S. 4051 — National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Coin Act

This section directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue (1) up to 50,000 $5 gold coins weighing 8.359 grams with a 0.850-inch diameter and containing at least 90% gold; (2) up to 400,000 $1 silver coins weighing 26.73 grams with a 1.500-inch diameter and containing at least 90% silver; and (3) up to 750,000 half-dollar clad coins weighing 11.34 grams with a 1.205-inch diameter and minted to specifications in 31 U.S.C. 5112(b). The section designates these coins as legal tender, as provided in 31 U.S.C. 5103 (i.e., acceptable for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues), and classifies them as numismatic items for purposes of 31 U.S.C. 5134 and 5136 (i.e., eligible for sale at a premium above face value).

This section establishes design requirements for coins minted under the Act, requiring designs emblematic of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial and the service and sacrifice of firefighters, along with inscriptions of the coin's value, the year "2029," "Liberty," "In God We Trust," "United States of America," and "E Pluribus Unum." It directs the Secretary to select the designs after consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, subject to review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

This section authorizes the issuance of coins minted under this Act in uncirculated and proof qualities only during the one-year period beginning January 1, 2029.

This section sets the sale price of coins issued under the Act at the sum of their face value, the surcharge under section 6(a), and the costs of designing and issuing the coins (including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping). It further requires the Secretary to make bulk sales of the coins and accept prepaid orders before issuance, both at reasonable discounts.

This section establishes surcharges on sales of coins issued under this Act of $35 per $5 coin, $10 per $1 coin, and $5 per half-dollar coin, with all surcharge proceeds paid promptly by the Secretary of the Treasury to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (subject to audit requirements of 31 U.S.C. 5134(f)). It prohibits surcharges if the coin's issuance would cause the annual number of commemorative coin programs to exceed two, per 31 U.S.C. 5112(m)(1).

This section requires the Secretary to ensure that minting and issuing coins under this Act results in no net cost to the U.S. government and that no funds, including surcharges, are disbursed to the recipient designated in section 6 until the Treasury recovers all costs of designing and issuing the coins (i.e., labor, materials, dies, machinery use, overhead, marketing, and shipping), consistent with 31 U.S.C. §§ 5112(m) and 5134(f).