H.R. 4833: Santa Fe Quadricentennial Commemorative Coin Act

HR 4833 IH (Introduced in House)

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the quadricentennial of the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

December 18, 2007

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico (for himself, Mrs. WILSON of New Mexico, and Mr. PEARCE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the quadricentennial of the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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 `Santa Fe Quadricentennial Commemorative Coin Act’.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds as follows:

(1) Santa Fe, New Mexico, the site of native occupation centuries before European incursions, was officially elevated from a plaza established in 1608 to a villa and capital city in 1610 and has been the meeting place and home of many cultures.

(2) The Palace of the Governors, built in the early 17th century, served as the governor’s quarters and seat of government under 3 flags and is the oldest continuously used public building in the United States.

(3) La Fiesta de Santa Fe, a cultural, religious, and social celebration, commemorating the resettlement of Santa Fe by General Don Diego de Vargas in 1692 continues today as an attraction for tourists and locals alike.

(4) At the nexus of 3 historically important trails, Santa Fe brought people and goods together over the Santa Fe Trail to and from Missouri, California, and Mexico City.

(5) Commerce on the Santa Fe Trail brought a much needed boost to the American Midwest’s economy during the recession of the early 19th century.

(6) Santa Fe was the rendezvous place for traders, mountain men, and `Forty-Niners’ on route to California and is today home to a multicultural citizenry and world class art market.

(7) The Santa Fe area has long attracted tourists, artists, and writers, and is a center of market activity for arts and culture year round, culminating in the world-renowned Indian Market, Spanish Colonial Art Market, and International Folk Art Market.

(8) New Mexico is the home to the oldest and continuously inhabited indigenous communities in North America.

(9) Native communities now residing in New Mexico include the following: Acoma Pueblo; Alamo Navajo Chapter; Canoncito Navajo Chapter; Cochiti Pueblo; Isleta Pueblo; Jemez Pueblo; Jicarilla Apache Tribe; Laguna Pueblo; Mescalero Apache Tribe; Nambe Pueblo; Picuris Pueblo; Pojoaque Pueblo; Ramah Navajo Chapter; San Felipe Pueblo; San Ildefonso Pueblo; San Juan Pueblo; Sandia Pueblo; Santa Ana Pueblo; Santa Clara Pueblo; Santo Domingo Pueblo; Taos Pueblo; Tesuque Pueblo; Zia Pueblo; and Zuni Pueblo.

(10) Many other native communities or groups disappeared or were moved after European contact.

(11) The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 is known to be one of the first `American Revolutions’ when the Pueblo people ousted Spanish colonists from New Mexico.

(12) The Santa Fe area has long attracted tourists, artists, and writers: the classic novel Ben Hur was written, in part, by then Governor Lew Wallace, in the Palace of the Governors.

(13) A commemorative coin will help to foster an understanding and appreciation of New Mexico, its history and culture, and the importance of Santa Fe and New Mexico to the history of the United States and the world.

SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS.

(a) Denominations- In commemoration of the quadricentennial of the establishment of the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the `Secretary’) shall mint and issue the following coins:

(1) $5 GOLD COINS- Not more than 100,000 $5 coins, which shall–

(A) weigh 8.359 grams;

(B) have a diameter of 0.850 inches; and

(C) contain 90 percent gold and 10 percent alloy.

(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 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.

(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- All coins minted under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.

(d) Domestic Source of Bullion- Gold and silver for coins minted under this Act shall be acquired in the manner provided in subsections (a)(3) and (b)(1) of section 5116 of title 31, United States Code.

SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS.

(a) Design Requirements-

(1) IN GENERAL- The design of the coins minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the settlement of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the oldest capital city in the United States.

(2) DESIGNATION 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 `2010′; and

(C) inscriptions of the words `Liberty’, `In God We Trust’, `United States of America’, and `E Pluribus Unum’ on the obverse or reverse.

(b) Selection- The design for the coins minted under this Act shall be–

(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation with 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, 2010.

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; and

(2) $10 per coin for the $1 coin.

(b) Distribution- Subject to section 5134(f)(1), 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 as follows:

(1) 1/2 TO SANTA FE 400TH ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE- 50 percent of the surcharges received by the Secretary shall be paid to the Santa Fe 400th Anniversary Committee, Inc., to support programs to promote the understanding of the legacies of Santa Fe.

(2) 1/2 TO THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR- 50 percent of the surcharges received by the Secretary shall be paid to the Secretary of the Interior for the following purposes:

(A) Sustaining the ongoing mission of preserving Santa Fe.

(B) Enhancing national and international programs.

(C) Improving infrastructure and archaeological research activities.

(D) Conducting other programs to support the quadricentennial of the establishment of Santa Fe.

(c) Audits- The Santa Fe 400th Anniversary Committee, Inc., and the Secretary of the Interior shall be subject to the audit requirements of section 5134(f)(2) of title 31, United States Code.