50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act
Public Law 105-124 · S. 1228 · 105th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Dec 1, 1997 · Commemorations
Sponsor: Sen. John Chafee (R-RI)
Cosponsors (27): Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, Sen. Sam Brownback,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act - Amends Federal law to mandate redesign of quarter-dollar coins issued during the ten-year period beginning 1999, with the reverse side emblematic of five of the 50 States each year during such period, selected in the order of their ratification of the U.S. Constitution or their admission to the Union.
United States $1 Coin Act of 1997 - Amends Federal law to mandate that the dollar coin shall: (1) be golden in color, have a distinctive edge, with tactile and visual features making it readily discernible; (2) be minted and fabricated in the United States; and (3) have similar metallic anticounterfeiting properties as U.S. clad coinage in circulation on the date of enactment of this Act.
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to place into circulation $1 coins that comply with such mandate upon depletion of the Government's supply of $1 coins bearing the likeness of Susan B. Anthony.
Authorizes the Secretary to continue to mint and issue $1 Susan B. Anthony coins if they are depleted before production has begun of the new $1 coins mandated by this Act.
Directs the Secretary to: (1) adopt a marketing program promoting the use of $1 coins by commercial enterprises, mass transit authorities, and Federal, State, and local government agencies; and (2) conduct a marketing study and report its progress results to the Congress.
Directs the Secretary to mint and issue for a limited period ten-dollar gold coins, one-dollar silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the first flight of Orville and Wilbur Wright in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903.
Precludes this Act from being construed as evidence of any intention to eliminate or limit the printing or circulation of United States currency in the $1 denomination.
Mandates prompt payment of all surcharges received from coin sales to the First Flight Foundation to: (1) maintain the Wright Brothers Monument on the Outer Banks of North Carolina; and (2) expand and maintain the visitor center and other facilities at the Wright Brothers National Memorial Park.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Dec 1, 1997Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 105-124.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 19, 1997PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Nov 13, 1997FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Castle moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Nov 9, 1997FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Oct 31, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
- Oct 23, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
- Sep 26, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.