Senate passes Common Cents bill to phase out penny
The Senate passed the Common Cents bill on Monday night, sending the legislation to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature. The legislation provides merchants with a legal framework to round cash transactions to the nearest nickel and formally ends U.S. Mint production of the penny.
The measure does not apply to electronic transactions, covering only cash purchases. Retailers, especially grocers, have faced difficulties obtaining pennies, which complicates SNAP transactions because equal‑treatment rules bar different prices for food‑assistance shoppers. After an August Senate amendment triggered a second House vote earlier this month, the bill cleared the Senate again on Monday following its earlier August passage. The bill was sponsored by Senators Cynthia Lummis (R‑WY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D‑NY), with House cosponsors Lisa McClain (R‑MI) and Robert Garcia (D‑CA).
“a solution to a real problem for retailers,” Dylan Jeon, vice president of government relations for the National Retail Federation said.
“Independent grocers process millions of transactions every day, and the disappearance of the penny created a very practical problem at the checkout counter,” Stephanie Johnson, senior vice president and head of government affairs for the National Grocers Association said.
The bill had previously cleared the House and Senate in August after a Senate amendment, necessitating a second House vote earlier this month and a final Senate ratification on Monday. The final batch of pennies was struck last November, nine months after President Trump directed the U.S. Treasury to halt penny production.
What we know
The Senate passed the Common Cents bill on Monday night.
The measure now heads to the White House for President Trump’s signature.
The bill provides merchants a legal framework to round cash transactions to the nearest nickel.
The bill formally ends U.S. Mint production of the penny.
The measure does not apply to electronic transactions.