In November 2025, the Federal government discontinued production of the penny, which has created a nationwide penny shortage. This has created a challenge for counties and local governments who collect a variety of fees and revenues across the Commonwealth. Many Pennsylvanians prefer to pay in cash, and the penny shortage has made it difficult to provide change to the nearest cent. Since many of these fees are set in statute, counties and local governments have no flexibility and are left with no good choices.
 
For this reason, I will be introducing legislation that would allow cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest nickel. Several other states have advanced various proposals to allow counties and local governments the ability to round to the nearest nickel only for cash transactions or collections and not for electronic transfers, checks, debit card, or credit card transactions.
 
Please consider joining me in co-sponsoring this legislation to provide guidance to businesses, county treasures, and other state agencies to eliminate confusion regarding exact change.