Senate Passes Coin Bill Without Cranston’s Redesign Provision

Rejecting an elaborate plea from Sen. Alan Cranston, the Senate on Tuesday joined the House in overwhelmingly approving a commemorative coin bill without considering a separate Cranston proposal to redesign the nation’s coins.

The Senate action sends to President Bush’s desk legislation authorizing the U.S. Treasury to mint four new commemorative coins and a silver medal for veterans of the Persian Gulf War. The President is expected to sign the bill.

The 75-22 vote turned aside a last-ditch effort by Cranston to hold the bill hostage until the House approved his proposed redesign of the tail side of regular coins. Cranston had succeeded in getting the bill through the Senate 13 times over the past four years.

During two hours of debate on the Senate floor Tuesday, the California Democrat argued that his coin redesign provision would yield millions of dollars in savings to the federal government and that the Senate should not give in to the House.

But most of Cranston’s colleagues, including many who had been original co-sponsors of the measure, were unwilling to go along. Cranston has been criticized for his obsession with the coin redesign, which is supported by a New York woman who is sometimes his social companion.

The legislation authorizes special commemorative coins to benefit the 1994 World Cup soccer games, the Christopher Columbus celebrations, a foundation honoring James Madison and the purchase of White House artifacts. It also would provide a medal to everyone who participated in the Persian Gulf War.

Cranston declined to comment on whether he would seek to reintroduce a separate coin redesign bill. He refused to portray Tuesday’s vote as a defeat.

“The issue wasn’t coin redesign,” he said. “The issue was timely adoption of commemorative coins.”