For more than two centuries, the American penny has passed through countless hands. It has been dropped into jars, left on shop counters, and counted out at cash registers. Now its days as a working part of US commerce could be numbered.
The House of Representatives has unanimously approved legislation designed to permanently end production of the one-cent coin for general circulation and establish a federal framework for rounding cash payments to the nearest five cents. The move comes after the US Mint already stopped producing circulating pennies in November 2025, ending a 232-year production run. Existing pennies, however, remain legal tender.
