Following the inclusion of $5 million for the National Coast Guard Museum in the federal spending bill working its way through Congress, several of Connecticut's congressional delegates are reviving a bill to create a commemorative coin that would help to raise money for the museum.

U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, on Wednesday reintroduced the United States Coast Guard Commemorative Coin Act, which would require the U.S. Treasury to create new $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins and half-dollar coins. U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., is also a co-sponsor on the bill.

The proceeds from the sale of the commemorative coins would be used to support the development and operation of the museum. Around $2 million to $3 million is generally raised from such coins.

The $1 trillion budget bill for the fiscal 2017 year, which passed the House on Wednesday, includes $5 million, what would be the first federal funding to go to the museum. That money would be used for initial appraising, cataloguing and organizing artifacts, and could not be used for the design and construction of the museum. The Senate is expected to vote on the spending bill Thursday.

The National Coast Guard Museum Association, which is raising money to build and operate the museum, still has a ways to go in its fundraising efforts. The museum association has secured $9 million in private donations toward the estimated $100 million museum project. The state has committed $20 million for a pedestrian bridge to provide safe access to the museum.