Louis Braille Bicentennial--Braille Literacy Commemorative Coin Act
Public Law 109-247 · H.R. 2872 · 109th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Jul 27, 2006 · Commemorations
Sponsor: Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH-18)
Cosponsors (309): Rep. Benjamin Cardin, Rep. Jim Leach,
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.
Louis Braille Bicentennial--Braille Literacy Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $1 coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Louis Braille.
Requires the design on the obverse to bear a representation of the image of Louis Braille.
Requires the design on the reverse to emphasize Braille literacy and to include the word for Braille in Braille code in a way that substantially complies with Specification 800 of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress specifications for Braille, and is tactilely indiscernible from printed or written Braille.
Authorizes the Secretary to issue such coins only during 2009.
Subjects all coin sales to a surcharge of $10 per coin, except when issuance of a coin would exceed the annual two commermorative coin program issuance limitation.
Requires all surcharges to be promptly paid by the Secretary to the National Federation of the Blind to further its programs to promote Braille literacy.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Financial Services Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee
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.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 2321Identical billRelated bill
Louis Braille Bicentennial--Braille Literacy Commemorative Coin Act
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 15 actions.
- Jul 27, 2006Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 109-247.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jul 19, 2006FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jul 13, 2006FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jul 12, 2006FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Mar 1, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
- Feb 28, 2006FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2872.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Ney moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jul 29, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology.
- Jun 13, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.