S 1554 — Make Sense Not Cents Act

Summary

Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from minting or issuing new 1-cent coins.
States that Congress has sole authority to coin money and regulate currency.
Removes references to 1-cent coin production from federal law through technical amendments.
Specifies that existing 1-cent coins remain legal tender in the United States for all debts and payments regardless of when they were minted.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Sen. Merkley, Jeff (D-OR)

1 cosponsor

Sen. Lee, Mike (R-UT)

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Jeff Merkley’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

Employer not reported $19,422
CG 7600 LP $6,600
DIGITAL VISION INC $4,629
PAHLISCH HOMES INC. $3,000
SCHAEFFER MFG. $2,900

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Jeff Merkley → · Outside spending →

Actions (2)

May 1, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. · senate
May 1, 2025 Introduced in Senate

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

Full text

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

May 1, 2025

Mr. Merkley (for himself and Mr. Lee) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

A BILL

To amend title 31, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from minting or issuing 1-cent coins.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Make Sense Not Cents Act”.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that Congress has the sole authority to coin money and regulate currency.

SEC. 3. DISCONTINUATION OF 1-CENT COINS.

(a) In General.—The Secretary of the Treasury may not mint or issue a 1-cent coin.

(b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.—

(1) Title 31, United States Code, is amended—

(A) in section 5112—

(i) in subsection (a)—

(I) by striking paragraph (6); and

(II) by redesignating paragraphs

(7) through (12) as paragraphs (6) through (11), respectively;

(ii) in subsection (b), by striking the eighth sentence;

(iii) by striking subsection (c);

(iv) in subsection (i), by striking “(7),

(8), (9), and (10)” each place the term appears and inserting “(6), (7), (8), and

(9)”;

(v) in subsection (j), by striking “(7),

(8), (9), or (10)” and inserting “(6), (7),

(8), or (9)”; and

(vi) in subsection (v), by striking “paragraph (12)” each place the term appears and inserting “paragraph (11)”;

(B) in section 5113(a), by striking the third sentence; and

(C) in section 5132(a), by striking “through (6)” each place the term appears and inserting “through

(5)”.

(2) Section 408(m)(3)(A)(i) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking “paragraph (7), (8), (9), or

(10)” and inserting “paragraph (6), (7), (8), or (9)”.

SEC. 4. NO EFFECT ON LEGAL TENDER.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, or any amendment made by this Act, one-cent coins are legal tender in the United States for all debts, public and private, public charges, taxes, and duties, regardless of the date of minting or issue. <all>

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