Summary#
This bill would require the Treasury Department to mint commemorative coins honoring Roberto Clemente and to sell them to the public. It sets coin types, mintage limits, design rules, a fixed surcharge per coin, and says the surcharge proceeds go to the Roberto Clemente Foundation. The bill also requires the Treasury to recover all Minting costs before any surcharge money is paid out.
- Main change: Authorizes three commemorative coins for 2027: a $5 gold coin (up to 50,000), a $1 silver coin (up to 400,000), and a half-dollar clad coin (up to 750,000).
- Design rules: At least one obverse (front) must show Roberto Clemente. Coins must include certain inscriptions and the year “2027.” Designs are selected by the Treasury after consulting the Clemente Foundation, living family members, and the Commission of Fine Arts, and reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
- Sale and quality: Coins may be sold in proof and uncirculated qualities, with prepaid and bulk sales allowed at reasonable discounts.
- Surcharges: Each sale includes a surcharge—$35 for the $5 coin, $10 for the $1 coin, and $5 for the half-dollar. Surcharges go to the Roberto Clemente Foundation for its programs, and the foundation is subject to an audit requirement.
- Cost recovery and limits: The Treasury must ensure no net cost to the U.S. government and must recover all Minting and issuing costs before disbursing surcharge funds. The bill respects the existing annual limit on the number of commemorative coin programs.
What it means for you#
- Coin collectors and buyers: You could buy limited-run Roberto Clemente commemorative coins in 2027. They will be sold above face value and come in proof and uncirculated options. Prepaid and bulk discounts are allowed.
- Roberto Clemente Foundation: The foundation would receive surcharge revenue from coin sales for its education, youth sports, disaster relief, and historic-preservation work. It must accept audit oversight for those funds.
- U.S. Mint and Treasury: The Mint must design, produce, market, and sell the coins. The Treasury must recover all production and issuing costs before paying surcharges and must ensure the program does not cause a net cost to the government. The Treasury consults with the family, the foundation, and art review bodies on design.
- Taxpayers and general public: The bill is designed to avoid net cost to taxpayers by requiring cost recovery. However, whether taxpayers see any financial effect depends on actual sales and cost recovery.
Expenses#
No publicly available information about an official cost estimate or fiscal note was provided in the bill text.
- The bill requires coin sale prices to cover face value, a specified surcharge, and all design and issuing costs (labor, materials, dies, machinery use, overhead, marketing, shipping).
- Surcharge amounts are fixed at $35 ($5 coin), $10 ($1 coin), and $5 (half-dollar). Those surcharges, after costs are recovered, go to the Roberto Clemente Foundation.
- The Treasury must take steps to ensure minting these coins will not result in a net cost to the U.S. Government.
- The foundation is subject to an audit rule tied to receipt of these funds.
- The bill does not include a detailed budget estimate of Minting, marketing, staffing, or administrative costs, nor an estimate of expected surcharge revenue. These costs and revenues are not quantified in the available material.
Proponents' View#
- The bill appears intended to honor Roberto Clemente’s life, baseball achievements, humanitarian work, and civil-rights legacy.
- It could raise funds for the Roberto Clemente Foundation to support education, youth sports, disaster relief, and historic preservation.
- The commemorative coins would create a physical, lasting recognition and could appeal to collectors and fans.
- Requiring cost recovery aims to prevent taxpayer funding of the program.
Opponents' View#
- One concern is that the bill does not include a public fiscal estimate, so actual Mint costs and expected surcharge revenue are unclear.
- The bill requires recovery of all costs before paying surcharges to the foundation. This could delay or prevent funds from reaching the foundation if sales are lower than expected.
- It is unclear how much administrative or marketing work the Mint must do and what staffing or overhead costs will be needed; those costs are not estimated.
- The bill limits issuance to the 2027 calendar year and is subject to the existing annual cap on commemorative programs; this could limit fundraising opportunities if the cap is already reached.
- The design-selection process involves multiple parties (family, foundation, art commission, advisory committee). While consultative, that could add time or complexity to producing the coins.