NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act
NASA AND JPL 50TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT -- (House of Representatives - July 12, 2005)
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Mr. BAKER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 68 and to insert extraneous material thereon.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Louisiana?
There was no objection.
Mr. BAKER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) and the Members of the Texas delegation for their efforts in recognizing the achievements of NASA with the introduction of H.R. 68.
It is highly appropriate at the time we are soon to expect the space shuttle program to reenter demand exploration effort this week that we observe and appreciate the heroism, genius and sacrifices that the program has given us to this point in time.
I think it is also appropriate that with NASA's Deep Impact Project of just a few days ago, impacting the surface of Comet Temple, as well as the very slow rolling wheels of Spirit and Opportunity cross and traverse the face of Mars, it seems stunningly impossible that these programs began only 50 years ago. That is why, Mr. Speaker, I think this legislation is important for the House to favorably consider as it seeks to commemorate the anniversary by issuing in 2008 into silver dollar coins and a single $50 coin representing the nine planets and the gold coin representing the sun.
Fittingly, the first million dollars of surcharges resulting from this effort will go to a needs-based fund benefiting the next of kin of those heroes who died in the exploration of space. Further, the remainder of funds will go to the Smithsonian for help in preservation of important spacecraft and half of the fund to create a stand-alone Smithsonian museum here in the District dedicated specifically to coins, currency and other monetary forms of transaction.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) who has led the charge to see this goal through to its final conclusion.
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Mr. BAKER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman from Louisiana yield for the purpose of entering into a colloquy?
Mr. BAKER. I yield to the gentleman from Texas for the purpose of a colloquy.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I would ask the chairman of the subcommittee, is it his understanding that a major purpose of commemorative coin legislation is to produce coins that commemorate particular institutions, individuals, or places, allowing both collectors and other citizens who are fans of the person or thing being commemorated to buy coins at a reasonable cost?
Mr. BAKER. That is my understanding.
Mr. CULBERSON. Is it further the gentleman's understanding that the Congress has received complaints from citizens who want to buy such commemorative coins claiming that, particularly for the more sought-after coins, that professional coin dealers buy up large numbers of those coins and sets, and then turn around and resell them to the public at a marked-up price?
Mr. BAKER. That is unfortunately the case.
Mr. CULBERSON. Would the gentleman also agree that it is the intent of Congress, through this legislation, that as many people as possible have an equal opportunity to buy these commemorative coin sets or individual coins once the Mint initially issues them?
Mr. BAKER. That is correct.
Mr. CULBERSON. Then I am sure the gentleman would also agree with me that the Mint should be very careful, take as much care as possible with all high-demand commemorative coin issues, but particularly with coin sets produced under this act, to sell no more than 10 complete sets of any issue to any individual, whether the purchase is made by that individual or through straw buyers.
Mr. BAKER. The gentleman agrees and stipulates the Mint should make every effort not to sell more than 10 sets of coins produced under the act to any buyer, be they bought by that individual or through buyers acting on behalf of that individual.
Mr. CULBERSON. I thank the gentleman, and would the gentleman yield further?
Mr. BAKER. The gentleman continues to yield.
Mr. CULBERSON. As the gentleman knows, the legislation under consideration by the House today would devote a portion of the surcharge income produced by the sale of these coins to provide not only funds for the NASA Family Assistance Fund, but also the initial funding for a stand-alone museum of money in Washington, DC, as a part of the Smithsonian Institution.
And as the gentleman also knows, the National Numismatic Collection of the Smithsonian is not currently on display, except for a few coins or currency in various exhibits related to the coins or currency or to the images displayed on them. Would the gentleman agree with me that the numismatic collection, one of the largest and best of its sort in the world, should be displayed in its own building here in Washington, in such a way that helps people understand not only the history of commerce and coins and currency in the United States but also the history of this country's development?
Mr. BAKER. I do agree.
Mr. CULBERSON. Would the gentleman further agree that the numismatic collection would best be displayed in a separate museum here in Washington, not as a subset or subsidiary of any existing Smithsonian museum, but that such a museum could also display examples of other forms of exchange of value, from barter and wampum to coins and currency of other countries, to electronic transfers of value, along with demonstrations of how coins and currencies are produced in its own stand-alone museum here in Washington, D.C.?
Mr. BAKER. I do agree.
Mr. CULBERSON. Does the gentleman agree that such a museum's exhibits could be kept vital by constant development of traveling exhibits to museums around the country, including those of the American Numismatic Association, the American Numismatic Society, and perhaps, if it is constructed, a museum in the old Mint in San Francisco?
Mr. BAKER. The gentleman agrees and believes that such a plan would be an excellent way to keep a new national museum of money exciting so that visitors would be interested in returning many times.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for this colloquy.
Mr. BAKER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. BAKER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I just wish to point out that the astronauts are the bravest of the brave and assume the most dire risk in these missions as they approach to reach the outer limits of mankind's understandings. But within the organization known as NASA and JPL, there are literally thousands of individuals who work collaboratively for years to get these launches to the place where they can proceed at the highest level of safety and responsibility.
So I look at this act and this step the Congress is now authorizing today as one which recognizes not only those life-risking astronauts as being the pinnacle of our recognition, but certainly every member of the NASA JPL teams who literally work lifetimes to make these steps of exploration by humankind possible.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson).
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