Sponsors
The bill permanently places Harriet Tubman on future $20 notes and creates a timetable with a limited safety delay to protect currency integrity, trading symbolic representation and clearer process for measurable printing and transition costs and some potential public controversy.
All users of U.S. currency will see Harriet Tubman's likeness on $20 notes printed after Dec 31, 2030, increasing representation of Black historical figures on widely circulated money.
Taxpayers and financial institutions will benefit from a built-in limited delay (up to 2 years) if issuing redesigned notes would create counterfeiting or operational risks, helping protect currency integrity and economic functions.
Taxpayers will gain clearer timing and procedures because the law sets a statutory deadline and process for the redesign, increasing transparency and accountability for currency decisions.
Taxpayers will bear the direct costs of printing and distributing redesigned $20 notes, increasing government expenditures.
Banks, businesses, and households that use cash will face short-term operational costs to update ATMs, cash-handling equipment, and processes during the transition.
Members of the general public may experience political controversy or backlash over mandating a specific historical figure on currency, which could polarize public opinion.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires Harriet Tubman's likeness on all $20 notes printed after Dec 31, 2030, with a one-time delay option to Dec 31, 2032 for security or economic-risk reasons.
Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make the face of every $20 Federal Reserve note printed after December 31, 2030, bear the likeness of Harriet Tubman, with a one-time option for the Secretary to delay implementation up to two years (to no later than December 31, 2032) if issuing such notes would pose an unacceptable counterfeiting risk or impair the safe, secure, and speedy functioning of the U.S. economy. The Secretary must consult relevant agencies and submit a written determination to the specified congressional committees if a delay is needed.
Introduced March 10, 2025 by Jeanne Shaheen · Last progress March 10, 2025