HR5616-119

What This Bill Does

The $2.50 for America's 250th Act uses coinage to commemorate the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence. Earlier text authorizes a circulating $2.50 coin if the Treasury Secretary determines it is technically feasible, economically feasible, and not cost prohibitive, with features that distinguish the denomination, an alloy prescribed by the Secretary, a five-year design using the 1926 gold $2.50 Sesquicentennial Coin's allegorical Liberty and Independence Hall images, and inscriptions for the Semiquincentennial of the United States and 1776-2026. The House-passed text focuses on numismatic $2.50 coins: up to 100,000 gold coins weighing 4.1795 grams and containing at least 90 percent gold, up to 300,000 silver coins weighing 26.73 grams and containing at least 90 percent silver, and up to 750,000 clad coins weighing 11.34 grams and minted to half-dollar specifications. It also requires the Treasury Secretary, through the Director of the United States Mint, to study the feasibility, practicality, public benefits, production costs, cost-effectiveness, commerce and transaction-efficiency effects, physical characteristics, stakeholder consultation, seigniorage, and a phased plan for a widely circulated $2.50 coin, with a report due September 15, 2026 to House Financial Services and Senate Banking.

Who Benefits and How

Coin collectors benefit because the Mint may issue limited $2.50 gold, silver, and clad numismatic coins tied to the semiquincentennial. United States Mint customers benefit from commemorative designs based on the 1926 Sesquicentennial allegorical Liberty and Independence Hall coin. Cash-handling businesses benefit from a required feasibility study of how a $2.50 coin would affect coin handling and transaction efficiency. Congressional banking committees benefit from a September 15, 2026 Mint report on production costs, seigniorage, stakeholder consultation, and phased circulation.

Who Bears the Burden and How

United States Mint production staff must evaluate feasibility, design, metal specifications, quantities, production costs, and possible issuance. Treasury coinage officials must decide whether circulating coin issuance is technically and economically feasible and not cost prohibitive. Federal Reserve System staff and financial institutions may need to coordinate any test production or phased circulation plan. Vending and transit industries must participate in consultation and may face equipment or transaction changes if a circulating coin proceeds.

Key Provisions

• Authorizes $2.50 commemorative coinage for the United States semiquincentennial.
• Provides 1926 Sesquicentennial-inspired Liberty, Independence Hall, and 1776-2026 designs for initial coin periods.
• Limits numismatic issuance to 100,000 gold coins, 300,000 silver coins, and 750,000 clad coins with specified weights and metal content.
• Requires a Treasury-Mint study and September 15, 2026 congressional report on circulating $2.50 coin feasibility, costs, benefits, seigniorage, and rollout.
• Provides stakeholder consultation with commercial banks, cash-handling businesses, consumer groups, vending industries, and transit industries.