The National Restaurant Association announced on July 14 that it welcomed the House passage of the Common Cents Act, legislation designed to address challenges faced by restaurant operators following the phase-out of the penny.
The bill would allow rounding for cash transactions and provide safe harbor protections for business owners, including those in the restaurant industry. According to the Association, this measure aims to simplify transactions, reduce confusion at points of sale, and protect small businesses nationwide from liability. The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration. The Association said it has been engaging lawmakers and urging swift passage.
Sean Kennedy, Chief Advocacy Officer at the National Restaurant Association, said, “Restaurants need clarity on how to manage the phase out of the penny, and customers deserve consistency when using cash to pay for their meals. This legislation would achieve both, reducing unnecessary friction between restaurants and the guests they serve and injecting a degree of uniformity into the most basic transactions involved in running a restaurant. This is a meaningful win for every restaurant operator and small business owner who has spent months navigating this challenge without a road map.”
The last penny was produced in November 2025. Its discontinuation led to disruptions for restaurants—a sector operating on margins between three and five percent where one in four transactions is paid in cash. Following advocacy by the National Restaurant Association, both the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department took steps intended to ease some stress caused by these changes. The organization said that today’s bill reflects direct input from industry stakeholders seeking long-term solutions.
The National Restaurant Association represents an industry that is among America’s largest private-sector employers and enhances community development through economic contributions as well as workforce opportunities; it advances policy priorities through advocacy at all levels of government; collaborates with 52 state associations; supports restaurants nationwide regardless of size; provides education programs; and works with partners across its national structure, according to its official website.