[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 807 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 807
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of the invaluable service that working dogs provide to society.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 2, 2023
Mr. McHenry (for himself, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Carter of Georgia,
Ms. Chu, Ms. Craig, Mr. Cuellar, Mr. Davidson, Ms. DelBene, Ms. Lois
Frankel of Florida, Mr. Himes, Mr. Kilmer, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Sessions,
Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Ms. Stefanik, Ms. Titus, Mr. Tonko, Mrs.
Wagner, Mr. Wittman, Mr. Womack, Mr. Auchincloss, Mrs. Bice, Mr.
Ellzey, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Garbarino, Mrs. Kim of California, Mrs.
Miller-Meeks, Ms. Ross, Ms. Salazar, Mr. Trone, Mr. Valadao, Mr.
Williams of Texas, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. Aderholt, Ms. Dean of
Pennsylvania, Mr. Dunn of Florida, Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Mr.
Gottheimer, Ms. Mace, Ms. Malliotakis, Mrs. McClain, Mr. McGovern, Mr.
Meuser, Mr. Moolenaar, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Pence, Mr. Reschenthaler, Mr.
Stanton, Mr. Stauber, Mr. Timmons, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Weber of
Texas, Mr. Westerman, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Swalwell, Mr. Evans, Mr. Correa,
Mr. Payne, Mr. Neguse, Ms. Tenney, Ms. Plaskett, Mr. Bilirakis, Ms.
Bonamici, Ms. Barragan, Mrs. Cammack, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Foster, Mr.
Carey, Mr. Garamendi, Mrs. Hinson, Mr. Nunn of Iowa, Mr. Steil, Ms. De
La Cruz, and Mr. Pappas) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the
Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration
of the invaluable service that working dogs provide to society.
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 ``Working Dog Commemorative Coin
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Dogs going back thousands of years have been tied to
humans whether for protection, companionship, or assisting in
daily activities.
(2) The United States had an unofficial canine military
presence assisting soldiers in the Civil War and World War I,
but military K-9s did not become officially recognized until
March 13, 1942. During the height of the wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq it is estimated that the United States military
employed near 2,500 K-9s.
(3) Military K-9s have seen service in every major United
States combat since World War I and have been praised by
military leadership as an indispensable asset for military,
police, government, and private security teams around the
world.
(4) In 2000, Congress passed ``Robby's Law'' which allowed
for the adoption of military K-9s by law enforcement agencies,
former handlers, and other care groups.
(5) Since 2000, military K-9s have left service and gone
onto work explosive detection for police forces, and work as
service dogs for veterans and families.
(6) Beyond their military working capacity, working dogs
provide enhanced mobility assist and renewed independence for
the injured and disabled. Service dogs are able to support
veterans struggling after war, hear for those who are deaf, see
for those who are blind, and even sense changes in a person's
body before a seizure. Working dogs play a vital role in
improving the lives of many.
(7) The service dog programs of America's VetDogs were
created to provide enhanced mobility and renewed independence
to United States veterans, active-duty service members, and
first responders with disabilities.
(8) America's VetDogs provides--
(A) guide dogs for individuals who are blind or
have low vision;
(B) hearing dogs for those who have lost their
hearing later in life by alerting to alarms, door
bells, sirens, and more;
(C) service dogs for those with other physical
disabilities that are specially trained to provide
balance, retrieve dropped items, open and close doors,
turn on and off lights, carry a backpack, and more;
(D) facility dogs which are specially trained to
spend time working with wounded veterans recovering at
military hospitals and veterans medical centers;
(E) dogs that work with physical and occupational
therapists as they treat soldiers and become an
essential part of the healing process; and
(F) PTSD service dogs that are trained to help
mitigate the symptoms of PTSD by providing the
emotional and physical support a veteran may need.
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 in commemoration of the invaluable service that working
dogs provide to society.
(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.
(2) $1 silver coins.--Not more than 500,000 $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) be struck on a planchet having 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 vast contributions that working
dogs serve in society to include the range of services that
these dogs provide in detection, military service, therapy and
assistance.
(2) Designs 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 ``2025''; and
(C) 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--
(A) America's VetDogs; and
(B) the Commission of 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 minted
under this Act only during the 1-year period beginning on January 1,
2025.
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 America's VetDogs for application to general expenses
associated with the fulfillment of the mission of America's VetDogs,
including for costs associated with--
(1) personnel related to training, dog care, and consumer
needs;
(2) consultants to facilitate the training of America's
VetDogs Certified Service Dog Instructors; and
(3) travel, room and board for clients served by America's
VetDogs.
(c) Audits.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall
have the right to examine such books, records, documents, and other
data of each of the organizations referred to in subsection (b) as may
be related to the expenditures of amounts paid under that subsection.
(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 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, 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.
SEC. 9. BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
(a) Statutory PAYGO Scorecards.--The budgetary effects of this
section shall not be entered on either PAYGO scorecard maintained
pursuant to section 4(d) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2
U.S.C. 933(d)).
(b) Senate PAYGO Scorecards.--The budgetary effects of this section
shall not be entered on any PAYGO scorecard maintained for purposes of
section 4106 of H. Con. Res. 71 (115th Congress).
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