HR-1842-117
Became Public Law No: 117-163.
Sponsored by Gregory Meeks (D-NY)
What it does
This law directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and sell up to 1.2 million commemorative coins in three denominations — 50,000 gold $5 coins, 400,000 silver $1 coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins — honoring Harriet Tubman's legacy as an abolitionist. Coins could only be sold during calendar year 2024. A portion of each coin's sale price above face value (a surcharge) would be split equally between two nonprofit organizations: the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and The Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. in Auburn, New York.
Who benefits
Coin collectors and numismatists who wish to purchase a federally minted commemorative coin. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati, OH) and The Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. (Auburn, NY), which would each receive a share of surcharge revenue to fund their educational and preservation missions. Visitors and communities served by those two institutions. Individuals with a personal or educational interest in Harriet Tubman's history and the Underground Railroad.
Who is hurt
Taxpayers bear any administrative costs to the U.S. Mint associated with designing, producing, and distributing the coins, to the extent those costs are not fully offset by coin sales. Buyers who purchase coins at above-face-value prices and later find the coins' resale market value has declined would experience a financial loss. Other nonprofit organizations or causes that compete for discretionary donor and collector spending may see reduced contributions.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that commemorative coin programs are a well-established, low-cost way for the federal government to honor historically significant Americans while generating private funding for educational institutions — at no net cost to taxpayers, since surcharges are paid voluntarily by collectors. They contend that Harriet Tubman's role in the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad represents a foundational chapter of American history that merits federal recognition. Directing surcharge revenue to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and The Harriet Tubman Home, they argue, strengthens two institutions that preserve and teach this history to future generations, multiplying the civic value of the program beyond the coins themselves.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that commemorative coin programs, however well-intentioned, represent Congress directing federal resources and the U.S. Mint's capacity toward the benefit of specific private nonprofit organizations chosen through a political process rather than a competitive or merit-based one. They contend that the selection of which historical figures and which recipient organizations receive this designation is inherently subjective, and that the program sets a precedent for using the Mint as a fundraising vehicle for favored groups. Critics also note that Mint administrative and design costs are borne by the public, and that the surcharge model effectively asks coin buyers to subsidize particular nonprofits that other taxpayers may not wish to support.
Constitutional context
Congress's authority to mint coins is explicitly granted by Article I, Section 8, which gives Congress the power "to coin money" and "regulate the value thereof." This power is among the most clearly enumerated in the Constitution and has not been subject to significant legal challenge. The Necessary and Proper Clause (Art. I, §8, cl. 18) supports the administrative framework delegated to the Treasury Secretary. Because this bill involves a straightforward exercise of the coinage power with limited agency discretion, post-Chevron concerns raised in Loper Bright v. Raimondo (2024) and the major questions doctrine from West Virginia v. EPA (2022) are not implicated. No Commerce Clause, Takings Clause, or Tenth Amendment issues are raised by this legislation.
Checks and balances
Congress exercises its explicit Article I coinage power directly, setting the coin denominations, mintage limits, sale window, and surcharge recipients by statute. The Executive Branch (Treasury/U.S. Mint) is delegated narrow, ministerial authority to implement the program within those statutory parameters. No new regulatory authority is created, and no judicial or state-level power is affected.
Historical precedent
Congress has authorized hundreds of commemorative coin programs since the 1980s under the same general framework, including coins honoring the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center (2001), the National Law Enforcement Memorial (2016), and the Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act (2019), all of which directed surcharges to specific nonprofit beneficiaries.