H.R. 8227 — Paul Laurence Dunbar Commemorative Coin Act

This section sets forth congressional findings regarding poet Paul Laurence Dunbar (born June 27, 1872; died February 9, 1906, at age 33), the history of Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School (established 1870 as the first public high school for African-American students; renamed 1916), and the activities of the Dunbar Alumni Federation (organized 2002).

This section directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue coins in recognition of Paul Laurence Dunbar: (1) not more than 50,000 $5 gold coins weighing 8.359 grams, with a 0.850-inch diameter, and containing at least 90 percent gold; (2) not more than 400,000 $1 silver coins weighing 26.73 grams, with a 1.500-inch diameter, and containing at least 90 percent silver; and (3) not more than 750,000 half-dollar clad coins weighing 11.34 grams, with a 1.205-inch diameter, and minted to the specifications for half-dollar coins in 31 U.S.C. 5112(b). The coins are legal tender, as provided in 31 U.S.C. 5103, and are considered numismatic items for purposes of 31 U.S.C. 5134 and 5136 (i.e., eligible for sale through the U.S. Mint's numismatic program at a premium above face value).

This section requires the design of coins minted under the Act to be emblematic of Paul Laurence Dunbar and to include (1) a designation of the coin's denomination; (2) an inscription of the year “2028”; and (3) inscriptions of the words “Liberty”, “In God We Trust”, “United States of America”, and “E Pluribus Unum”. It further directs the Secretary to select the design after consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts and the Federation, with review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

This section requires coins minted under this Act to be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities and limits their issuance to the one-year period beginning January 1, 2028.

This section establishes the sale price of coins issued under the Act as the sum of (1) the face value, (2) the surcharge under section 7(a), and (3) design and issuance costs (including labor, materials, dies, machinery, overhead, marketing, and shipping); requires bulk sales at a reasonable discount; and authorizes acceptance of prepaid orders before issuance at a reasonable discount.

This section imposes surcharges on sales of coins minted under this Act—$35 per $5 coin, $10 per $1 coin, and $5 per half-dollar coin—with all proceeds paid promptly by the Secretary to the Federation subject to standard audit requirements. The Act is exempt from limitations applicable to commemorative coin programs.

This section requires the Secretary to ensure that (1) minting and issuing coins under this Act results in no net cost to the U.S. government; and (2) no funds, including surcharges, are disbursed to the recipient designated in section 7 until the Treasury recovers all costs of designing and issuing the coins (i.e., labor, materials, dies, machinery use, overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping).