Boozman pushes coin to support Marshals Museum
by June 19, 2009 9:31 am 61 views
U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, announced Friday morning he will push legislation to issue a U.S. Marshals Service Commemorative coin to recognize the 225th anniversary of the Marshals service and potentially raise $5 million for the U.S. Marshals museum planned for downtown Fort Smith.
HR 2799 would require the U.S. Treasury to issue up to 500,000 silver dollars and a maximum of 100,000 five dollar gold coins. The first $5 million collected from the coin would go to the U.S. Marshals museum for “preservation, maintenance, and display of artifacts and documents of the United States Marshals Service,” according to the statement from Boozman’s office.
The U.S. Marshals Museum board of directors and staff are underway with what will be a $30 million to $50 million national fundraising effort. The roughly 50,000-square-foot museum to be built in downtown Fort Smith next to the Arkansas River is to be categorized into three separate exhibit spaces: “Frontier Marshals” featuring the beginning and early history; “Marshals Today,” which highlights aspects of the modern U.S. Marshals Service; and “America Divided,” which seeks to highlight the role of Marshals during difficult times in U.S. history.
Boozman filed HR 2799 in early June and the legislation was referred to the House committee on Financial Services.
Boozman’s statement also noted that the coin will be the first commemorative coin to honor the United States Marshals Service. The Marshals Service will mark its 225th year of service in 2014. Established in 1789, the service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency.
“While it is the policy of the U.S. Marshals not to comment on pending legislation, I can tell you the hard working men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service are extremely proud of their many historical contributions over the course of this nation’s history and are honored to be recognized for that service,” U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Jeff Carter told The City Wire.
Link here to view Boozman’s video comments about the proposed legislation.