Currency: Stopping Penny Production and Rounding Cash Sales
The Senate must act next: Senate consideration, where most legislation needs 60 votes to advance.
The bill has already passed the House and addresses the long-standing issue of the penny costing more to make than it is worth. It has a clear path in the Senate as a cost-saving measure.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
The bill orders the Treasury to stop producing pennies for everyday circulation, which could reduce the workload or staffing needs at the U.S. Mint facilities that currently strike one-cent coins. The bill still allows the Mint to produce limited numismatic pennies, softening but not eliminating this effect.
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4433-4434)
The House fast-tracked this bill — limited debate, no amendments allowed, but needs two-thirds support to pass.
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
The House fast-tracked this bill — limited debate, no amendments allowed, but needs two-thirds support to pass.
The House of Representatives passed the Common Cents Act, establishing national rounding guidelines for cash transactions as the penny is phased out. The bill allows businesses to round totals to the nearest nickel when exact change is unavailable, protecting them from potential litigation.
Retailers are pushing for the Common Cents Act to provide a safe harbor for rounding cash transactions. While the Treasury says rounding won't affect overall prices, the Richmond Fed estimated a 'rounding tax' could cost consumers $6 million annually as the penny is retired.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Common Cents Act
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.