H.R. 1401: Currency Optimization, Innovation, and National Savings Act of 2025

This bill, known as the Currency Optimization, Innovation, and National Savings Act of 2025, proposes several measures to help save taxpayer money by addressing the production and distribution of coins, particularly focusing on the one-cent coin, commonly known as the penny.

Key Provisions

Temporary Suspension of Penny Production

The bill mandates a temporary suspension of the production of one-cent coins for a period of ten years. This decision is based on the following points:

• It is deemed that there are already enough one-cent coins in circulation to meet public demand.
• Producing one-cent coins is considered to be costing taxpayers money.
• It is not necessary to mint more one-cent coins for the next decade.

Exceptions for Numismatic Purposes

The bill does allow for the continued production of one-cent coins, but only in limited quantities for numismatic collectors. The following rules apply:

• The Secretary of the Treasury will produce one-cent coins solely to satisfy the needs of coin collectors.
• These coins will be sold according to existing regulations governing numismatic coins.
• The revenue generated from these sales will cover the production costs, ensuring there is no financial loss from producing these collector coins.

Legal Tender Status Maintained

Despite the suspension of production, the bill clarifies that one-cent coins will remain legal tender in the United States. This means they can still be used for all public and private payments, taxes, and other obligations, regardless of when they were minted.

Conclusion

The overarching aim of this bill is to reduce unnecessary costs to taxpayers associated with the minting of pennies, while still respecting the ongoing role of these coins in U.S. currency.

Relevant Companies

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