HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has voted to approve a bill that would round cash transactions to the nearest nickel.
House Bill 2388, known as the Pennsylvania Common Cents Act, passed a final vote on Wednesday. Democratic Representative Nathan Davidson introduced the legislation to address a nationwide penny shortage that began after the federal government stopped producing the coin in November 2025. Davidson noted that the shortage has made it difficult for local governments and businesses to provide exact change for people who prefer to pay with paper money and coins.
Under the proposed law, cash totals ending in one, two, six, or seven cents would round down to the nearest five cents. Totals ending in three, four, eight, or nine cents would round up. Transactions under five cents would automatically round up to a nickel.
The rounding rules would apply to state agencies, local governments, and businesses during in-person cash transactions. However, the law would not apply to electronic payments, checks, credit cards, or debit cards. It also would not apply if a customer paid with exact change or if the business can provide the exact coins needed.
For recurring bills like utilities, any amount rounded up would be credited to the customer’s account. If an amount is rounded down, the remaining cents would be added to the next bill. The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration.