Commems Collection Modern: 1994 US Capitol Bicentennial - Part I - The Journey

The proposal for a commemorative coin program in honor of the 200th Anniversary of the United States ("US") Capitol was part of a larger coin bill that also included the Thomas Jefferson and US Veterans coin programs. (I've previously discussed these coin programs, see Commems Collection to check them out.)

The bill was introduced by Joseph Kennedy (D-MA) in the House of Representatives in late November 1993.

Note: A few days earlier, Representative Kennedy introduced a bill that proposed the Thomas Jefferson and US Veterans coin programs but did not include provisions for a US Capitol coin; the initial bill was quickly passed by the House and sent to the Senate. In the Senate, it was referred to the Committee on Banking where it was held in favor of Kennedy's updated bill.

The updated bill called for the minting of up to 500,000 Silver Dollars with a design "emblematic of the bicentennial of the United States Capitol" and bearing the date "1994". The final designs were to bt selected by the Secretary of the Treasury after consulting with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and the Commission of Fine Arts.

The coins were to be available in Proof and Uncirculated versions, and issued for a one-year period beginning on May 1, 1994 and ending on April 30, 1995. The silver used for the coins was to be drawn from the Strategic and Critical Minerals Stockpile.

The Issue Price of the Silver Dollars was to include a surcharge of $15 per coin (higher than typical for a Silver Dollar). Collected surcharges were to be "deposited in the Capitol Preservation Fund and be available to the United States Capitol Preservation Commission."

Kennedy's updated House bill was referred to the House Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs. The Committee was discharged from consideration of the bill soon after its referral and the House passed the bill without issue. The bill was then sent to the Senate for its consideration; it passed the bill without amendment.

The bill became US Public Law upon US President William "Bill" Clinton's signature on December 14, 1993. No fuss, no muss!
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The story continues here: Part II - The Coins.


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other Modern US Commemorative Coin stories, see: Commems Collection