United States Foreign Service Commemorative Coin Act
This bill, the United States Foreign Service Commemorative Coin Act, would require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue commemorative coins honoring the Foreign Service and its role in U.S. diplomacy. It establishes three coin denominations—a $5 gold coin, a $1 silver coin, and a half-dollar clad coin—with strict caps on how many can be minted. The designs must reflect the importance of diplomacy and the Foreign Service, and the Secretary would select designs after consulting with a museum/educational organization (Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training) and the Commission of Fine Arts, with review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. Issuance would occur only during the calendar year 2029, and the coins would be legal tender and treated as numismatic items (collectible coins rather than everyday circulating money). A key feature is the funding mechanism: each coin would include a per-coin surcharge that would be earmarked for the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training to support its work preserving and sharing diplomatic history. The bill also includes financial safeguards to ensure the program does not incur net costs to the government and requires cost recovery before any surcharges are disbursed. There are also constraints to align with existing limits on commemorative coin programs and to allow bulk sales and prepaid orders with discounts.
Key Points
- 1Denominations and minting caps:
- 2- $5 gold coins: up to 50,000 coins, 8.359 g, 0.850 inch diameter, at least 90% gold.
- 3- $1 silver coins: up to 400,000 coins, 26.73 g, 1.500 inch diameter, at least 90% silver.
- 4- Half-dollar clad coins: up to 750,000 coins, 11.34 g, 1.205 inch diameter; minted to standard half-dollar specs.
- 5- All coins are legal tender and treated as numismatic items.
- 6Design and review:
- 7- Designs must symbolize diplomacy’s importance and the Foreign Service’s role.
- 8- Design selections by the Secretary after consulting the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training and the Commission of Fine Arts; reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
- 9Issuance window:
- 10- Issuance allowed only during the calendar year 2029 (1-year period).
- 11Surcharges and distribution:
- 12- Surcharges: $35 per $5 coin; $10 per $1 coin; $5 per half-dollar coin.
- 13- Surplus revenue to be forwarded to the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training to fund its diplomatic history programs (oral histories, publications, etc.), with audits required.
- 14- Issuance limited by overall commemorative coin program caps in law (annual 2-program limit); Secretary can issue guidance to implement.
- 15Financial protections:
- 16- The Treasury must ensure the program does not impose net costs on the government.
- 17- Surcharges and other funds may not be disbursed until total design/issuance costs are recovered, consistent with existing cost-recovery rules.