A Quarter for Guam: Recognizing American Citizens Outside of Our 50 States

I make no bones about it. I am very proud of my heritage. I am an American citizen, an Air Force Brat, who was privileged to have been able to travel this globe while my father served our country. I am the oldest of three girls with a British mother and a Chamorro (Guamanian) father, a truly unique mixture of culture and traditions. I find great pleasure in teaching my own 2 young daughters about the richness of their heritage, and all that they are a part of. I am lucky that this pride was instilled into me by both of my parents, who regaled their own girls with stories of their youth. It is no wonder, then, that whenever anyone mentions England or Guam, they get my full attention.

It was with great interest that I listened to the discussion in the House of Representatives, recently, relating to 1997's 50 States Commemorative Coin Program Act (Public Law 105-204). I am quite familiar with this program, as I am an active collector of the state quarters. The US Mint began releasing the quarters in 1999. The designs on each quarter were to reflect the history and spirit of each state. Each quarter was released in the order of the date each state was admitted into the Union. It is a ten-year program, with five quarters released each year, ending with Hawaii, our 50th and last admitted state, having its quarter released in late 2008.

I have to admit, I was a little sad with the prospect of this program ending next year. However, due to the previously mentioned discussions in the House of Representatives, there is a possibility of an extension of this program. How? With the proposal of HR 392 - The District of Columbia and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar Program Act - the "collecting" can continue for another year by including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).