$2.50 for America’s 250th Act

The bill no longer authorizes minting a circulating $2.50 coin. Section 3 was retitled from 'Circulating $2.50 coins' to 'Minting and issuing of $2.50 numismatic coins,' and the mandatory 'shall mint' language for a circulating coin was replaced with permissive 'may mint' language limited to numismatic coins.

The original Section 4, which authorized broad numismatic $2.50 coin programs in silver, clad, and gold at the Secretary's discretion, was removed and replaced with the study-and-report requirement.

The numismatic coin provisions now specify exact maximum quantities and physical characteristics: up to 100,000 gold coins (4.1795 grams, 0.425 inch diameter, 90%+ gold), up to 300,000 silver coins (26.73 grams, 1.5 inch diameter, 90%+ silver), and up to 750,000 clad coins matching half-dollar specifications (11.34 grams, 1.205 inch diameter). The original version gave the Secretary broad discretion over alloys, quantities, and specifications.

A new Section 4 requires the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct a comprehensive study on the feasibility of minting a $2.50 coin for wide circulation and submit a report to Congress by September 15, 2026. The report must cover historical use, production costs, cost-effectiveness compared to other coins, potential benefits to commerce, proposed physical characteristics, stakeholder consultations, seigniorage estimates, and a phased implementation plan including coordination with the Federal Reserve.

The design period for numismatic coins was shortened from 5 years to 2 years. The provision allowing new designs every 5 years (or every 2 years in the numismatic section) was removed entirely, replaced with a blank line.