A commemorative Boy Scouts silver coin is now the law. On May 15, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5872, an act "To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the centennial of the Boy Scouts of America, and for other purposes. President  Bush signed it into law (Public Law No: 110-363) October 8, 2008.

Congress did so with strong bipartisan support.  Although 8 Democrats voted against the bill, they were easily overwhelmed with the support of 215 Democrats and 186 Republicans.

H.R. 5872 is officially entitled the Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Coin Act and calls for 350,000 silver $1 coins to be minted in 2010. The collector coin would contain 90% silver and 10% copper.

Rep Pete Sessions [R-TX] introduced the bill in April and said at the time,

“Boy Scouts are a significant part of American culture, shaping the values, citizenship, and skills of millions of young men,” Sessions stated. “As an Eagle Scout with four generations of Boy Scouts in my family, I strongly value the Boy Scouts’ history of instilling a sense of duty to God, country, and self.”

Will H.R. 5872 become law? In the 110th Congress, 248 members of the House of Representative and the Senate have participated in Boy Scouts of America as Scouts or adult leaders. That along with its nearly unanimous "yes" vote in the House is extremely promising.

To be fair, there are dissenters. It’s not about commemorating the Boy Scouts of America, but for the section in the bill that would mandate a $10 surcharge for the sale of each coin for the National Boy Scouts of America Foundation.