Letting a Panel of Citizens Help Pick a Woman for the New $10 Bill (S. 1613)

What is S. 1613?

(Updated April 12, 2020)

This bill would require the Dept. of the Treasury to pull together a panel of private citizens to give advice and make recommendations for choosing the woman who should replace Alexander Hamilton on $10 bills. 

In addition to making the panel of citizens, the Dept. of the Treasury would be required to consider input from the American people.

Argument in favor

U.S. currency almost exclusively features men. If the U.S. is going to add a woman to the $10 bill, the selection process should be inclusive. A citizen panel is a good way to accomplish that.

Argument opposed

Putting a woman on the $10 bill is a meaningless gesture. Even so, shouldn't we have professionals — not just random people — choosing who should grace the $10 bill?

Impact

People who use $10 bills, people participating in the panel, famous and important women in history, Alexander Hamilton's descendants, and the Dept. of the Treasury.

Cost of S. 1613

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced this bill to answer “those voices all across the country calling for the contributions of women to be honored on our paper currency.” Sen. Shaheen believes that future generations would benefit from this process:

“Young girls across this country will soon be able to see an inspiring woman on the ten dollar bill who helped shape our country into what it is today and know that they too can grow up and do something great for their country.”

Of Note: A notable discussion surrounding the future of the $10 bill came about during  the September 2015 Republican presidential primary debate on CNN. Moderators asked each of the candidates what woman they would choose to put on the new bill. 

Some candidates suggested figures from American history like Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony. Three candidates suggested civil rights icon Rosa Parks, and others chose world leaders like former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Mother Teresa. Two candidates opted to nominate either their wife or mother for the honor.

The lone female candidate in the Republican presidential field — former CEO Carly Fiorina — took a different approach, saying that she wouldn’t add a woman to the $10 or $20 bill, calling the idea a “gesture.” Fiorina added that:

“What I would think is that we ought to recognize that women are not a special interest group. Women are a majority of this nation, we are half the potential of this nation and this nation will be better off when every woman has the opportunity to live the life she chooses.”

Media:

• Sponsoring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) Press Release
• New York Times
• NPR
• Washington Post