The bill trades greater neutrality, public trust, and clearer design rules for U.S. currency against reduced commemorative flexibility, potential lost Mint revenue, and modest administrative costs to implement the change.
All Americans (taxpayers and currency users) — Prohibiting depictions of living persons on U.S. coins and currency preserves the political neutrality of money and helps maintain public trust by reducing risk of partisan or commercial exploitation of national currency.
Federal employees and Mint/BEP staff — Explicit living-person restrictions make subject-eligibility clearer, reducing ambiguity and simplifying design and approval decisions for Treasury, the Mint, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Taxpayers, collectors, and the Mint — Banning living-person depictions may reduce sales of commemorative coins tied to living figures, cutting Mint revenue that funds programs without new appropriations.
Federal employees, contractors, artists, and civic organizations — The restriction limits artistic and commemorative options, preventing the Mint/BEP from honoring living nonprofit or civic leaders and reducing design flexibility.
Federal agencies and contractors — Implementing the new prohibition will require rulemaking, redesigns, and administrative adjustments at Treasury, generating additional compliance and administrative costs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits portraits or busts of any living person, including living Presidents, on U.S. coins (circulating and commemorative) and U.S. paper currency.
Prohibits placing portraits or busts of any living person on U.S. coins or paper currency and separately forbids portraits or busts of any living President on coins or currency, including commemorative coins. It accomplishes this by adding a new prohibition to the federal statute that governs coin and currency design. The change covers both circulating and commemorative coin programs as well as currency design; it does not set deadlines, specify funding, or create penalties in the text provided.
Introduced October 10, 2025 by Ritchie Torres · Last progress October 10, 2025