2026-07-15T12:18:00-0400 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻（CBS News）
作者：梅根·塞鲁洛 记者，MoneyWatch栏目
梅根·塞鲁洛是驻纽约的CBS MoneyWatch记者，报道小企业、职场、医疗保健、消费者支出和个人理财话题。她经常做客CBS新闻24/7频道讨论其报道内容。
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更新时间：2026年7月15日 / 美国东部时间下午12:20 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
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针对美分硬币逐步退市而制定的《通用美分法案》允许企业将现金交易金额四舍五入至最接近的镍币金额，该法案已于周二在众议院获得通过，目前已提交参议院审议。
该法案将为企业和消费者在手头没有零钱的现金交易中提供四舍五入操作的指导准则。目前，企业若无法为顾客提供精确零钱，即便四舍五入对顾客有利，仍可能面临诉讼风险。
商业倡导团体周二对法案通过表示赞扬。美国全国餐馆协会称其“对于长期应对美分退市的餐厅经营者而言是一场胜利”。
美国全国餐馆协会首席倡导官肖恩·肯尼迪在接受CBS新闻采访时表示：“当顾客使用现金支付，但收银机里没有美分硬币无法找零时，企业可能会面临法律责任。”
该法案具体内容是什么？
《通用美分法案》为企业、银行和消费者进行现金交易提供了明确的指导准则。法案要求财政部停止铸造美分硬币，并规定现金交易应四舍五入至最接近的五美分金额。根据该法案，美分硬币仍将保留其法定价值。
如果税后商品总价为10.02美元，而顾客恰好少付2美分，根据法案规定，交易金额将向下舍入至10美元。若商品总价为10.04美元，则将向上舍入至10.05美元。
全国统一标准
肯尼迪表示，美分退市给部分企业带来了不便。尽管美分硬币仍在流通中，但部分地区面临硬币短缺，而另一些地区则存在低面额硬币过剩的问题。
“我们一直在呼吁制定全国统一的四舍五入标准。大多数企业都会将金额四舍五入至最接近的镍币，向上或向下均可，这听起来合乎情理，”他说，“但目前并没有联邦法律允许这样操作。我们追求的是确定性，同时最大限度减少顾客和现金交易企业的困扰。”
该协会估计，由于缺乏美分硬币而进行的舍入操作每年可能让餐馆损失高达1.68亿美元。但该协会仍支持这项立法，因为它可以帮助企业规避潜在的诉讼风险。
“这些美分硬币的总额确实不小。取消美分硬币势必会给餐馆带来成本损失，对此我们无能为力，”肯尼迪说，“但随着美分硬币逐步退市，我们希望能有明确的规则可循。”
最后一枚美分硬币于2025年11月铸造完成。根据美国铸币局的数据，铸造一枚美分硬币的成本接近4美分，高于其本身的面值。美国全国餐馆协会的数据显示，约四分之一的餐厅顾客使用现金支付。
“这关乎企业提前做好准备，以应对美分硬币越来越少见的未来，但由于地方税收政策，账单仍会出现美分金额，”肯尼迪说道。
编辑：斯蒂芬·史密斯
The Common Cents Act is closer to becoming law. What would it mean for businesses and consumers?
2026-07-15T12:18:00-0400 / CBS News
By Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.
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Updated on: July 15, 2026 / 12:20 PM EDT / CBS News
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The Common Cents Act, a response to the phase-out of the penny that lets businesses round cash transactions to the nearest nickel, was passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday and now moves to the Senate for consideration.
It would create rounding guidelines for businesses and consumers to lean on for cash transactions when they do not have exact change on hand. Currently, establishments are vulnerable to litigation if they fail to provide customers with exact change, even when they round up in a patron’s favor.
Business advocacy groups praised its passage on Tuesday. The National Restaurant Association called it “a win for restaurant operators who have been contending with the phase out of the penny.”
“When a customer pays in cash and a register doesn’t have a penny available to give exact change, it can create a legal liability for businesses,” National Restaurant Association chief advocacy officer Sean Kennedy told CBS News.
What does the act say?
The Common Cents Act provides clear guidance on which businesses, banks and consumers can rely when transacting in cash. It directs the Treasury to stop minting pennies and calls for cash transactions to be rounded up or down to the nearest five cents. Pennies will still retain their value under the act.
If a purchase costs $10.02 after tax and a customer is short two cents, the bill would round down to $10 under the act. A charge of $10.04 would round up to $10.05.
A national standard
The phase-out of the penny has been cumbersome for some businesses, according to Kennedy. While it’s still in circulation, some regions face shortages while others have surpluses of the lowest-denomination coin.
“We are asking for a national rounding standard. What most businesses do is round to the nearest nickel, either up and down, which sounds like common sense,” he said. “But there isn’t a federal law that allows for that. What we are looking for is certainty, and to minimize frustration for customers and businesses working in cash.”
The group estimates that rounding down because of a lack of pennies could cost restaurants up to $168 million annually. But it supports the legislation because it shields establishments from potential litigation.
“Those pennies do add up. The elimination of the penny is going to come with costs to restaurants, and there’s nothing we can do about that,” Kennedy said. “But we’re looking for certainty as the penny is phased out.”
The last penny was minted in November 2025. The penny costs more to make — nearly four cents — than it’s worth, according to the U.S. Mint. Roughly one in four restaurant customers transact in cash, according to the National Restaurant Association.
“This is about businesses looking ahead as we move into a world in which pennies will be less frequent, but bills will still include pennies because of local taxation,” Kennedy said.
Edited by Stephen Smith
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