[Pages H10036-H10038]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

NATIVE AMERICAN $1 COIN ACT

Mr. BOREN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the
Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 2358) to require the Secretary of
the Treasury to mint and issue coins in commemoration of Native
Americans and the important contributions made by Indian tribes and
individual Native Americans to the development of the United States and
the history of the United States, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the Senate amendment is as follows:

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Native American $1 Coin
Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIVE AMERICAN $1 COIN PROGRAM.

Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(r) Redesign and Issuance of Circulating $1 Coins
Honoring Native Americans and the Important Contributions
Made by Indian Tribes and Individual Native Americans in
United States History.--
``(1) Redesign beginning in 2008.--
``(A) In general.--Effective beginning January 1, 2008,
notwithstanding subsection (d), in addition to the coins to
be issued pursuant to subsection (n), and in accordance with
this subsection, the Secretary shall mint and issue $1 coins
that--
``(i) have as the designs on the obverse the so-called
`Sacagawea design'; and
``(ii) have a design on the reverse selected in accordance
with paragraph (2)(A), subject to paragraph (3)(A).
``(B) Delayed date.--If the date of the enactment of the
Native American $1 Coin Act is after August 25, 2007,
subparagraph (A) shall be applied by substituting `2009' for
`2008'.
``(2) Design requirements.--The $1 coins issued in
accordance with paragraph (1) shall meet the following design
requirements:
``(A) Coin reverse.--The design on the reverse shall bear--
``(i) images celebrating the important contributions made
by Indian tribes and individual Native Americans to the
development of the United States and the history of the
United States;
``(ii) the inscription `$1' ; and
``(iii) the inscription `United States of America'.
``(B) Coin obverse.--The design on the obverse shall--
``(i) be chosen by the Secretary, after consultation with
the Commission of Fine Arts and review by the Citizens
Coinage Advisory Committee; and
``(ii) contain the so-called `Sacagawea design' and the
inscription `Liberty'.
``(C) Edge-incused inscriptions.--
``(i) In general.--The inscription of the year of minting
and 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) Reverse design selection.--The designs selected for
the reverse of the coins described under this subsection--
``(i) shall be chosen by the Secretary after consultation
with the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate, the
Congressional Native American Caucus of the House of
Representatives, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the
National Congress of American Indians;
``(ii) shall be reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory
Committee;
``(iii) may depict individuals and events such as--

``(I) the creation of Cherokee written language;
``(II) the Iroquois Confederacy;
``(III) Wampanoag Chief Massasoit;
``(IV) the `Pueblo Revolt';
``(V) Olympian Jim Thorpe;
``(VI) Ely S. Parker, a general on the staff of General
Ulysses S. Grant and later head of the Bureau of Indian
Affairs; and
``(VII) code talkers who served the United States Armed
Forces during World War I and World War II; and

``(iv) in the case of a design depicting the contribution
of an individual Native American to the development of the
United States and the history of the United States, shall not
depict the individual in a size such that the coin could be
considered to be a `2-headed' coin.
``(3) Issuance of coins commemorating 1 native american
event during each year.--
``(A) In general.--Each design for the reverse of the $1
coins issued during each year shall be emblematic of 1
important Native American or Native American contribution
each year.
``(B) Issuance period.--Each $1 coin minted with a design
on the reverse in accordance with this subsection for any
year shall be issued during the 1-year period beginning on
January 1 of that year and shall be available throughout the
entire 1-year period.
``(C) Order of issuance of designs.--Each coin issued under
this subsection commemorating Native Americans and their
contributions--
``(i) shall be issued, to the maximum extent practicable,
in the chronological order in which the Native Americans
lived or the events occurred, until the termination of the
coin program described in subsection (n); and
``(ii) thereafter shall be issued in any order determined
to be appropriate by the Secretary, after consultation with
the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate, the
Congressional Native American Caucus of the House of
Representatives, and the National Congress of American
Indians.
``(4) 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.
``(5) Quantity.--The number of $1 coins minted and issued
in a year with the Sacagawea-design on the obverse shall be
not less than 20 percent of the total number of $1 coins
minted and issued in such year.''.

SEC. 3. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

Section 5112(n)(1) of title 31, United States Code, is
amended--
(1) by striking the paragraph designation and heading and
all that follows through ``Notwithstanding subsection (d)''
and inserting the following:
``(1) Redesign beginning in 2007.--Notwithstanding
subsection (d)'';
(2) by striking subparagraph (B); and
(3) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as subparagraphs
(A) and (B), respectively, and indenting the subparagraphs
appropriately.

SEC. 4. REMOVAL OF BARRIERS TO CIRCULATION OF $1 COIN.

(a) In General.--In order to remove barriers to
circulation, the Secretary of the Treasury shall carry out an
aggressive, cost-effective, continuing campaign to encourage
commercial enterprises to accept and dispense $1 coins that
have as designs on the obverse the so-called ``Sacagawea
design''.
(b) Report.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall submit to
Congress an annual report on

[[Page H10037]]

the success of the efforts described in subsection (a).

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Oklahoma (Mr. Boren) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma.

General Leave

Mr. BOREN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Oklahoma?
There was no objection.
Mr. BOREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2358, the Native American $1
Coin Act, requiring the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue
coins commemorating Native Americans and the important contributions
they have made to the history and growth of the United States.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Frank and Mr. Kildee for their hard
work in making this legislation a priority and recognizing the
importance of memorializing Native Americans who have been instrumental
to the evolution of the United States.
H.R. 2358 calls upon the government to recognize and pay a long
overdue tribute to Indian tribes and individual Native Americans for
their significant contributions. This bill would allow for our
country's acknowledgment of important events in Native American
history.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROSKAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2358, the Native
American $1 Coin Act, and urge its immediate passage.
The legislation before us is essentially identical to a bill that
passed the House in June by a voice vote, with minor changes made by
the other body. H.R. 2358 complements the Presidential $1 Coin Act that
passed in the last Congress thanks to the hard work and leadership of
the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) and the gentlewoman from New
York (Mrs. Maloney). Like that program and the very popular 50-State
quarter program, it will provide an enormous educational opportunity
for parents and teachers, while also recognizing the immense and
important contributions of Native Americans to the history of the
United States. Passage of this legislation also could save taxpayers
more than half a billion dollars over the next decade.
When Congress passed the Presidential $1 Coin Act in December of
2005, it contained a requirement that a third of all dollar coins
minted each year bear the design of the Sacagawea coin that first was
issued in 2000. The requirement was intended to keep the image and the
memory of Sacagawea in people's minds while the mint issues
presidential dollars.
Unfortunately, through no fault of the design or its subject, there
is no real demand for the dollar coin with an unchanging design. At the
current rate of issue of presidential coins, the mint would have to
make 300 to 350 million of the current design Sacagawea dollars every
year, resulting in some $60 million of material and labor costs per
year, not counting storage for the unused coins.
Under H.R. 2358, the current Sacagawea design would appear on the
front of 20 percent of all dollar coins. Similar to the changing design
of quarters and presidential dollars, the reverse of the Sacagawea coin
would be different each year, honoring such contributions to American
history as the Iroquois Confederacy, the Cherokee written language, the
code talkers who served the U.S. Army so heroically in both world wars,
and individuals such as Olympian Jim Thorpe.
Let me close by congratulating the lead sponsor of the legislation,
the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) and by thanking Chairman Frank
for bringing the bill to the floor today. I urge passage of H.R. 2358,
and I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for his leadership on this
issue.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
chairman of the Financial Services Committee from the State of
Massachusetts and a strong supporter of Native Americans (Mr. Frank).
Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
the important role he has played in our committee as a representative
from a State which has a very large number of Native Americans. The
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Boren) has played a lead role in helping
us live up to our obligations to Native Americans. And I am very proud
of the role that the committee has played in general in this area, in
the coinage area, a couple of things that have come up in the housing
area and elsewhere, and the gentleman from Oklahoma has been a major
part of that.
I am also very pleased to be here with one of the great advocates for
human rights in general and particularly for Native Americans, our
colleague from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), who has been the major mover in
insisting that we live up to the obligation we as a Nation have to
Native Americans. This bill is in furtherance of that. It is, I am glad
to say, and has been from the beginning, bipartisan, and I hope it is
passed. And I just want to pay tribute to the work of both the
gentleman from Oklahoma and the gentleman from Michigan.
Mr. ROSKAM. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee).
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr.
Boren), an active member of the Native American Caucus, for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, as Democratic chairman of the congressional Native
American Caucus, I am honored to speak in support of H.R. 2358, the
Native American $1 Coin Act.
As the chief sponsor of this bipartisan legislation, I am pleased
that the House is passing this final version of the bill today. The
House passed H.R. 2358 on June 12, 2007, and the Senate passed it by
unanimous consent on August 3 with an amendment that makes minor
changes to the bill. Both my friend, Financial Services chairman Barney
Frank, and I support the Senate changes.
Mr. Speaker, this bill will honor the strength and wisdom of Indian
country by authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue
coins that commemorate the outstanding contributions of Native
Americans by changing the design annually on the reverse side of the
Sacagawea dollar coin. These designs will take the American people
through a journey of different experiences of Native peoples by
exposing them to their unique histories while preserving the memory of
Sacagawea, the young Shoshone woman who assisted Lewis and Clark on
their expedition to the Pacific Northwest more than 200 years ago.
I can think of no better way to pay tribute to the Native American
people than to honor their contributions to the development of the
United States and her history. I urge my colleagues to support this
legislation.
Mr. ROSKAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BOREN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent a State that is home
to nearly 40 federally recognized Indian tribes. Native Americans are
not only a strong part of Oklahoma's history, they are also richly
embedded in the history of the United States. H.R. 2358 allows the
government to do its part to recognize the importance of Native
Americans to our country's history and development.
Again, I thank Chairman Frank and Mr. Kildee for recognizing the
importance of H.R. 2358.
Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong support for
H.R. 2358, the Native American One Dollar Coin Act.
I want to thank my colleague, Representative Dale Kildee, for
sponsoring this bill and for all his great work as head of the Native
American Caucus.
I also would like to thank Chairman Frank for his efforts in guiding
this bill through the Financial Services Committee.
This bill honors the history of the American Indian culture by
authorizing the Treasury Department to mint and distribute coins that
commemorate the contributions of Native Americans.
By annually changing the design on the reverse side of the Sacagawea
coin, Americans

[[Page H10038]]

everywhere will be exposed to more of the unique histories of our
country's native inhabitants.
At the same time, this legislation ensures we still pay tribute to
Sacagawea, the young woman who bravely guided Lewis and Clark on their
expedition to the Pacific coast.
The Native American one dollar coin is a fitting way to pay tribute
to Native Americans while also educating current and future generations
on their many contributions to the United States.
I urge my colleagues to support increased appreciation of the Native
American culture, and cast a vote in favor of H.R. 2358.
Mr. BOREN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Boren) that the House suspend the rules
and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 2358.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the Senate amendment was concurred in.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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