§5135 — Title 31 Money and Finance | U.S. Code

Summary

Creates a Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee to give the Secretary of the Treasury advice about themes and designs for coins and medals. The committee has 11 members chosen by the Secretary: seven picked directly (including experts such as a numismatic curator, a medallic artist or sculptor, an American historian, a numismatist, and three people to represent the public) and four picked from candidates recommended by top leaders in the House and Senate (Speaker, House minority leader, Senate majority leader, Senate minority leader). Members normally serve 4-year terms, but the Secretary sets staggered first terms so some serve 2 or 3 years at the start. No federal officers or employees may be members. Members may stay up to 6 months after their term ends until a successor is named. Vacancies are filled the same way as the original appointment. The Secretary may remove members for good cause and picks a chair for 1 year. Members are unpaid but get travel and meeting expenses from the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund. The committee must meet at least twice a year, in public, with notice in the Federal Register and other publications; seven members make a quorum. The committee’s job is to advise the Secretary on designs and themes for circulating coins, bullion coins, congressional gold medals, and other Treasury medals, and to recommend commemorative subjects, mintage levels, and designs for the next five years. The Mint provides support when needed. The committee must send an annual report by September 30 to the Secretary and certain congressional committees describing its work and recommendations. Chapter 10 of title 5 does not apply to the committee, subject to the meeting notice rules above.

Title 31, §5135

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(a)(1)There is hereby established the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (in this section referred to as the “Advisory Committee”) to advise the Secretary of the Treasury on the selection of themes and designs for coins.

(2)The Advisory Committee shall be subject to the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Secretary”).

(b)(1)The Advisory Committee shall consist of 11 members appointed by the Secretary as follows:

(A)Seven persons appointed by the Secretary—

(i)one of whom shall be appointed from among individuals who are specially qualified to serve on the Advisory Committee by virtue of their education, training, or experience as a nationally or internationally recognized curator in the United States of a numismatic collection;

(ii)one of whom shall be appointed from among individuals who are specially qualified to serve on the Advisory Committee by virtue of their experience in the medallic arts or sculpture;

(iii)one of whom shall be appointed from among individuals who are specially qualified to serve on the Advisory Committee by virtue of their education, training, or experience in American history;

(iv)one of whom shall be appointed from among individuals who are specially qualified to serve on the Advisory Committee by virtue of their education, training, or experience in numismatics; and

(v)three of whom shall be appointed from among individuals who can represent the interests of the general public in the coinage of the United States.

(B)Four persons appointed by the Secretary on the basis of the recommendations of the following officials who shall make the selection for such recommendation from among citizens who are specially qualified to serve on the Advisory Committee by virtue of their education, training, or experience:

(i)One person recommended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(ii)One person recommended by the minority leader of the House of Representatives.

(iii)One person recommended by the majority leader of the Senate.

(iv)One person recommended by the minority leader of the Senate.

(2)(A)Except as provided in subparagraph (B), members of the Advisory Committee shall be appointed for a term of 4 years.

(B)As designated by the Secretary at the time of appointment, of the members first appointed—

(i)four of the members appointed under paragraph (1)(A) shall be appointed for a term of 4 years;

(ii)the four members appointed under paragraph (1)(B) shall be appointed for a term of 3 years; and

(iii)three of the members appointed under paragraph (1)(A) shall be appointed for a term of 2 years.

(3)No individual may be appointed to the Advisory Committee while serving as an officer or employee of the Federal Government.

(4)Each appointed member may continue to serve for up to 6 months after the expiration of the term of office to which such member was appointed until a successor has been appointed.

(5)(A)Any vacancy on the Advisory Committee shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made.

(B)Advisory Committee members shall serve at the discretion of the Secretary and may be removed at any time for good cause.

(6)The Chairperson of the Advisory Committee shall be appointed for a term of 1 year by the Secretary from among the members of the Advisory Committee.

(7)Members of the Advisory Committee shall serve without pay for such service but each member of the Advisory Committee shall be reimbursed from the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund for travel, lodging, meals, and incidental expenses incurred in connection with attendance of such members at meetings of the Advisory Committee in the same amounts and under the same conditions as employees of the United States Mint who engage in official travel, as determined by the Secretary.

(8)(A)The Advisory Committee shall meet at the call of the Secretary, the chairperson, or a majority of the members, but not less frequently than twice annually.

(B)Each meeting of the Advisory Committee shall be open to the public.

(C)Timely notice of each meeting of the Advisory Committee shall be published in the Federal Register, and timely notice of each meeting shall be made to trade publications and publications of general circulation.

(9)Seven members of the Advisory Committee shall constitute a quorum.

(c)The duties of the Advisory Committee are as follows:

(1)Advising the Secretary of the Treasury on any theme or design proposals relating to circulating coinage, bullion coinage, congressional gold medals and national and other medals produced by the Secretary of the Treasury in accordance with section 5111 of title 31, United States Code.

(2)Advising the Secretary of the Treasury with regard to—

(A)the events, persons, or places that the Advisory Committee recommends be commemorated by the issuance of commemorative coins in each of the 5 calendar years succeeding the year in which a commemorative coin designation is made;

(B)the mintage level for any commemorative coin recommended under subparagraph (A); and

(C)the proposed designs for commemorative coins.

(d)The expenses of the Advisory Committee that the Secretary of the Treasury determines to be reasonable and appropriate shall be paid by the Secretary from the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

(e)Upon the request of the Advisory Committee, or as necessary for the Advisory Committee to carry out the responsibilities of the Advisory Committee under this section, the Director of the United States Mint shall provide to the Advisory Committee the administrative support, technical services, and advice that the Secretary of the Treasury determines to be reasonable and appropriate.

(f)In carrying out the duties of the Advisory Committee under this section, the Advisory Committee may consult with the Commission of Fine Arts.

(g)(1)Not later than September 30 of each year, the Advisory Committee shall submit a report to the Secretary, the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate. Should circumstances arise in which the Advisory Committee cannot meet the September 30 deadline in any year, the Secretary shall advise the Chairpersons of the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate of the reasons for such delay and the date on which the submission of the report is anticipated.

(2)The report required by paragraph (1) shall describe the activities of the Advisory Committee during the preceding year and the reports and recommendations made by the Advisory Committee to the Secretary of the Treasury.

(h)Subject to the requirements of subsection (b)(8), chapter 10 of title 5 shall not apply with respect to the Committee.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 117–286 substituted “Chapter 10 of Title 5” for “Federal Advisory Committee Act” in heading and “chapter 10 of title 5” for “the Federal Advisory Committee Act” in text. 2003—Pub. L. 108–15 amended section catchline and text generally. Prior to amendment, text provided for the establishment of the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee and contained provisions concerning its oversight, membership, duties, and funding, the term of each membership, and the compensation of each member. 1996—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 104–329 reenacted heading without change and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “Each member appointed under clause (i) or (iii) of paragraph (3)(A) shall be appointed for a term of 4 years.” Pub. L. 104–208, § 101(f) [title V, § 529(d)(1)], reenacted heading without change and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “No individual shall be appointed to serve as a member of the Advisory Committee for a term in excess of 5 years.” Subsec. (a)(7). Pub. L. 104–208, § 101(f) [title V, § 529(d)(2)], added par. (7).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Abolishment of Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee; Continuity of Members Pub. L. 108–15, title I, § 103(b), (c), Apr. 23, 2003, 117 Stat. 618, 619, provided that: “(b) Abolishment of Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee.—Effective on the date of the enactment of this Act [Apr. 23, 2003], the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee (established by section 5135 of title 31, United States Code, as in effect before the amendment made by subsection (a)) is hereby abolished. “(c) Continuity of Members of Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee.—Subject to paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 5135(b) of title 31, United States Code, any person who is a member of the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee on the date of the enactment of this Act [Apr. 23, 2003], other than the member of such committee who is appointed from among the officers or employees of the United States Mint, may continue to serve the remainder of the term to which such member was appointed as a member of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee in one of the positions as determined by the Secretary.” Staggered Terms for Members of Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee Pub. L. 104–329, title III, § 303(b), Oct. 20, 1996, 110 Stat. 4014, provided that members serving on the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee as of Oct. 20, 1996, would be deemed to have been appointed to terms which ended on Dec. 31, 1997, 1998, or 1999. Status of Members of Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee Pub. L. 104–329, title III, § 303(c), Oct. 20, 1996, 110 Stat. 4015, provided that members appointed to the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee under clause (i) or (iii) of subsec. (a)(3)(A) of this section would not be treated as special Government employees.

§5135 Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee