The United States Senate has passed without objection or amendment bill S.697, legislation that calls for the creation of a Harriet Tubman commemorative coin series. The legislation has now been sent to the House or Representatives for their vote. Assuming that the House passes the bill, it will be sent to President Biden for signature to become law. The bill was introduced in March 2021 and has been in committee for the vast majority of the time between its introduction and the approval of the bill on February 17, 2022.
The House of Representatives passed a similar bill in March (H.R. 1842) which carries the same title as its Senate counterpart. Generally speaking, there is also widespread support for a Harriet Tubman coin in the United States. It is likely that the Senate bill will be the one voted upon by the House with H.R. 1842 being rolled into the Senate bill.
S.697 calls for the minting of 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 Half Dollar clad commemorative coins to be produced to honor the bicentennial of Tubman. The bill also calls for the design of the coin to, “be emblematic of the legacy of Harriet Tubman as an abolitionist. At least one obverse design shall bear the image of Harriet Tubman”. The bill calls for the commemorative coins to be produced in 2024.
Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist and political activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad.