[Pages H7147-H7149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

HARRIET TUBMAN BICENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT

Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1842) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint
commemorative coins in recognition of the Bicentennial of Harriet
Tubman's birth.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 1842

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 ``Harriet Tubman Bicentennial
Commemorative Coin Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) Harriet Tubman was a formerly enslaved abolitionist who
guided about 70 people from slavery to freedom in 10 years.
(2) Born in March 1822, Tubman was a notable abolitionist
who not only freed herself, but also freed others from
slavery.
(3) Harriet Ross Tubman, born Araminta ``Minty'' Ross, was
born enslaved on the plantation of Anthony Thompson in
Dorchester County, Maryland.
(4) With the help of the Underground Railroad network, in
the fall of 1849, Tubman escaped from Poplar Neck in Caroline
County, Maryland, heading north to freedom in Pennsylvania.
(5) With the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act as part of
the Compromise of 1850, the operations to help enslaved
persons escape became dangerous and she risked her life to
rescue them from slavery.
(6) Despite passage of the Compromise of 1850 and the
Fugitive Slave Act, Tubman continued her work, escorting her
refugees to Canada instead.
(7) It was during the 1850s that Tubman made 13 trips back
to Maryland, guiding approximately 70 enslaved persons to the
North, including family members, and providing instruction to
about 70 more who found their way to freedom on their own.
(8) Regardless of the arduous process of helping fugitive
enslaved persons escape through the Underground Railroad, not
a single person was recaptured under Tubman's supervision.
(9) During 1859, Tubman aided abolitionist John Brown by
recruiting supporters for his raid on Harper's Ferry, a
planned insurrection against slaveholders in Virginia and
Maryland.
(10) In the beginning of the Civil War, Tubman served as a
spy, cook, and nurse in South Carolina and Florida.
(11) Tubman also recruited newly freed African-American men
to join regiments of African-American soldiers called United
States Colored Troops.
(12) In recognition of her abilities, Tubman served as an
army scout and spy for Major General David Hunter and Colonel
James Montgomery. Harriet Tubman was inducted into the
Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame.
(13) Tubman distinguished herself as the first woman to
lead an armed expedition in the Civil War, the Combahee River
Raid, resulting in more than 700 enslaved persons in South
Carolina being freed.
(14) After the Civil War, Tubman frequently sheltered and
fed newly freed enslaved persons at her home on South Street
in Auburn, New York, which she purchased from Secretary of
State William Henry Seward, even though she had little money
herself. She found a means to an end by working as a
domestic, selling produce from her garden, taking in
donations of food, loans from friends, and raising pigs on
her farm.
(15) Tubman became active in the women's movement as early
as 1860. She attended meetings and gave speeches in her home
State of New York, as well as in Boston and Washington, D.C.
(16) Tubman was an avid advocate for African-American women
and their civil rights. In 1896, she was invited as a speaker
at the first meeting of the National Association of Colored
Women in Washington, D.C.
(17) Although living in financial insecurity, Tubman
transferred a 25-acre parcel of land to the African Methodist
Episcopal Zion Church in 1903, which eventually became The
Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged and Indigent Negroes. At the
time, few social services existed for elderly and ill people
of color.
(18) Escaping slavery, risking everything to save her
family and friends, aiding enslaved persons in escape from
slavery, leading a military raid, championing the cause of
women's suffrage, advocating for civil rights and access to
health care, Harriet Tubman is an individual that has
performed achievements that have had profound impacts on
history and culture in the United States.

SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

(a) Denominations.--In commemoration of Harriet Tubman, the
Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter referred to in this Act
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) be struck on a planchet having a diameter of 0.850
inches; and
(C) contain at least 90 percent gold.
(2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 400,000 $1 coins, which
shall--
(A) weigh 26.73 grams;
(B) be struck on a planchet having a diameter of 1.500
inches; and
(C) contain at least 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 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. DESIGNS OF COINS.

(a) Design Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The designs of the coins minted under this
Act shall be emblematic of the legacy of Harriet Tubman as an
abolitionist. At least one obverse design shall bear the
image of Harriet Tubman.
(2) Designation and inscriptions.--On each coin minted
under this Act, there shall be--
(A) an inscription of Harriet Tubman;
(B) a designation of the value of the coin;
(C) an inscription of the year ``2024''; and
(D) inscriptions of the words ``Liberty'', ``In God We
Trust'', ``United States of America'', and ``E Pluribus
Unum''.
(b) Selection.--The designs for the coins minted under this
Act shall be--
(1) selected by the Secretary, after consultation with the
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati,
Ohio, The Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. in Auburn, New York, and
the Commission of the Fine Arts; 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.--Only 1 facility of the United States
Mint may be used to strike any particular quality of the
coins minted under this Act.
(c) Period for Issuance.--The Secretary may issue coins
under this Act only during the period beginning on January 1,
2024, and ending on December 31, 2024.

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 under section 7(a) with respect
to the 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
the 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--
(1) a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coins;
(2) a surcharge of $10 per coin for the $1 coins; and
(3) a surcharge of $5 per coin for the half-dollar coin.
(b) Distribution.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2),
subject to section 5134(f) 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 equally to the National Underground Railroad
Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and The Harriet Tubman
Home, Inc. in Auburn, New York, for the purpose of
accomplishing and advancing their missions.
(2) Exception.--Notwithstanding section 5134(f)(1) of title
31, United States Code, if an entity described in paragraph
(1) of this subsection raises funds from private sources in
an amount that is less than the total amount of the proceeds
of the surcharge derived from the sale of the coins issued
under this Act, the Secretary shall promptly pay to the other
entity the proceeds of such surcharge.
(c) Audits.--The National Underground Railroad Freedom
Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and The Harriet Tubman Home, Inc.
in Auburn, New York, 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

[[Page H7148]]

under section 5112(m)(1) of title 31, United States Code. 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 will not
result in any net cost to the United States Government; and
(2) no funds, including applicable surcharges, are
disbursed to any 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, winning design compensation, 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.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Waters) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.

General Leave

Ms. WATERS. Madam 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
gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, today I rise in strong support of H.R. 1842, the
Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act.
I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) for his tireless
efforts to ensure that Congress celebrates and upholds Harriet Tubman's
legacy of passionate advocacy for civil rights, women's suffrage, and
the liberation of enslaved persons.
Historians value coins and currencies as an important form of visual
storytelling. This is because the objects and, more importantly, the
people depicted on a currency reflects the values and the narratives
that a society tells about itself. As such, I cannot think of an
individual who more perfectly embodies American values of seeking
justice, protecting freedom, and enduring personal sacrifices in the
pursuit of a more perfect Union than Harriet Tubman.
Born enslaved in March 1822 on the plantation of Anthony Thompson in
Dorchester County, Maryland, Harriet Ross Tubman, also known as
Araminta ``Minty'' Ross, was a notable abolitionist, who not only freed
herself but also others from slavery.
After freeing herself in the fall of 1849 with the help of the
Underground Railroad network, Tubman devoted herself to the arduous and
life-threatening process of freeing other enslaved persons. Throughout
the 1850s, Tubman made 13 trips back to Maryland, guiding approximately
70 enslaved persons to the north, including family members, and
providing instruction to about 70 more who found their way to freedom
on their own.
During the Civil War, Tubman served as a spy, cook, and a nurse in
South Carolina and Florida. She also recruited newly freed African-
American men to join regiments of African-American soldiers called
United States Colored Troops and served herself as an Army scout and
spy for Union leaders Major General David Hunter and Colonel James
Montgomery. For her invaluable service, Tubman was inducted into the
Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame.
After the Civil War, Tubman continued her legacy of activism and care
for the community, often sheltering and providing for newly freed,
formerly enslaved persons in her home on South Street in Auburn, New
York.
Ms. Tubman was also an ardent supporter of women's suffrage, civil
rights, and access to healthcare, and would attend meetings and give
speeches in support of these rights in Boston, New York City, and
Washington, D.C.
This bipartisan bill championed by Representative Meeks and
Representative Katko would provide tangible support to the National
Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the
Harriet Tubman Home, Incorporated, in Auburn, New York, to advance
their shared mission of sharing Harriet Tubman's legacy and continuance
to advance her vision of a more just and equitable America.
This bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to produce
noncirculating commemorative coins for purchase bearing Harriet
Tubman's image and depicting her legacy as an abolitionist.
I thank Representatives Meeks and Katko for introducing this historic
bill, and I urge Members to support this bill.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

{time} 2100

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise, too, in support of H.R. 1842, the Harriet
Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act.
Harriet Tubman, born Araminta Ross, is one of the most well-known
conductors of the Underground Railroad. An escaped slave herself,
Harriet navigated the Underground Railroad and reached safety in
Philadelphia in 1849.
Instead of remaining in Philadelphia, Harriet made numerous secret
return trips to Maryland to free her friends and family. It is unclear
just how many trips she made, but over a 10-year period, she never once
lost one of her passengers, and she was never caught.
Many know Harriet for her contributions to the Underground Railroad.
However, the knowledge she gained by leading numerous covert missions
was also critical to the Union military success.
In addition to mapping Southern towns and transportation routes for
the Union Army, Harriet Tubman would disguise herself as an unassuming
elderly slave and wander the streets of Confederate towns, scouting
military positions and supply lines, once again proving that Harriet
was always willing to put her life on the line to defeat and destroy
the system of slavery.
Harriet Tubman lived a truly extraordinary life and, in doing so,
saved countless lives, not only those she navigated to freedom but of
Union soldiers who used her intelligence to defeat their opponents, the
Confederate forces.
Her incredible life cannot be summarized in 1 speech or 10 on this
House floor, but the commemorative coin produced by H.R. 1842 will
hopefully inspire a new generation to study her history.
Madam Speaker, I support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to
support it as well, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time until my
colleague yields back.
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, let me say that each day as I drive through
downtown Little Rock, I pass the most handsome statue of Harriet Tubman
right outside our city hall. She has her walking stick and her cape.
She is in that disguise as that slave woman walking the streets of that
Confederate town. It brings inspiration to all the citizens of Little
Rock to see this extraordinary woman in this public piece of art in
front of our city hall.
Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Katko), an author of the bill.
Mr. KATKO. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the comments of my colleagues,
Ms. Waters and Mr. Hill, and I adopt those comments as well.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 1842,
the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act.
It is an honor and privilege to speak in support of this bill, which
comes to the floor just over 200 years from the time of Harriet
Tubman's birth.
Across this country and around the world, Harriet Tubman is
remembered as an icon of freedom and an agent of change. After her
escape from slavery and work as a conductor on the Underground
Railroad, Harriet Tubman resided in Auburn, New York, for several
years--right down the road from her friend and mentor, William Seward.
Her former home has become a cherished site in central New York, and
I have been proud to represent the Harriet Tubman Home and work with
its caretaker since I came to Congress. Today's vote represents one of
the most significant steps forward in strengthening Federal recognition
of the Harriet Tubman Home since its designation as a national park in
2017.

[[Page H7149]]

Specifically, I am pleased that the coins issued under this
legislation bearing Harriet Tubman's likeness and symbolizing her
legacy will directly benefit preservation and education efforts at the
Tubman Home in Auburn for years to come.
Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Meeks for joining me in
introducing the House version of this bill, as well as Senators Portman
and Rosen for their successful efforts to unanimously pass this
legislation in the Senate earlier this year.
Madam Speaker, I look forward to sending this bill to the President's
desk for signature, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of
honoring a truly great American hero who was tough as nails.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to follow the recommendation from
Mr. Katko and support H.R. 1842, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlemen from New York, Mr. Meeks and Mr.
Katko, for their hard work on this bill. I thank the gentlewoman from
Nevada, Senator Rosen, and the gentleman from Ohio, Senator Portman,
for leading the Senate companion version of this bill.
Who we choose to honor on our currency says a lot about who we are
and what we value as a society. This bill is an opportunity for us to
declare to ourselves and to our prosperity that we are a society who
values courage in the face of oppression, and liberty and justice for
all, not just for the lucky few.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to declare themselves as
supporters of these shared American values by supporting this bill, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1842.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

____________________