Congress funds first responders and Gold Star families through commemorative coins
H.R. 951 — 250 Years of Service and Sacrifice Commemorative Coin Act · Filed by Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) · 14 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 4, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill authorizes the U.S. Mint to produce commemorative coins (gold, silver, and half-dollar) in 2028 to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. The coins will carry surcharges ($35 per gold coin, $10 per silver, $5 per half-dollar), with all surcharge revenue directed to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit that provides housing, scholarships, and support to Gold Star families, first responders' families, and veterans. The bill guarantees no net cost to taxpayers.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to authorize limited-edition commemorative coins whose surcharge revenue funds a specific nonprofit. This is a standard congressional commemorative coin program with an integrated charitable fundraising mechanism, not a vanity or ego-driven provision.
What the text implies
- The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation receives a direct revenue stream with minimal congressional oversight after initial cost recovery—future surcharge amounts depend on coin sales volume, which is not capped.
- Mintage limits can be exceeded if the designated recipient organization conducts market research showing demand, creating a potential feedback loop where the foundation's own demand assessment drives higher production and surcharge revenue.
- The bill's 2028 issuance window is narrow (one calendar year), but the foundation's programs are ongoing—this creates a one-time revenue injection that may not align with long-term funding needs.
Who it affects
Citizens benefit from a transparent, cost-neutral commemorative program that directs private surcharge revenue to a legitimate charitable foundation supporting vulnerable populations (Gold Star families, first responders' families, veterans). The bill explicitly protects taxpayers by requiring full cost recovery before any surcharge disbursement.
Who stands to gain
- Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation
- U.S. Mint (minting and design fees)
Named in the bill
U.S. Mint, U.S. Treasury, Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Commission of Fine Arts, Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, Gold Star families, First responders
Where it stands
14 cosponsors: 9 Republicans, 5 Democrats.
- Feb 4, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 4, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Financial Services · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jul 2, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Congress funds first responders and Gold Star families through commemorative coins” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr951 Report an error
The week in bills
One email, Sunday: what Congress passed, what it changed, and who paid.
One link arrives to confirm the address. It is used for this email and nothing else, and every issue carries an unsubscribe link.