Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 (Introduced in Senate)
Passed by Both House and Senate as presented here.
Became Public Law No: 109-145 on December 22, 2005.
S.1047
Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005
One Hundred Ninth
Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the fourth day of January, two thousand and five
An Act
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in
commemoration of each of the Nation's past Presidents and their
spouses, respectively, to improve circulation of the $1 coin, to
create a new bullion coin, 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 `Presidential $1 Coin Act of
2005'.
TITLE I--PRESIDENTIAL $1 COINS
SEC. 101. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) There are sectors of the United States
economy, including public transportation, parking
meters, vending machines, and low-dollar value
transactions, in which the use of a $1 coin is
both useful and desirable for keeping costs and
prices down.
(2) For a variety of reasons, the new $1 coin
introduced in 2000 has not been widely
sought-after by the public, leading to higher
costs for merchants and thus higher prices for
consumers.
(3) The success of the 50 States Commemorative
Coin Program (31 U.S.C. 5112(l)) for circulating
quarter dollars shows that a design on a United
States circulating coin that is regularly changed
in a manner similar to the systematic change in
designs in such Program radically increases
demand for the coin, rapidly pulling it through
the economy.
(4) The 50 States Commemorative Coin Program also
has been an educational tool, teaching both
Americans and visitors something about each State
for which a quarter has been issued.
(5) A national survey and study by the Government
Accountability Office has indicated that many
Americans who do not seek, or who reject, the new
$1 coin for use in commerce would actively seek
the coin if an attractive, educational rotating
design were to be struck on the coin.
(6) The President is the leader of our tripartite
government and the President's spouse has often
set the social tone for the White House while
spearheading and highlighting important issues
for the country.
(7) Sacagawea, as currently represented on the
new $1 coin, is an important symbol of American
history.
(8) Many people cannot name all of the
Presidents, and fewer can name the spouses, nor
can many people accurately place each President
in the proper time period of American history.
(9) First Spouses have not generally been
recognized on American coinage.
(10) In order to revitalize the design of United
States coinage and return circulating coinage to
its position as not only a necessary means of
exchange in commerce, but also as an object of
aesthetic beauty in its own right, it is
appropriate to move many of the mottos and
emblems, the inscription of the year, and the
so-called `mint marks' that currently appear on
the 2 faces of each circulating coin to the edge
of the coin, which would allow larger and more
dramatic artwork on the coins reminiscent of the
so-called `Golden Age of Coinage' in the United
States, at the beginning of the Twentieth
Century, initiated by President Theodore
Roosevelt, with the assistance of noted sculptors
and medallic artists James Earle Fraser and
Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
(11) Placing inscriptions on the edge of coins,
known as edge-incusing, is a hallmark of modern
coinage and is common in large-volume production
of coinage elsewhere in the world, such as the
2,700,000,000 2-Euro coins in circulation, but it
has not been done on a large scale in United
States coinage in recent years.
(12) Although the Congress has authorized the
Secretary of the Treasury to issue gold coins
with a purity of 99.99 percent, the Secretary has
not done so.
(13) Bullion coins are a valuable tool for the
investor and, in some cases, an important aspect
of coin collecting.
SEC. 102. PRESIDENTIAL $1 COIN PROGRAM.
Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is amended
by adding at the end the following:
`(n) Redesign and Issuance of Circulating $1 Coins
Honoring Each of the Presidents of the United States-
`(1) REDESIGN BEGINNING IN 2007-
`(A) IN GENERAL- Notwithstanding
subsection (d) and in accordance with the
provisions of this subsection, $1 coins
issued during the period beginning
January 1, 2007, and ending upon the
termination of the program under
paragraph (8), shall--
`(i) have designs on the obverse
selected in accordance with
paragraph (2)(B) which are
emblematic of the Presidents of
the United States; and
`(ii) have a design on the
reverse selected in accordance
with paragraph (2)(A).
`(B) CONTINUITY PROVISIONS-
`(i) IN GENERAL- Notwithstanding
subparagraph (A), the Secretary
shall continue to mint and issue
$1 coins which bear any design in
effect before the issuance of
coins as required under this
subsection (including the
so-called `Sacagawea-design' $1
coins).
`(ii) CIRCULATION QUANTITY-
Beginning January 1, 2007, and
ending upon the termination of
the program under paragraph (8),
the Secretary annually shall mint
and issue such `Sacagawea-design'
$1 coins for circulation in
quantities of no less than 1/3 of
the total $1 coins minted and
issued under this subsection.'.
`(2) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS- The $1 coins issued in
accordance with paragraph (1)(A) shall meet the
following design requirements:
`(A) COIN REVERSE- The design on the
reverse shall bear--
`(i) a likeness of the Statue of
Liberty extending to the rim of
the coin and large enough to
provide a dramatic representation
of Liberty while not being large
enough to create the impression
of a `2-headed' coin;
`(ii) the inscription `$1'; and
`(iii) the inscription `United
States of America'.
`(B) COIN OBVERSE- The design on the
obverse shall contain--
`(i) the name and likeness of a
President of the United States;
and
`(ii) basic information about the
President, including--
`(I) the dates or years
of the term of office of
such President; and
`(II) a number indicating
the order of the period
of service in which the
President served.
`(C) EDGE-INCUSED INSCRIPTIONS-
`(i) IN GENERAL- The inscription
of the year of minting or
issuance of the coin and the
inscriptions `E Pluribus Unum'
and `In God We Trust' shall be
edge-incused into the coin.
`(ii) PRESERVATION OF DISTINCTIVE
EDGE- The edge-incusing of the
inscriptions under clause (i) on
coins issued under this
subsection shall be done in a
manner that preserves the
distinctive edge of the coin so
that the denomination of the coin
is readily discernible, including
by individuals who are blind or
visually impaired.
`(D) INSCRIPTIONS OF `LIBERTY'-
Notwithstanding the second sentence of
subsection (d)(1), because the use of a
design bearing the likeness of the Statue
of Liberty on the reverse of the coins
issued under this subsection adequately
conveys the concept of Liberty, the
inscription of `Liberty' shall not appear
on the coins.
`(E) LIMITATION IN SERIES TO DECEASED
PRESIDENTS- No coin issued under this
subsection may bear the image of a living
former or current President, or of any
deceased former President during the
2-year period following the date of the
death of that President.
`(3) ISSUANCE OF COINS COMMEMORATING PRESIDENTS-
`(A) ORDER OF ISSUANCE- The coins issued
under this subsection commemorating
Presidents of the United States shall be
issued in the order of the period of
service of each President, beginning with
President George Washington.
`(B) TREATMENT OF PERIOD OF SERVICE-
`(i) IN GENERAL- Subject to
clause (ii), only 1 coin design
shall be issued for a period of
service for any President, no
matter how many consecutive terms
of office the President served.
`(ii) NONCONSECUTIVE TERMS- If a
President has served during 2 or
more nonconsecutive periods of
service, a coin shall be issued
under this subsection for each
such nonconsecutive period of
service.
`(4) ISSUANCE OF COINS COMMEMORATING 4 PRESIDENTS
DURING EACH YEAR OF THE PERIOD-
`(A) IN GENERAL- The designs for the $1
coins issued during each year of the
period referred to in paragraph (1) shall
be emblematic of 4 Presidents until each
President has been so honored, subject to
paragraph (2)(E).
`(B) NUMBER OF 4 CIRCULATING COIN DESIGNS
IN EACH YEAR- The Secretary shall
prescribe, on the basis of such factors
as the Secretary determines to be
appropriate, the number of $1 coins that
shall be issued with each of the designs
selected for each year of the period
referred to in paragraph (1).
`(5) LEGAL TENDER- The coins minted under this
title shall be legal tender, as provided in
section 5103.
`(6) TREATMENT AS NUMISMATIC ITEMS- For purposes
of section 5134 and 5136, all coins minted under
this subsection shall be considered to be
numismatic items.
`(7) ISSUANCE OF NUMISMATIC COINS- The Secretary
may mint and issue such number of $1 coins of
each design selected under this subsection in
uncirculated and proof qualities as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate.
`(8) TERMINATION OF PROGRAM- The issuance of
coins under this subsection shall terminate when
each President has been so honored, subject to
paragraph (2)(E), and may not be resumed except
by an Act of Congress.
`(9) REVERSION TO PRECEDING DESIGN- Upon the
termination of the issuance of coins under this
subsection, the design of all $1 coins shall
revert to the so-called `Sacagawea-design' $1
coins.'.
SEC. 103. FIRST SPOUSE BULLION COIN PROGRAM.
Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, as amended
by section 102, is amended by adding at the end the
following:
`(o) First Spouse Bullion Coin Program-
`(1) IN GENERAL- During the same period described
in subsection (n), the Secretary shall issue
bullion coins under this subsection that are
emblematic of the spouse of each such President.
`(2) SPECIFICATIONS- The coins issued under this
subsection shall--
`(A) have the same diameter as the $1
coins described in subsection (n);
`(B) weigh 0.5 ounce; and
`(C) contain 99.99 percent pure gold.
`(3) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS-
`(A) COIN OBVERSE- The design on the
obverse of each coin issued under this
subsection shall contain--
`(i) the name and likeness of a
person who was a spouse of a
President during the President's
period of service;
`(ii) an inscription of the years
during which such person was the
spouse of a President during the
President's period of service;
and
`(iii) a number indicating the
order of the period of service in
which such President served.
`(B) COIN REVERSE- The design on the
reverse of each coin issued under this
subsection shall bear--
`(i) images emblematic of the
life and work of the First Spouse
whose image is borne on the
obverse; and
`(ii) the inscription `United
States of America'.
`(C) DESIGNATED DENOMINATION- Each coin
issued under this subsection shall bear,
on the reverse, an inscription of the
nominal denomination of the coin which
shall be `$10'.
`(D) DESIGN IN CASE OF NO FIRST SPOUSE-
In the case of any President who served
without a spouse--
`(i) the image on the obverse of
the bullion coin corresponding to
the $1 coin relating to such
President shall be an image
emblematic of the concept of
`Liberty'--
`(I) as represented on a
United States coin issued
during the period of
service of such
President; or
`(II) as represented, in
the case of President
Chester Alan Arthur, by a
design incorporating the
name and likeness of
Alice Paul, a leading
strategist in the
suffrage movement, who
was instrumental in
gaining women the right
to vote upon the adoption
of the 19th amendment and
thus the ability to
participate in the
election of future
Presidents, and who was
born on January 11, 1885,
during the term of
President Arthur; and
`(ii) the reverse of such bullion
coin shall be of a design
representative of themes of such
President, except that in the
case of the bullion coin referred
to in clause (i)(II) the reverse
of such coin shall be
representative of the suffrage
movement.
`(E) DESIGN AND COIN FOR EACH SPOUSE- A
separate coin shall be designed and
issued under this section for each person
who was the spouse of a President during
any portion of a term of office of such
President.
`(F) INSCRIPTIONS- Each bullion coin
issued under this subsection shall bear
the inscription of the year of minting or
issuance of the coin and such other
inscriptions as the Secretary may
determine to be appropriate.
`(4) SALE OF BULLION COINS- Each bullion coin
issued under this subsection shall be sold by the
Secretary at a price that is equal to or greater
than the sum of--
`(A) the face value of the coins; and
`(B) the cost of designing and issuing
the coins (including labor, materials,
dies, use of machinery, overhead
expenses, marketing, and shipping).
`(5) ISSUANCE OF COINS COMMEMORATING FIRST
SPOUSES-
`(A) IN GENERAL- The bullion coins issued
under this subsection with respect to any
spouse of a President shall be issued on
the same schedule as the $1 coin issued
under subsection (n) with respect to each
such President.
`(B) MAXIMUM NUMBER OF BULLION COINS FOR
EACH DESIGN- The Secretary shall--
`(i) prescribe, on the basis of
such factors as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate, the
maximum number of bullion coins
that shall be issued with each of
the designs selected under this
subsection; and
`(ii) announce, before the
issuance of the bullion coins of
each such design, the maximum
number of bullion coins of that
design that will be issued.
`(C) TERMINATION OF PROGRAM- No bullion
coin may be issued under this subsection
after the termination, in accordance with
subsection (n)(8), of the $1 coin program
established under subsection (n).
`(6) QUALITY OF COINS- The bullion coins minted
under this Act shall be issued in both proof and
uncirculated qualities.
`(7) SOURCE OF GOLD BULLION-
`(A) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall
acquire gold for the coins issued under
this subsection by purchase of gold mined
from natural deposits in the United
States, or in a territory or possession
of the United States, within 1 year after
the month in which the ore from which it
is derived was mined.
`(B) PRICE OF GOLD- The Secretary shall
pay not more than the average world price
for the gold mined under subparagraph
(A).
`(8) BRONZE MEDALS- The Secretary may strike and
sell bronze medals that bear the likeness of the
bullion coins authorized under this subsection,
at a price, size, and weight, and with such
inscriptions, as the Secretary determines to be
appropriate.
`(9) LEGAL TENDER- The coins minted under this
title shall be legal tender, as provided in
section 5103.
`(10) TREATMENT AS NUMISMATIC ITEMS- For purposes
of section 5134 and 5136, all coins minted under
this subsection shall be considered to be
numismatic items.'.
SEC. 104. REMOVAL OF BARRIERS TO CIRCULATION.
Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, as amended
by sections 102 and 103, by adding at the end the
following:
`(p) Removal of Barriers to Circulation of $1 Coin-
`(1) ACCEPTANCE BY AGENCIES AND
INSTRUMENTALITIES- Beginning January 1, 2006, all
agencies and instrumentalities of the United
States, the United States Postal Service, all
nonappropriated fund instrumentalities
established under title 10, United States Code,
all transit systems that receive operational
subsidies or any disbursement of funds from the
Federal Government, such as funds from the
Federal Highway Trust Fund, including the Mass
Transit Account, and all entities that operate
any business, including vending machines, on any
premises owned by the United States or under the
control of any agency or instrumentality of the
United States, including the legislative and
judicial branches of the Federal Government,
shall take such action as may be appropriate to
ensure that by the end of the 2-year period
beginning on such date--
`(A) any business operations conducted by
any such agency, instrumentality, system,
or entity that involve coins or currency
will be fully capable of accepting and
dispensing $1 coins in connection with
such operations; and
`(B) displays signs and notices denoting
such capability on the premises where
coins or currency are accepted or
dispensed, including on each vending
machine.
`(2) PUBLICITY- The Director of the United States
Mint, shall work closely with consumer groups,
media outlets, and schools to ensure an adequate
amount of news coverage, and other means of
increasing public awareness, of the inauguration
of the Presidential $1 Coin Program established
in subsection (n) to ensure that consumers know
of the availability of the coin.
`(3) COORDINATION- The Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System and the Secretary shall
take steps to ensure that an adequate supply of
$1 coins is available for commerce and collectors
at such places and in such quantities as are
appropriate by--
`(A) consulting, to accurately gauge
demand for coins and to anticipate and
eliminate obstacles to the easy and
efficient distribution and circulation of
$1 coins as well as all other circulating
coins, from time to time but no less
frequently than annually, with a coin
users group, which may include--
`(i) representatives of merchants
who would benefit from the
increased usage of $1 coins;
`(ii) vending machine and other
coin acceptor manufacturers;
`(iii) vending machine owners and
operators;
`(iv) transit officials;
`(v) municipal parking officials;
`(vi) depository institutions;
`(vii) coin and currency
handlers;
`(viii) armored-car operators;
`(ix) car wash operators; and
`(x) coin collectors and dealers;
`(B) submitting an annual report to the
Congress containing--
`(i) an assessment of the
remaining obstacles to the
efficient and timely circulation
of coins, particularly $1 coins;
`(ii) an assessment of the extent
to which the goals of
subparagraph (C) are being met;
and
`(iii) such recommendations for
legislative action the Board and
the Secretary may determine to be
appropriate;
`(C) consulting with industry
representatives to encourage operators of
vending machines and other automated
coin-accepting devices in the United
States to accept coins issued under the
Presidential $1 Coin Program established
under subsection (n) and any coins
bearing any design in effect before the
issuance of coins required under
subsection (n) (including the so-called
`Sacagawea-design' $1 coins), and to
include notices on the machines and
devices of such acceptability;
`(D) ensuring that--
`(i) during an introductory
period, all institutions that
want unmixed supplies of each
newly-issued design of $1 coins
minted under subsections (n) and
(o) are able to obtain such
unmixed supplies; and
`(ii) circulating coins will be
available for ordinary commerce
in packaging of sizes and types
appropriate for and useful to
ordinary commerce, including
rolled coins;
`(E) working closely with any agency,
instrumentality, system, or entity
referred to in paragraph (1) to
facilitate compliance with the
requirements of such paragraph; and
`(F) identifying, analyzing, and
overcoming barriers to the robust
circulation of $1 coins minted under
subsections (n) and (o), including the
use of demand prediction, improved
methods of distribution and circulation,
and improved public education and
awareness campaigns.
`(4) BULLION DEALERS- The Director of the United
States Mint shall take all steps necessary to
ensure that a maximum number of reputable,
reliable, and responsible dealers are qualified
to offer for sale all bullion coins struck and
issued by the United States Mint.
`(5) REVIEW OF CO-CIRCULATION- At such time as
the Secretary determines to be appropriate, and
after consultation with the Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve System, the Secretary shall
notify the Congress of its assessment of issues
related to the co-circulation of any circulating
$1 coin bearing any design, other than the
so-called `Sacagawea-design' $1 coin, in effect
before the issuance of coins required under
subsection (n), including the effect of
co-circulation on the acceptance and use of $1
coins, and make recommendations to the Congress
for improving the circulation of $1 coins.'.
SEC. 105. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that--
(1) the enactment of this Act will serve to
increase the use of $1 coins generally, which
will increase the circulation of the so-called
`Sacagawea-design' $1 coins that have been and
will continue to be minted and issued;
(2) the continued minting and issuance of the
so-called `Sacagawea-design' $1 coins will serve
as a lasting tribute to the role of women and
Native Americans in the history of the United
States;
(3) the full circulation potential and
cost-savings benefit projections for the $1 coins
are not likely to be achieved unless the coins
are delivered in ways useful to ordinary
commerce;
(4) the coins issued in connection with this
title should not be introduced with an overly
expensive taxpayer-funded public relations
campaign;
(5) in order for the circulation of $1 coins to
achieve maximum potential--
(A) the coins should be as attractive as
possible; and
(B) the Director of the United States
Mint should take all reasonable steps to
ensure that all $1 coins minted and
issued remain tarnish-free for as long as
possible without incurring undue expense;
and
(6) if the Secretary of the Treasury determines
to include on any $1 coin minted under section
102 of this Act a mark denoting the United States
Mint facility at which the coin was struck, such
mark should be edge-incused.
TITLE II--BUFFALO GOLD BULLION COINS
SEC. 201. GOLD BULLION COINS.
Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the
following:
`(11) A $50 gold coin that is of an appropriate
size and thickness, as determined by the
Secretary, weighs 1 ounce, and contains 99.99
percent pure gold.'; and
(2) by adding at the end, the following:
`(q) Gold Bullion Coins-
`(1) IN GENERAL- Not later than 6 months after
the date of enactment of the Presidential $1 Coin
Act of 2005, the Secretary shall commence
striking and issuing for sale such number of $50
gold bullion and proof coins as the Secretary may
determine to be appropriate, in such quantities,
as the Secretary, in the Secretary's discretion,
may prescribe.
`(2) INITIAL DESIGN-
`(A) IN GENERAL- Except as provided under
subparagraph (B), the obverse and reverse
of the gold bullion coins struck under
this subsection during the first year of
issuance shall bear the original designs
by James Earle Fraser, which appear on
the 5-cent coin commonly referred to as
the `Buffalo nickel' or the `1913 Type
1'.
`(B) VARIATIONS- The coins referred to in
subparagraph (A) shall--
`(i) have inscriptions of the
weight of the coin and the
nominal denomination of the coin
incused in that portion of the
design on the reverse of the coin
commonly known as the `grassy
mound'; and
`(ii) bear such other
inscriptions as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate.
`(3) SUBSEQUENT DESIGNS- After the 1-year period
described to in paragraph (2), the Secretary
may--
`(A) after consulting with the Commission
of Fine Arts, and subject to the review
of the Citizens Coinage Advisory
Committee, change the design on the
obverse or reverse of gold bullion coins
struck under this subsection; and
`(B) change the maximum number of coins
issued in any year.
`(4) SOURCE OF GOLD BULLION-
`(A) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall
acquire gold for the coins issued under
this subsection by purchase of gold mined
from natural deposits in the United
States, or in a territory or possession
of the United States, within 1 year after
the month in which the ore from which it
is derived was mined.
`(B) PRICE OF GOLD- The Secretary shall
pay not more than the average world price
for the gold mined under subparagraph
(A).
`(5) SALE OF COINS- Each gold bullion coin issued
under this subsection shall be sold for an amount
the Secretary determines to be appropriate, but
not less than the sum of--
`(A) the market value of the bullion at
the time of sale; and
`(B) the cost of designing and issuing
the coins, including labor, materials,
dies, use of machinery, overhead
expenses, marketing, and shipping.
`(6) LEGAL TENDER- The coins minted under this
title shall be legal tender, as provided in
section 5103.
`(7) TREATMENT AS NUMISMATIC ITEMS- For purposes
of section 5134 and 5136, all coins minted under
this subsection shall be considered to be
numismatic items.
`(8) PROTECTIVE COVERING-
`(A) IN GENERAL- Each bullion coin having
a metallic content as described in
subsection (a)(11) and a design specified
in paragraph (2) shall be sold in an
inexpensive covering that will protect
the coin from damage due to ordinary
handling or storage.
`(B) DESIGN- The protective covering
required under subparagraph (A) shall be
readily distinguishable from any coin
packaging that may be used to protect
proof coins minted and issued under this
subsection.'.
TITLE III--ABRAHAM LINCOLN BICENTENNIAL 1-CENT
COIN REDESIGN
SEC. 301. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, was one
of the Nation's greatest leaders, demonstrating
true courage during the Civil War, one of the
greatest crises in the Nation's history.
(2) Born of humble roots in Hardin County
(present-day LaRue County), Kentucky, on February
12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln rose to the Presidency
through a combination of honesty, integrity,
intelligence, and commitment to the United
States.
(3) With the belief that all men are created
equal, Abraham Lincoln led the effort to free all
slaves in the United States.
(4) Abraham Lincoln had a generous heart, with
malice toward none, and with charity for all.
(5) Abraham Lincoln gave the ultimate sacrifice
for the country he loved, dying from an
assassin's bullet on April 15, 1865.
(6) All Americans could benefit from studying the
life of Abraham Lincoln, for Lincoln's life is a
model for accomplishing the `American dream'
through honesty, integrity, loyalty, and a
lifetime of education.
(7) The year 2009 will be the bicentennial
anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.
(8) Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, grew to
adulthood in Indiana, achieved fame in Illinois,
and led the nation in Washington, D.C.
(9) The so-called `Lincoln cent' was introduced
in 1909 on the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's
birth, making the obverse design the most
enduring on the nation's coinage.
(10) President Theodore Roosevelt was so
impressed by the talent of Victor David Brenner
that the sculptor was chosen to design the
likeness of President Lincoln for the coin,
adapting a design from a plaque Brenner had
prepared earlier.
(11) In the nearly 100 years of production of the
`Lincoln cent', there have been only 2 designs on
the reverse: the original, featuring 2
wheat-heads in memorial style enclosing mottoes,
and the current representation of the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington, D.C.
(12) On the occasion of the bicentennial of
President Lincoln's birth and the 100th
anniversary of the production of the Lincoln
cent, it is entirely fitting to issue a series of
1-cent coins with designs on the reverse that are
emblematic of the 4 major periods of President
Lincoln's life.
SEC. 302. REDESIGN OF LINCOLN CENT FOR 2009.
(a) In General- During the year 2009, the Secretary of
the Treasury shall issue 1-cent coins in accordance with
the following design specifications:
(1) OBVERSE- The obverse of the 1-cent coin shall
continue to bear the Victor David Brenner
likeness of President Abraham Lincoln.
(2) REVERSE- The reverse of the coins shall bear
4 different designs each representing a different
aspect of the life of Abraham Lincoln, such as--
(A) his birth and early childhood in
Kentucky;
(B) his formative years in Indiana;
(C) his professional life in Illinois;
and
(D) his presidency, in Washington, D.C.
(b) Issuance of Redesigned Lincoln Cents in 2009-
(1) ORDER- The 1-cent coins to which this section
applies shall be issued with 1 of the 4 designs
referred to in subsection (a)(2) beginning at the
start of each calendar quarter of 2009.
(2) NUMBER- The Secretary shall prescribe, on the
basis of such factors as the Secretary determines
to be appropriate, the number of 1-cent coins
that shall be issued with each of the designs
selected for each calendar quarter of 2009.
(c) Design Selection- The designs for the coins specified
in this section shall be chosen by the Secretary--
(1) after consultation with the Abraham Lincoln
Bicentennial Commission and the Commission of
Fine Arts; and
(2) after review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory
Committee.
SEC. 303. REDESIGN OF REVERSE OF 1-CENT COINS AFTER 2009.
The design on the reverse of the 1-cent coins issued
after December 31, 2009, shall bear an image emblematic
of President Lincoln's preservation of the United States
of America as a single and united country.
SEC. 304. NUMISMATIC PENNIES WITH THE SAME METALLIC CONTENT
AS THE 1909 PENNY.
The Secretary of the Treasury shall issue 1-cent coins in
2009 with the exact metallic content as the 1-cent coin
contained in 1909 in such number as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate for numismatic purposes.
SEC. 305. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that the original Victor
David Brenner design for the 1-cent coin was a dramatic
departure from previous American coinage that should be
reproduced, using the original form and relief of the
likeness of Abraham Lincoln, on the 1-cent coins issued
in 2009.