House Passes Amata-Cosponsored Commemorative Coin Acts
Washington, D.C. – Thursday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata highlighted House passage this week of two bipartisan bills providing for special honors with commemorative coins, both of which she cosponsored. H.R. 1865 honors our nation's law enforcement community with a National Law Enforcement Museum Commemorative Coin, and H.R. 2423 creates the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin to honor the 100-year anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing the right to vote for women citizens in the United States.
"These bills and commemorative coins emphasize our important shared national values," said Aumua Amata. "Thank you first of all to our law enforcement professionals for taking on personal risks and responsibilities to keep us all safe, and ensure our opportunities to go about our lives in peace and freedom."
"We owe a great debt to the women's suffrage efforts of a century ago, ensuring that women could have the right to fully participate in the blessings our nation has to offer," continued Congresswoman Amata. "Whether we are U.S. Nationals voting in American Samoa or U.S. citizens voting in the states, we can all honor the historic contributions of brave women who persisted over a 75-year span to finally ensure those rights. A special thanks to my friend Congresswoman Stefanik for leading this bipartisan effort."
The Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act, sponsored by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), will not impose costs on U.S. taxpayers. Instead, the project will self-fund through the sale of coins. Proceeds above and beyond the costs of producing the coin will then support the Smithsonian Institution's American Women's History Initiative. The bill authorizes the U.S. Department of Treasury to mint 400,000 one-dollar silver coins in 2020 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage.
The National Law Enforcement Museum Commemorative Coin Act, led by Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), directs the Treasury Department to mint three styles of five-dollar, silver dollar, and half-dollar coins that include imagery of the National Law Enforcement Museum and recognize the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers. A portion of the sale of these coins helps support the educational programs of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
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