HR 951119th CongressIn Committee

250 Years of Service and Sacrifice Commemorative Coin Act

Introduced: Feb 4, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

H.R. 951, the 250 Years of Service and Sacrifice Commemorative Coin Act, would require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint a limited run of commemorative coins in 2028 to mark 250 years since the nation’s independence. The coins include a $5 gold piece, a $1 silver piece, and a half-dollar clad coin, with strict caps on how many of each can be minted. Proceeds from surcharges on the sale of these coins would go to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation to support Gold Star families, first responders, veterans, and related programs. The bill also sets design, issuance, and sale rules and requires that the program be financially neutral to the government, with cost recovered before any surcharges are disbursed.

Key Points

1Coin types, limits, and specs: Mint up to 100,000 $5 gold coins (8.359 g, 0.850" diameter, 90% gold), up to 500,000 $1 silver coins (26.73 g, 1.500" diameter, 90% silver), and up to 750,000 half-dollar clad coins (standard half-dollar specs). All coins are legal tender and are considered numismatic items for specific legal purposes.
2Surcharges and beneficiary: Each gold coin would carry a $35 surcharge, each silver coin a $10 surcharge, and each half-dollar a $5 surcharge. All surcharges go to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation to fund housing for Gold Star families, aid to first responders and veterans, scholarships, disaster response resources, and memorial projects. The Foundation is subject to audit requirements.
3Design and issuing process: Designs must symbolize over 250 years of Americans’ service and sacrifice and include the value, year “2028,” and the inscriptions Liberty, In God We Trust, United States of America, and E Pluribus Unum. The Secretary selects designs after consulting with the Foundation and the Commission of Fine Arts, with review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
4Issuance window and qualities: Coins may be issued only in 2028, in uncirculated and proof forms.
5Sales terms and public availability: Coins will be sold at price equal to face value plus surcharges plus design/issuance costs. There can be bulk discounts and prepaid order discounts.
6Financial safeguards: The Act requires actions to ensure no net cost to the federal government and that funds tied to surcharges are not disbursed until total design/issuance costs are recovered. A 2-commemorative-coin-per-year issuance cap remains in effect; surcharges cannot be added if issuance would push beyond that limit.

Impact Areas

Primary: Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation and the families it serves (Gold Star families, first responders’ families, veterans), plus the broader community of Gold Star and veteran-support programs funded by the surcharges.Secondary: Numismatic collectors and the broader public who purchase the coins; the U.S. Treasury and coin program administration (design, minting, and sale processes).Additional impacts: Sets a precedent for future commemorative programs linking profits to private charitable foundations; introduces a cost-recovery framework intended to avoid net cost to taxpayers; reinforces recognition of first responders and military families within national commemorations.

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