I voted Yes on the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2453, the Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act.

This bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue $5 gold coins and $1 silver coins to celebrate the legacy of Mark Twain during calendar year 2016.  Originally approved by the House on April 18, 2012, the Senate amendment strengthened safeguards to ensure there is no cost to the federal government and taxpayers.

The coins would be sold at a cost sufficient to cover their issuance, with an additional surcharge to benefit the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, the Mark Twain Project at the Bancroft Library of University of California, Berkeley, the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College, New York, and the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri.

Mark Twain should be recognized for his contributions to American culture and I am pleased to support this limited commemorative coin in his honor.

The Senate Amendment to H.R. 2453 was approved by a vote of 370 - 19.