I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1719 
To amend title 31, United States Code, to save the American taxpayers 
money by immediately altering the metallic composition of the one-cent, 
five-cent, dime, and quarter dollar coins, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 24, 2013 
Mr. STIVERS (for himself, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, and Mr. TIBERI) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To amend title 31, United States Code, to save the American 
taxpayers money by immediately altering the metallic 
composition of the one-cent, five-cent, dime, and quarter 
dollar coins, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cents and Sensibility 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. COMPOSITION OF CIRCULATING COINS. 
(a) STEEL COINS REQUIRED.—Section 5112 of title 
31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection: 
‘‘(w) COMPOSITION OF CIRCULATING COINS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the one-cent, five-cent, dime, and 
quarter dollar coins shall— 
‘‘(A) be produced primarily of steel; and 
‘‘(B) meet such other specifications as the 
Secretary may determine to be appropriate. 
‘‘(2) TREATMENT.—The one-cent, five-cent, 
dime, and quarter dollar coins shall be treated in 
such a manner that the appearance of the coins, 
both when new and after they have been in circula-
tion, is similar to the one-cent, five-cent, dime, and 
quarter dollar coins, respectively, produced before 
the date of the enactment of this subsection. 
‘‘(3) BUY AMERICAN STEEL REQUIREMENT.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, the Secretary shall, in 
minting one-cent, five-cent, dime, and quarter 
dollar coins, only use steel produced in the 
United States. 
‘‘(B) 
EXCEPTION.—Subparagraph 
(A) 
shall not apply if the Secretary finds, and pub-
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lishes in the Federal Register the basis of such 
finding, that— 
‘‘(i) applying subparagraph (A) would 
be inconsistent with the public interest; or 
‘‘(ii) an adequate supply of an appro-
priate grade of steel is not produced in the 
United States in sufficient and reasonably 
available quantities.’’. 
(b) CONVERSION TO NEW COIN SPECIFICATIONS.— 
In setting specifications under section 5112(w) of title 31, 
United States Code, as added by subsection (a), the Sec-
retary of the Treasury shall not set specifications that 
would— 
(1) require more than 1 change to coin-accept-
ing and coin-handling equipment to accommodate all 
coins produced pursuant to such subsection; 
(2) facilitate or allow the use of a coin with a 
lesser value produced by another country, or the use 
of any token or other easily or regularly produced 
metal device of minimal value, in the place of a cir-
culating coin produced by the Secretary; or 
(3) require non-trivial changes to coin-accepting 
or coin handling equipment to easily accommodate 
continued co-circulation of both coins produced with 
the new specifications under such subsection and 
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