73R9182 BNL-F By McCoulskey H.C.R. No. 127 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Numismatics, the study or collection of currency, is 1-2 a hobby with a long and distinguished history that is practiced by 1-3 millions of individuals all over the world; and 1-4 WHEREAS, By collecting and cataloguing rare coins, tokens, 1-5 paper money, and other related objects, these individuals are 1-6 helping to preserve the symbols of economic exchange throughout the 1-7 world, thus allowing future generations a glimpse into history; and 1-8 WHEREAS, Like other collectors, numismatists are particularly 1-9 interested in colorful, unique specimens that may be valued for 1-10 their artistic merit as well as their historical significance; and 1-11 WHEREAS, Food coupons, commonly referred to as "food stamps," 1-12 distributed by the United States Department of Agriculture meet 1-13 these criteria and, as a medium of exchange used to pay for goods 1-14 or services rendered, fall into the general category of objects 1-15 collected by numismatists; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Under the terms of The Food Stamp Act of 1964, as 1-17 amended, redeemed food stamps are remitted to the federal reserve, 1-18 which destroys the cancelled coupons to prevent their further use; 1-19 this Act specifies that food stamps may be issued only to 1-20 households that have been certified as eligible and prohibits the 1-21 disposal of cancelled coupons outside authorized channels, thus 1-22 preventing numismatists from adding these specimens to their 1-23 collections; and 1-24 WHEREAS, At a time when millions of Americans are committing 2-1 themselves to reducing waste and pollution by recycling and 2-2 eliminating unnecessary paper and plastic products, this continuous 2-3 cycle of creating and destroying paper food stamps seems to be 2-4 unconscionably inefficient; by allowing collectors to purchase 2-5 cancelled food coupons for a fraction of the face value, the 2-6 government could reduce waste and, at the same time, create a 2-7 source of revenue for the United States Department of Agriculture; 2-8 and 2-9 WHEREAS, This type of exchange would not be unprecedented, 2-10 since current federal laws and federal regulations allow 2-11 numismatists and other hobbyists to purchase U.S. Military Payment 2-12 Certificates (MPC's) and ration coupons from the 1940's; like food 2-13 stamps, MPC's were to be used only by authorized persons, in this 2-14 case within the confines of U.S. military establishments, and were 2-15 not intended for circulation among the general public, but the 2-16 historical value of these certificates was soon recognized and they 2-17 have become collectors' items; and 2-18 WHEREAS, By clearly endorsing the used food coupons with the 2-19 word "void," "used," or "cancelled," or by devising some other way 2-20 to cancel coupons without destroying their artistic value, the 2-21 United States Department of Agriculture could prevent fraudulent 2-22 uses of these coupons while allowing legitimate hobbyists to enjoy 2-23 them as part of their collections; and 2-24 WHEREAS, At this time, several states are experimenting with 2-25 a plastic debit card, similar to a credit card, that could 2-26 eventually render the current paper food stamp system obsolete; and 2-27 WHEREAS, By acting now to remove the restrictions against the 3-1 collection of cancelled food stamps, Congress could create a huge 3-2 market that would absorb the surplus coupons and simultaneously 3-3 provide a new source of revenue; in doing so, elected officials 3-4 would demonstrate dedication to streamlining government waste and 3-5 would allow numismatists around the world an opportunity to add 3-6 this unique form of American currency to their collections; now, 3-7 therefore, be it 3-8 RESOLVED, That the 73rd Legislature of the State of Texas, 3-9 Regular Session, 1993, hereby memorialize the Congress of the 3-10 United States to enact legislation to authorize the United States 3-11 Department of Agriculture to sell processed, previously-redeemed, 3-12 discontinued, and no-longer negotiable food stamps to the public 3-13 for numismatic purposes; and, be it further 3-14 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 3-15 copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, 3-16 the president of the senate and speaker of the house of 3-17 representatives of the United States Congress, and all members of 3-18 the Texas delegation to the Congress, with the request that this 3-19 resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to 3-20 the Congress of the United States.