From Representative Barbara Lee

Exciting news! My bill was just signed into law.

Dear Friend, Today, I have great news. My legislation, the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, was just signed into law. Click here to see my floor speech on this legislation from September. This success is a long time coming.

Women have played a critical role in shaping our country since its founding but for far too long have often been excluded or gone unrecognized. 

Suffragists like Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell and other Black women and women of color fought not only for the right to vote, but also fought against sexism and racism. They led the way for future generations of women to lead and demand a seat at the table. 

It’s important that we celebrate their contributions and ensure that they are properly recognized in our nation’s history.

That’s why I introduced this legislation, which allows the Department of the Treasury and U.S. Mint to mint and issue new quarter-dollar coins recognizing the contributions of prominent American women.

The first series of quarters in this program commemorates the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment granting some women the right to vote. The design on the reverse of those quarters will represent prominent American women in a range of fields, including but not limited to suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, and humanities. This series will also include women from ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse backgrounds. Representation is critical. It is my hope that diverse American women will be chosen and depicted, celebrating our nation’s leaders, thinkers, and innovators.

Best, Barbara Lee