibits and the Roll of Honor, an interactive computer database of each recipient enrolled. SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--The Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue the following coins:
(1) $5 gold coins.--Not more than 50,000 $5 coins, which shall--
(A) weigh 8.359 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and
(C) contain 90 percent gold and 10 percent alloy.
(2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 400,000 $1 coins, which shall--
(A) weigh 26.73 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
(C) contain not less than 90 percent silver.
(3) Half-dollar clad coins.--Not more than 750,000 half- dollar coins which shall--
(A) weigh 11.34 grams;
(B) have a diameter of 1.205 inches; and
(C) be minted to the specifications for half-dollar coins contained in section 5112(b) of title 31, United States Code.
(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. SEC. 4. DESIGNS OF COINS.
(a) Designs Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The designs of the coins minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.
(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 ``2022''; and
(C) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God We Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E Pluribus Unum''.
(b) Selection.--The design for the coins minted under this Act shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc.; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens 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.--
(1) In general.--Only 1 facility of the United States Mint may be used to strike any particular quality of the coins minted under this Act.
(2) Use of the united states mint at west point, new york.--It is the sense of Congress that the coins minted under this Act should be struck at the United States Mint at West Point, New York, to the greatest extent possible.
(c) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins minted under this Act only during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2022. 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) 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 of--
(1) $35 per coin for the $5 coin;
(2) $10 per coin for the $1 coin; and
(3) $5 per coin for the half-dollar coin.
(b) Distribution.--Subject to section 5134(f)(1) of title 31, United States Code, all surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of coins issued under this Act shall be promptly paid by the Secretary to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc., to support the mission of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc., including capital improvements to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor facilities.
(c) Audits.--The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, Inc., shall be subject to the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code, with regard to the amounts received under subsection (b).
(d) 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 program issuance limitation under section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act). The Secretary of the Treasury 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 result in no net cost to the Federal Government; and
(2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are disbursed to any recipient designated in section 7(b) 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.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1830, the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor Commemorative Coin Act.
The Purple Heart is one of the oldest and most recognized American military medals awarded to servicemembers who were killed or wounded by enemy action.
The mission of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, located in New Windsor, New York, is to collect and preserve the stories of Purple Heart recipients from all branches of the Armed Forces and across all generations.
The Hall of Honor serves as a living memorial to these servicemembers and ensures that all recipients are remembered. Currently, there are over 200,000 names installed at the Hall of Honor.
This bill would provide tangible support to the Hall of Honor by directing the West Point Mint to produce commemorative coins in recognition of the work of the Hall of Honor. Proceeds from the sale of this coin would fund improvements to the museum itself to help expand the understanding and respect for those who have served and sacrificed.
This bill passed the House last September, but the version we are considering today incorporates changes made by a Senate amendment that updates the time period for issuance of the commemorative coins to fiscal year 2022, and includes financial assurance language that minting and issuing coins under this act will result in no net cost to the Federal Government.
Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor Commemorative Coin Act, which will be voted on tonight, after many years of work.
I think it is important to note that it was the father of our country, George Washington, who created the Purple Heart in the closing days of the Revolutionary War. It happened right in my district, in the heart of New York's Hudson Valley, at the New Windsor Cantonment, where General Washington created and awarded something called the Badge of Military Merit. We know that honor today as the Purple Heart, which is how it appeared when it was originally created out of fabric.
The Purple Heart was revived in 1932, on the bicentennial of General Washington's birth to honor veterans of World War I. Since then, this great honor has been earned. It has been earned, often at great personal cost, by nearly 2 million brave servicemen and servicewomen.
In 2006, as my colleague noted, the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, located in New Windsor, opened its doors and launched the first comprehensive list of Purple Heart recipients. The Hall of Honor collects and preserves the names and, more importantly, the deeds and stories of the men and women wounded or killed in service of our Nation.
It honors heroes like Rich Drago, my friend, who lives in the Hudson Valley. Rich served in Vietnam. He continued to man his post under fire, even after he had been hit by a mortar blast. It is heroes like Rich who we honor tonight. He serves today on my Veterans Advisory Board. He is the vice chair of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission Board of Directors and is the commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 1782.
I thank so many others, including members of my staff--my legislative staff: Ryan Lehman; Molly Carey; Shallum Atkinson; Laura Bart; and, of course, Beverly Hart, who has personally worked for so long to make this day a reality.
Of course, it is the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor that deserves the credit and the Purple Heart Honor Mission and the recipients who do such important work and who create such a powerful example for all of us.
In addition to helping veterans receive their Purple Heart, they now support veterans and their families, offer educational programs for schools, host a 4-day honor mission to the Hudson Valley to see the Hall of Honor.
My bill will authorize, importantly, the U.S. Treasury to mint $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins. The proceeds from these coins--and this is wonderful--which will be produced at the West Point Mint, right down the road, outside the United States Military Academy, will support the critical mission, along with other programs to help veterans and their families at no cost to the taxpayers, both in New York and, of course, across our country.
I thank my friend, Senator Schumer, for his partnership in passing the bill through the Senate with broad bipartisan support. I thank my colleagues here in House: The chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee; my friends across the aisle, like Mike Gallagher, himself a Marine Corps veteran, for their partnership on this legislation.
The bill was really made possible, of course, by the extraordinary work of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the team at the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor and the Honor Mission, including Russ Vernon, Richie Lay, Richard Gerbeth, Jr., and William Nazario; and, of course, volunteers like Stephanie Keegan, who helped us win overwhelming bipartisan support from over 300 Members of Congress.
You know, today is particularly moving for me because of how long it has taken to bring this bill to fruition. I can't help but think of two men who inspired our work on this bill. One is my dad, Jim Maloney, a Navy veteran who was banged up pretty bad on the USS Manchester on his 19th birthday, but who got himself well and was able to live his American Dream because his country had his back and there were people here who wanted to honor his service. He showed me firsthand the incredible sacrifice of those who have served.
Another is a Republican friend of my mine, Senator Bill Larkin, a dear friend who passed away just last year. Bill served our country in World War II and Korea. When we did events together, he would have trouble standing because his feet still hurt from the frostbite he suffered in Korea. He served the Hudson Valley as a State senator for 40 years and worked closely with me to advance the mission of the Hall of Honor on this bill. I could not be more proud to work with his beloved wife, Pat, and others, to carry on this piece of his legacy, and I can't wait to see this coin become a reality. I know my friend, Bill Larkin, is smiling down from Heaven tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you all for your support and the bipartisanship it took to get us to this point.
Mr. Speaker, this bill ensures that the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor can continue its important mission of collecting, preserving, and sharing the stories of the brave men and women who were killed or injured in service to their country.
The straightforward changes we are considering today will align the time period for the issuance of the commemorative coins and ensures that the coins issued under this act will result in no net cost to the Federal Government.
Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to vote ``yes'' on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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