America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008

America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 is a United States federal law that authorized the production of a series of 56 circulating quarter-dollar coins to honor national parks and other national sites across the United States. The program, administered by the United States Mint in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of the Interior, was a direct successor to the popular 50 State quarters program. It aimed to celebrate the National Park Service and promote the conservation and heritage of America's natural and historic treasures through coinage.

Background and legislative history

The success of the 50 State quarters program, which concluded in 2008, created strong public and congressional support for a new circulating coin series. Building on this momentum, Rep. Melvin Watt of North Carolina introduced H.R. 6184 in the United States House of Representatives. The bill received bipartisan support, moving swiftly through the House Committee on Financial Services. It passed the House by voice vote and gained unanimous consent in the United States Senate. The legislation was signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 23, 2008, becoming Public Law 110-456.

Provisions of the Act

The Act mandated the issuance of 56 new quarter dollars, featuring designs emblematic of a national park or other national site in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five permanently inhabited U.S. territories: Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. It required the Secretary of the Treasury to consult with the Secretary of the Interior, the chief executive of each state or territory, and the Commission of Fine Arts on design selection. The Act also included provisions for the minting and issuance of proof and uncirculated versions for collectors.

Design and issuance process

The design process for each coin was a collaborative effort. The United States Mint solicited design recommendations from the governor or leadership of each jurisdiction, focusing on a single national park or site within their borders administered by the National Park Service, the United States Forest Service, or other federal agencies like the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Proposed designs were reviewed by the Secretary of the Treasury, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. The final design selection was made by the Secretary of the Treasury, with coins issued at a rate of five per year from 2010 through 2021.

List of quarters in the series

The series commenced in 2010 with coins honoring Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Yosemite National Park in California, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon. Subsequent years featured sites such as Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes in Hawaii, Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana, and the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in Texas. The final coins issued in 2021 honored Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Alabama and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas.

See also

* 50 State quarters * United States Mint * National Park Service * Circulating commemorative coin * District of Columbia and United States Territories quarters

Category:2008 in American law Category:United States federal coinage legislation Category:2008 in numismatics