# 119-s-1525: Common Cents Act

119-s-1525, Common Cents Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY); status passed_senate; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-20).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1525
- As of: 2026-09-20
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1525
- Congress: 119
- Title: Common Cents Act
- Status: passed_senate
- Introduced: 2025-04-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-20

## Summary

**This bill would end penny production and require nationwide cash rounding to five-cent increments.** It would also authorize a new 5-cent coin composition, set detailed rounding rules for cash transactions, and require Federal Reserve and Treasury planning and reporting to manage the transition. - Households and cash users: People who pay in cash would see totals and change rounded to the nearest 5 cents under specific rules. Treasury must assess how rounding and penny supply changes affect low-income, older, debanked, unbanked, and underbanked households. - Businesses and workers: Retailers and other cash-accepting businesses would apply defined rounding steps for final cent digits. Employers who pay employees in cash would have to round up employee payments to the nearest 5 cents when amounts are not multiples of 5. - Coin system and oversight: The bill would stop minting pennies for general circulation while keeping existing pennies legal tender and allowing penny sales as collectibles. The Treasury can change the nickel's composition and the Federal Reserve must publish a strategic plan within 90 days and issue follow-up reports at 6, 18, and 30 months.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2025-04-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK] (R-OK), 2026-08-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-08-04T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Advance notice before ending coins: benefit, medium. If enacted, Treasury would need to give Congress at least 60 days’ notice and a full phase‑out plan before stopping minting of any circulating coin. Treasury would also brief the committees within 30 days after the notice. The bill would name the House Financial Services and Senate Banking committe…
- Cash wage rounding favors workers: benefit, low. If enacted, when an employer pays wages in cash and chooses to round, the cents would have to round up to the next 5 cents. This would apply only to cash pay that is not already a multiple of 5 cents. It would not require rounding when the exact amount is paid.
- End new pennies, plan transition: mixed, high. If enacted, the Mint would stop making new pennies for everyday use. Pennies already in your hands would stay legal to spend, and the Mint could still sell collector pennies. The Treasury would send an impact report in 60 days focused on low‑income, older, and unbanked people. The Federal Reserve w…
- Redesigned nickel to cut costs: mixed, medium. If enacted, Treasury would be allowed to make nickels with a zinc inner layer and a nickel outer layer after testing. A copper‑nickel nickel would still weigh 5 grams; the new design could weigh 4 to 6 grams. The goal would be to lower minting costs and, as much as possible, avoid problems for coin…
- Rounding rules for cash checkouts: mixed, low. If enacted, stores and banks would be allowed to round cash totals when exact change is not available. Covered amounts ending in 1, 2, 6, or 7 cents would round down; 3, 4, 8, or 9 cents would round up, to the nearest 5 cents. Amounts of $0.01 or $0.02 would be allowed to round up to $0.05. Sellers…

## Related bills

- 119-s-558: Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2025
- 119-s-556: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025
- 119-s-315: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025
- 119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.

## Sources
- [119-s-1525 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1525)

## Related
- [119-s-558: Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-558)
- [119-s-556: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-556)
- [119-s-315: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-315)
- [119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-891)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1525 (as of 2026-09-20).