‘In God We Trust’ Motto Faces New Legislative Scrutiny

   

The new Presidential $1 coins and the words "In God We Trust" are back in debate. A new legislative bill, S.2417, has been placed on the table and seeks changes to the motto’s placement.

Since the beginning of its mintage, the new dollar coin has faced extra scrutiny due solely to those powerful words, or lack of them. While a very small segment of the population would just as soon see the motto forever removed, most appreciate the significance of it appearing on coinage since the Civil War.

Then there are many who take issue with the new $1 coin’s design, believing the motto lacks prominence on its edge.

Mint errors with the Presidential $1 coins arose the public

The U.S. Mint inadvertently heated the situation further earlier in the year when some new Washington and Adam Presidential dollars started exiting Mint doors with the inscription completely missing. Or, in some cases, the letters were off center, weakly struck, partially struck, doubled or even inverted.

Hobbyist generally didn’t and don’t mind the Mint’s embarrassing blunders. Of the nearly billion presidential dollars minted this year, statistically speaking, the error coins classify as rarities. Many are worth more than their weight in gold. However, unlike past minted coin errors, the mistakes have appeared in mainstream news headlines.

That resulted in outrage from many who hadn’t yet seen a new Presidential $1. Some thought the new presidential dollars were purposely designed to exclude "In God We Trust". At the very least, it awakened a call to take a closer look.

Previous attempts and the new legislative action to prominently display ‘In God We Trust’ on Presidential Dollars

Seeing the $1 coins in their own eyes and perhaps taking some heat from constituents, legislatures began entering bills and amendments to move "In God We Trust" from the coin’s edge to its face.

Finding and following each bill or amendment is like trying to put together a 10,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. And while bills and amendments have appeared, they seem to silently slip into forgetfulness.

The three that are at least most visible:

1. H.R. 2510 - It was introduced May 24, 2007 by Rep. Virgil Goode, Jr. [R-VA] with the intent: To amend title 31, United States Code, to require the inscription “In God We Trust” to appear on a face of the $1 coins honoring each of the Presidents of the United States.
2. House Amendment 483 to H.R. 2829 - It was proposed on June 28, 2007 by Rep. Wicker [R-MS], with the intent: To restore to the face, or the obverse, of the dollar coin the words "In God We Trust" and "E Pluribus Unum
3. S.2417 - It was introduced on Dec. 5, 2007 by Sen. Brownback [R-KS], with the intent: To amend title 31, United States Code, to require the inscription “In God We Trust” to appear on a face of the $1 coins honoring each of the Presidents of the United States.

H.R. 2510 went into an apparent comma. House Amendment 483 passed by a vote of 295-127 on the same day it was introduced. Since then, action has disappeared. S.2417 was introduced just days ago and this time into the Senate. To date, it’s been read twice and referred to the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

Given the history of previous attempts, the Vegas odds on it passing could be on the risky side.