Coin legislation can many times take a not so uncommon long road to passage, and that was the case for a bill passed in the Senate Wednesday that would issue up to 350,000 silver dollar coins "emblematic of the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its contribution to civil rights in America."

The “Civil Rights Act of 1964 Commemorative Coin Act, H.R. 2040” was first introduced by Rep. John Lewis [D-GA] on April 25 of 2007. It eventually passed in the House with with the support of 313 cosponsors nearly a year later on April 1, 2008.

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A year of near silence for the "Civil Rights Act of 1964 Commemorative Coin Act" ended yesterday when the House passed the bill by voice vote.

The bill was first introduced by Rep. John Lewis [D-GA] on April 25 of 2007. While movement for the bill was quiet until yesterday, it gained 313 cosponsors within the last year that assured its passage.

The timing could not have been better with the approach of the 40th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr’s death on April 4, 1968.

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