HR595-119

What This Bill Does

This bill makes technical but commercially meaningful changes to the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. It adds a definition of numismatic material covering coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. It then creates a special evidentiary path for importing such material when cultural-property import restrictions apply. For numismatic material, satisfactory evidence may show that the object was acquired lawfully, is of a known type, and is not known to be the direct product of illicit excavations within a State Party. The bill also lets importers or account parties provide sworn declarations that, to the best of their knowledge, the material was lawfully acquired in one or more State Parties, lawfully exported from a State Party where it was acquired, is a known published numismatic type existing in multiple examples, and is not known to come directly from illicit excavation after relevant import restrictions took effect. Finally, it limits customs officers: they may not require documentation beyond the statutory evidence unless they have probable cause based on documentary evidence to believe the submitted evidence is false or fraudulent.

Who Benefits and How

Coin collectors and numismatic dealers benefit because the bill gives clearer import evidence rules for coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Auction houses and museums handling numismatic material benefit because sworn declarations can reduce uncertainty and documentation demands at import. Importers of lawfully acquired numismatic material benefit because customs officers may not demand extra documents without documentary probable cause. Customs brokers benefit from a clearer checklist for numismatic imports under cultural-property restrictions.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Customs and Border Protection officers must apply the new numismatic-material evidence standard and cannot require additional documentation absent probable cause based on documentary evidence. Importers must provide sworn declarations and assume legal risk if the statements about lawful acquisition, lawful export, known type, or illicit excavation are false. Cultural property enforcement advocates and source-country officials may bear a higher evidentiary burden when challenging imports that fit the new numismatic route. Treasury and customs policy staff must update guidance, forms, and training for the revised Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act process.

Key Provisions

• Adds a statutory definition of numismatic material covering coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects.
• Amends import evidence rules so lawfully acquired, known-type numismatic material has a specific compliance path.
• Allows sworn importer declarations to satisfy the numismatic evidence requirements.
• Prohibits customs officers from demanding extra documentation unless documentary probable cause indicates false or fraudulent evidence.