H.R. 5512 (110th): Coin Modernization and Taxpayer Savings Act of 2008

Introduced:
Feb 28, 2008 (110th Congress, 2007–2009)
Sponsor:
Rep. Zachary “Zack” Space [D-OH18]
Status:
Died (Passed House)

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.

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Status

This bill was introduced in a previous session of Congress and was passed by the House on May 8, 2008 but was never passed by the Senate.

Progress
Introduced Feb 28, 2008
Referred to Committee Feb 28, 2008
Passed House May 08, 2008
Cosponsors
2 cosponsors (2D) (show)
Committees

House Financial Services

Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Full Title

To reduce the costs of producing 1-cent and 5-cent coins, provide authority to the Secretary of the Treasury to perform research and development on new metallic content for circulating coins, and to require biennial reports to Congress on circulating coin production costs and possible alternative metallic content.

Summary

No summaries available.

Text

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Last updated May 12, 2008.
12 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

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GovTrack’s Bill Summary

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Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

5/8/2008--Passed House amended.
Coin Modernization and Taxpayer Savings Act of 2008 - Requires the one-cent coin (except for Lincoln Bicentennial Numismatic Pennies) to be produced primarily of steel and treated to impart a copper color to its appearance similar to one-cent coins produced of a copper-zinc alloy.
Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, in the alternative, during the 90 days following enactment of this Act, to add any other element to any alloy of zinc and copper of which one-cent coins could have been composed before enactment of this Act, if during such 90-day period another element is determined to help produce one-cent coins of the same diameter, general composition, and general weight, but at a lower unit cost.
Requires a prompt report to Congress if such a determination is made.
Directs the Secretary, two years after enactment of this Act, to produce only five-cent coins primarily made of steel with a coating of nickel, unless by that time the unit cost of production of existing five-cent coins is lower than their face value.
Requires the Secretary, however, to recommend a different metallic content of circulating five-cent coins if any biennial report to Congress, required by this Act, indicates that such a different metallic content is both functional and interchangeable with existing coins, and more economical to produce in both the short and long term.
Authorizes the Secretary, in order to accomplish the goals of this Act, to research, develop, evaluate or begin to use new metallic material for circulating coin production.
Requires the Secretary to report biennially to specified congressional committees on the production costs for each circulating coin, cost trends, and possible new metallic materials or technologies for the production of circulating coins, with detailed recommendations for any appropriate changes to the metallic content of circulating coins.

House Republican Conference Summary

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House Democratic Caucus Summary

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The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

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