Another bill has been introduced into the United States House of Representatives to honor Coronavirus front-line workers. H.R. 1900 – Coronavirus Front-Line Responders Commemorative Coin Act has been introduced into the house and is one of a slew of numismatic legislation bills that the 117th Congress is considering. If the title of H.R. 1900 sounds familiar, it should. H.R. 905 is titled the exact same as this bill and, further, it was introduced by Representative Jack Bermgan (R-MI) on March 16, 2021, a month after he introduced 905. With two related bills now being considered, it would seem that a commemorative honoring front-line workers will get serious consideration.
The bill has been introduced into the House of Representatives for consideration. The bill states its main purpose is, “To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the health care professionals, first responders, scientists, researchers, all essential workers, and individuals who provided care and services during the coronavirus pandemic.“
Yes, this is identical to H.R. 905.
The text of H.R. 1900, which can be found here, outlines that there are to be a series of commemorative coins made in honor of front line responders to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2024.
- $5 Gold Coin with a mintage of no more than 50,000
- $1 Silver Coin with a mintage no more than 400,000
- Half Dollar Clad Coin with a mintage of no more than 300,000
As is normally the case, the bill calls for a surcharge to be added to the price of the coins. That, in turn, will be sent to the CDC Foundation to support the health care response to infectious diseases and pandemics. The surcharges will be $35 on the $5 gold coin, $10 for the silver dollar, and $5 for the half dollar.
The bill has now been referred to the Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services, a common practice for many bills, certainly those that are numismatic related, to go through before further action by the House. As with any legislation, it is unclear if this bill will ever actually become law.
Realistically there will be little to no action on this bill for several months given the focus of Congress on other legislation and activities.