Girl Scouts Commemorative Coin Legislation, Round 2

New legislation seeking to commemorate the Girl Scouts 100th anniversary with up to 350,000 silver dollars in 2011 was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, January 21.

The Girl Scouts USA Centennial Commemorative Coin Act was brought back under a new bill number (H.R. 621) by Rep. Jack Kingston after the first version failed to make its way through the 110th Congress.

The Boy Scouts Centennial Commemorative Coin Act was signed into law in October of 2008, making it more likely the Girl Scouts legislation would pass as well. However, the Boy Scouts celebrate their centennial a year earlier and required quicker consideration. And the busy 2008 fall political season was less than conducive in getting many bills mustered through for passage. The new 111th Congress will now have the opportunity to help celebrate the history of the Girl Scouts.

In 1911, Juliette Gordon Low met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, a war hero and the founder of the Boy Scouts, and began planning an association for girls that would become Girl Scouts of the USA.

As is typical with legislation involving coins, H.R. 621 does not contain specific coin design language except for the standard commemorative inscriptions (Liberty’, ‘In God We Trust’, ‘United States of America’, and ‘E Pluribus Unum’), weight (26.73 grams) and dimensions (diameter of 1.5 inches).

The final design would evolve through collaborative efforts of the United States Mint, the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

The bill includes a provision for a $10 surcharge per coin paid to the Girl Scouts of the United States of America and made available for Girl Scout program development and delivery.