[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8182 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8182
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint a commemorative coin
in recognition of James Weldon Johnson.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 22, 2022
Mr. Lawson of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint a commemorative coin
in recognition of James Weldon Johnson.
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 ``James Weldon Johnson Commemorative
Coin Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) James Weldon Johnson was born on June 17, 1871, in
Jacksonville, Florida, to a Bahamian mother, Helen Louise
Dillet, and African-American father, James Johnson. He had a
younger brother, John Rosamund Johnson. His mother had a large
influence on his interest in literature and music.
(2) At the age of 16, James Weldon Johnson enrolled at
Atlanta University, now Clark Atlanta University, a
historically Black college, and graduated in 1894.
(3) James Weldon Johnson returned to Jacksonville following
his graduation, where he served as principal of the Stanton
School. He expanded the school to include Florida's first high
school for African Americans, which opened in 1898.
(4) In 1895, James Weldon Johnson started the Daily
American, Florida's first African-American newspaper.
(5) During this period, James Weldon Johnson was admitted
to the Florida Bar in 1897. He became the first African
American to pass the Florida Bar since the Reconstruction Era
ended.
(6) In 1899, James Weldon Johnson wrote the poem ``Lift
Every Voice and Sing'' to honor Abraham Lincoln's birthday. His
brother, John Rosamund Johnson, composed the music to turn it
into a song. In 1919, the National Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP) designated the song as the ``Negro National
Anthem''.
(7) As part of the Great Migration, James Weldon Johnson
and John Rosamund Johnson moved to Harlem, New York. They
became composers for Broadway shows and later became integral
figures of the Harlem Renaissance.
(8) After winning the election, in 1906, President Theodore
Roosevelt appointed James Weldon Johnson as U.S. Consul in
Venezuela. In 1909, he was appointed as U.S. Consul in
Nicaragua by President William Taft.
(9) Following his diplomatic service, James Weldon Johnson
became a field secretary for the NAACP in 1916. In 1920, he
became the first African-American Executive Secretary for the
NAACP, where he helped increase membership, create new
chapters, and organize Civil Rights movements across the
country.
(10) James Weldon Johnson represented the NAACP as the
chief Congressional lobbyist to encourage passage of the
Representative Leonidas Dyer anti-lynching bill. This bill went
on to pass the U.S. House of Representatives in 1922 but failed
in the U.S. Senate due to the filibuster.
(11) In 1930, after serving 10 years in the NAACP, James
Weldon Johnson accepted an offer to become the Spence Chair of
Creative Literature and Writing at Fisk University, a
historically black college in Nashville, Tennessee.
(12) In 1934, James Weldon Johnson was hired as the first
Black professor at New York University, where he taught
Creative Literature and Education.
(13) James Weldon Johnson was an accomplished novelist and
poet. He released several poetry collections and novels, among
his most popular pieces of literature were God's Trombones:
Seven Negro Sermons in Verse and The Autobiography of an Ex-
Colored Man.
(14) James Weldon Johnson passed away suddenly in 1938. His
funeral was held in Harlem, New York, where over 2,000 people
attended.
(15) James Weldon Johnson's excellence revolutionized
literature, music, education, politics, and law. His
fearlessness to fight for equality created pathways for African
Americans to proudly pursue their aspirations.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) Denominations.--In recognition and celebration of James Weldon
Johnson, the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred
to as the ``Secretary'') shall mint and issue not more than 400,000 $1
coins, which shall--
(1) weigh 26.73 grams;
(2) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and
(3) contain not less than 90-percent silver.
(b) Legal Tender.--The coin 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 sections 5134 and 5136 of
title 31, United States Code, all coins minted under this Act shall be
considered to be numismatic items.
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF THE COIN.
(a) In General.--The designs for the coin minted under this Act
shall be emblematic of James Weldon Johnson and shall bear the name and
image of James Weldon Johnson.
(b) Designations and Inscriptions.--On the coin minted under this
Act there shall be--
(1) a designation of the denomination of the coin;
(2) an inscription of the year ``2025'';
(3) the name and likeness of James Weldon Johnson; and
(4) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God We
Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E Pluribus Unum''.
(c) Selection.--The designs for the coin minted under this Act
shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary, after consultation with the
James Weldon Johnson Foundation, Historic Stanton, Inc., the
family of James Weldon Johnson, and Commission of the Fine
Arts; and
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF THE COIN.
(a) Quality of the Coin.--The coin minted under this Act shall be
issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.
(b) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue the coin minted
under this Act only during the 1-year period beginning on January 1,
2025.
SEC. 6. SALE OF THE COIN.
(a) Sale Price.--The coin issued under this Act shall be sold by
the Secretary at a price based upon the sum of--
(1) the face value of the coin;
(2) the surcharge provided in section 7(a) with respect to
such coin; and
(3) the cost of designing and issuing the coin (including
labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses,
marketing, and shipping).
(b) Bulk Sales.--The Secretary shall make bulk sales of the coin
issued under this Act at a reasonable discount.
(c) Prepaid Orders.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall accept prepaid orders
for the coin minted under this Act before the issuance of such
coin.
(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 the coin minted under this Act shall
include a surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coin.
(b) Distribution.--Subject to section 5134(f) of title 31, United
States Code, all surcharges received by the Secretary from the sale of
coin issued under this Act shall be promptly paid equally by the
Secretary to the Historic Stanton, Inc., and the James Weldon Johnson
Foundation, for the purpose of strengthening educational outcomes for
students, with a focus on students of color.
(c) Audits.--The Historic Stanton, Inc., and James Weldon Johnson
Foundation shall be subject to the audit requirements of section
5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code, with respect to 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. The Secretary 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 the coin under this Act will not
result in any net cost to the United States Government; and
(2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are
disbursed to the recipient designated in section 7 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.
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