Sponsor
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Representative · D-DC
Representative · D-DC
The bill honors Paul Laurence Dunbar with official commemorative coinage that can fund affiliated programs and is structured to avoid taxpayer subsidies, at the cost of higher prices for buyers, added federal administrative burdens, and potentially delayed or limited proceeds to the intended recipient.
Taxpayers and the Treasury are protected from bearing net production costs because the coin program must recover full costs before surcharge payments are made.
Students and alumni of Dunbar High School (and related programs) gain public recognition of Paul Laurence Dunbar's legacy and new fundraising opportunities (scholarships and program support) tied to the commemorative program.
Collectors and the public will be able to purchase official commemorative Paul Laurence Dunbar coins (three denominations, legal‑tender status and specified inscriptions), expanding numismatic options and preserving his legacy.
Buyers (and potentially taxpayers) face higher costs because each $5 coin carries a large surcharge (e.g., $35) and commemorative/precious‑metal issues are sold above face value; if cost recovery fails, taxpayers could still absorb administrative/production costs.
Federal employees at the Mint, Treasury, and advisory bodies will face added administrative workload from design review, cost accounting, surcharge processing, and remittances.
The designated recipient’s funding could be delayed or reduced because surcharge payments are withheld until all production and program costs are fully recouped, slowing support for intended programs.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a limited 2028 commemorative coin series honoring Paul Laurence Dunbar, sets mintages, design rules, and statutory surcharges payable to the Dunbar Alumni Federation after costs are recovered.
Official title: To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint commemorative coins in recognition of Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Introduced April 9, 2026 by Eleanor Holmes Norton · Last progress April 9, 2026
Authorizes the U.S. Mint to produce commemorative coins honoring poet Paul Laurence Dunbar in three denominations (a $5 gold, $1 silver, and a half‑dollar clad) with specified maximum mintages, design review requirements, and a one‑year issuance window in 2028. Sales include statutory surcharges that must be paid to the Dunbar Alumni Federation after the Mint recovers all production and program costs, and the coins must be issued at no net cost to the U.S. Government.