Carolyn Maloney: “I yield myself as much time as I may consume, Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2453, the Mark Twain…”

“I yield myself as much time as I may consume, Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2453, the Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act. This legislation will allow the U.S. Treasury Department to mint $1 silver and $5 gold commemorative coins in recognition of Mark Twain's incredible legacy. The minting of these coins will come at no additional cost to the taxpayer and will be divided among four important organizations dedicated to promoting the legacy of Mark Twain. One will be the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut; secondly, the Mark Twain Project at the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley; thirdly, the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College in my home State of New York; and, lastly, the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum in Hannibal, Missouri. I commend the work of my colleague from Missouri, Representative Luetkemeyer. This bill will ensure that these great institutions will benefit directly from Mark Twain's legacy. Samuel Clemens, better known to the world as Mark Twain, was one of the most important and unique American voices whose literary work has had a lasting effect on our Nation's history and culture. In fact, Mark Twain was instrumental in popularizing the image of an America full of hardworking men and women who pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps, an America that is still very much alive and well and part of the American Dream.…”