124 STAT. 3272 PUBLIC LAW 111–302—DEC. 14, 2010 Public Law 111–302 111th Congress An Act To provide research and development authority for alternative coinage materials to the Secretary of the Treasury, increase congressional oversight over coin produc- tion, and ensure the continuity of certain numismatic items. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coin Modernization, Oversight, and Continuity Act of 2010’’. SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ON ALL CIRCULATING COINS. (a) IN GENERAL.—To accomplish the goals of this Act and the requirements of subchapter II of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code, the Secretary of the Treasury may— (1) conduct any appropriate testing of appropriate coinage metallic materials within or outside of the Department of the Treasury; and (2) solicit input from or otherwise work in conjunction with entities within or outside of the Federal Government including independent research facilities or current or potential suppliers of the metallic material used in volume production of circulating coins, to complete the report referred to in this Act and to develop and evaluate the use of new metallic materials. (b) FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED.—In the conduct of research, development, and the solicitation of input or work in conjunction with entities within and outside the Federal Government, and in reporting to the Congress with recommendations, as required by this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury shall consider the following: (1) Factors relevant to the potential impact of any revisions to the composition of the material used in coin production on the current coinage material suppliers. (2) Factors relevant to the ease of use and ability to co- circulate of new coinage materials, including the effect on vending machines and commercial coin processing equipment and making certain, to the greatest extent practicable, that any new coins work without interruption in existing coin accept- ance equipment without modification. (3) Such other factors that the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with merchants who would be affected by any change in the composition of circulating coins, vending machine and other coin acceptor manufacturers, vending machine 31 USC 5112 note. 31 USC 5101 note. Coin Modernization, Oversight, and Continuity Act of 2010. Dec. 14, 2010 [H.R. 6162]
