Durbin: Bipartisan Lincoln Commerative Dollar Coin Passes Senate
DURBIN: BIPARTISAN LINCOLN COMMERATIVE DOLLAR COIN PASSES SENATE
Friday, June 30, 2006
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), co-chair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, today announced the Senate passed legislation which directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue 500,000 one-dollar commemorative coins to honor the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln Bicentennial Commission was established by Congress in 2001 to organize the national observance of the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth and to recommend activities that will pay tribute to Lincoln on the occasion.
The $1 commemorative coins will be issued in 2009, the year of Lincoln's bicentennial, and will feature designs emblematic of the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln. The design for the coins will be selected by the Treasury Secretary, after consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and will be reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
"Abraham Lincoln is a true American hero, and his life can provide inspiration to Americans of any age and background," Durbin said. "Lincoln demonstrated enormous courage and strength of character during the Civil War and throughout his life, ensuring that the United States remained one nation, united and inseparable. To honor the 200th anniversary of his birth, this special series of $1 commemorative coins will pay tribute to his life and work."
In December, the Senate passed Durbin's Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Coin Redesign Act which which will issue a series of one-cent coins to honor the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. The redesigned pennies will be issued in 2009, the year of Lincoln's bicentennial, and will feature four designs on the reverse side of the coins, each representing a different aspect of the life of Abraham Lincoln. The full cost of producing the coins will be paid for by funds generated through coin sales. Any additional proceeds will help fund the celebration and the continued study of the life of President Lincoln.
The Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act (S-811) was co-sponsored by 71 members of the Senate including Barack Obama (D-IL). Other cosponsors include Jim Bunning (R-KY), Harry Reid (D-NV), John Lugar (R-IN), Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Wayne Allard (R-CO), Max Baucus (D-MT), Bob Bennett (R-UT), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Robert C. Byrd (D-WV), Thomas R. Carper (D-DE), Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Mark Dayton (D-MN), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), John Ensign (R-NV), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), John Kerry (D-MA), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Trent Lott (R-MS), Mel Martinez (R-FL), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Mark Pryor (D-AR), John Rockefeller (D-WV), Rick Santorum (R-PA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Craig Thomas (R-WY), David Vitter (R-LA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), George Allen (R-VA), Joe Biden (D-DE), Kit Bond (R-MO), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Larry Craig (R-ID), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Chris Dodd (D-CT), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), James M. Jeffords (I-VT), Daniel K Inouye (D-HI), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Carl Levin (D-MI), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Ken Salazar (D-CO), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Arlen Specter (R-PA), Ted Stevens (R-AK), John Thune (R-SD) and John Warner (R-VA).
Congressman Ray LaHood (R-IL), a fellow co-chair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, has sponsored similar legislation in the House. The Durbin bill was approved unanimously by the Senate this afternoon.
http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=258250&&