WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen applauded the news of her bipartisan Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act passing both chambers of Congress and heading to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law. This bill honors the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman with the creation of a series of commemorative coins bearing her image and emblematic of her legacy. The coins mark what would have been Tubman’s 200th birthday and will be paid for by sales to the public, at no cost to taxpayers.
“Harriet Tubman’s incredible life story is one of courage, resilience, and heroism,” said Senator Rosen. “After escaping slavery, Tubman dedicated her life to helping others flee to freedom through the Underground Railroad, served as a spy and a nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War, and became a leading voice in the women’s suffrage movement. I am thrilled that we are sending this bill to the President’s desk to be signed into law to honor Tubman’s life and legacy.”
The Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act, which Rosen introduced alongside Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue – at no cost to American taxpayers and for a surcharge to purchasers – $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half dollar clad coins bearing Tubman’s image and emblematic of her legacy, all of which would be legal tender. Proceeds from the sale of such coins to the public would pay for any costs associated with their minting. Surcharges received by the Treasury would be paid equally to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, New York to help fulfill their missions of telling the stories of abolitionists and inspiring the public by sharing Harriet Tubman’s core values and promoting her enormous legacy.
