Allowing Exception From $1 Coin Dispensing Capability Requirement

ALLOWING EXCEPTION FROM $1 COIN DISPENSING CAPABILITY REQUIREMENT -- (House of Representatives - November 13, 2007)

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Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleague from Georgia in support of this legislation. This legislation is simple and direct, and as my colleague stated, is necessary. It is basically a technical correction for the Presidential $1 Coin Act enacted in December 2005. That bill sought to use the mechanism of a regularly changed design on the $1 coin to draw that coin into circulation, and it had specific language directing that retail operations on Federal property, including vending machines, accept and dispense $1 coins. It makes sense since the coin is an official form of U.S. exchange, and not to handle the coin would be inappropriate.

But certain vending machines, such as soda machines, only accept change and bank notes of no greater value than $1. Logically, there would be no reason for these machines to dispense a $1 coin. To convert them to do so and to stock them with a stack of coins that never would be dispensed clearly would be unnecessary and not intended by the original bill.

Worse, as my friend from Georgia mentioned, oftentimes that cost for doing so would fall on our servicemen and women. So there really is no point to this change that was mandated, and we can easily fix that today.

Mr. Speaker, the language of this bill exempts solely those $1 vending machines from the requirement to dispense $1 coins. I urge all Members to support this bill, and I commend my colleague from Georgia for bringing this bill to the House floor.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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