A new and dramatic update to legislation introduced last year could have profound impact on circulating coinage in the United States start in 2022. H.R. 1923 was introduced last year titled Women’s History and Nineteenth Amendment Centennial Quarter Dollar Coin Program Act but last Tuesday became known as the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020. Along with the new title, it introduces a sweeping number of changes to nearly all U.S. coinage starting in 2022.
The entire text of H.R. 1923 can be found here and on September 22, 2020 the bill passed the House of Representatives. It is now gone to the Senate who have read the measure twice and have since referred it to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Here are the highlights of the bill:
- Circulating Quarter Dollar honoring women to be issued from 2022 to 2025. There would be five coins each year, similar to the current America the Beautiful series currently in product and set to end next year.
- Multiple denominations in 2026 to celebrate the semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) of the found of the United States of America.
- Circulating Quarter Dollar celebrating youth sports from 2027 to 2030. This would include multiple issues per year.
- Redesign of the Reverse of the Half Dollar celebrating sports performed by individuals with disabilities from 2027 to 2030.
- A medal program of the same designs of the circulating coins that celebrate youth sports and by sports by individuals with disabilities.
- Medal program for the 2028 Olympic Games that are to be held in Los Angeles, California.
- Silver bullion coins with the same designs of all the afore mentioned Quarter Dollar and Half Dollar from 2022 to 2030 in the 5-ounce size as well as “Fractional Sizes”
- “A unifying inscription, privy mark, or other symbol for that particular coin program” is authorized.
H.R. 1923 was originally introduced on March 27 2019 by Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) and was focused on the centennial of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote in the United States. That legislative effort moved to a secondary bill which eventually was signed into law (Public Law 116–71) in November 2019 which is what authorized the Women’s Suffrage commemorative coins that were issued this year by the United States Mint.
The measure passed the House with no objections which is a critical first step for this legislation – a step it could not complete last year. Now it is up to the Senate to bring it forward and vote on it. It unclear on when that will happen or even if it will happen.