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Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8227

Paul Laurence Dunbar Commemorative Coin Act

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and is being reviewed by the House Committee on Financial Services. It was recently introduced and is considered active, though no further hearings or votes have been scheduled yet. There is no companion bill currently listed for this legislation.

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law
Unlikely to pass

Most commemorative coin bills are introduced as tributes but do not become law unless they gain massive bipartisan support or are part of a larger package.

Key Points

  • This bill asks the Treasury Department to create special gold, silver, and half-dollar coins in 2028. These coins would celebrate Paul Laurence Dunbar. He was a famous African-American poet and writer who was born to freed slaves and became a major literary figure in the late 1800s.
  • The coins will be sold to the public at a price that covers the cost of making them plus an extra fee. These extra fees range from $5 to $35 per coin. This money will be given to the Dunbar Alumni Federation to support students and school programs.
  • The money raised will help pay for college scholarships and activities like the band, sports, and the debate team at Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C. This school was the first public high school for African-American students in the country.
  • This project will not cost taxpayers any money. The Treasury Department must make sure it recovers all its costs for designing and making the coins before any of the extra funds are handed over to the alumni group.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones3 actions
Apr 9, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

Apr 9, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Apr 9, 2026

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E308)

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.

News

No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Bill NumberHR 8227
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.