**Shaheen first introduced the legislation one decade ago in 2015**
(Washington, DC) – On Monday, on Harriet Tubman Day, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) renewed her decade-long push to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill by introducing the Harriet Tubman Tribute Act. Shaheen first introduced the legislation 10 years ago and has urged the U.S. Department of Treasury under four different administrations to feature Tubman’s likeness on the $20 bill – marking the first woman and Black American to be printed on a U.S. bill.
“The images on U.S. currency tell America’s story. Some of the most significant chapters of our history were shaped by women – and yet, a woman has never been featured on modern U.S. paper currency. It’s long past time to right that wrong,” said Senator Shaheen. “Today, I’m reintroducing my legislation to redesign the $20 bill in honor of Harriet Tubman, who is nothing short of an American icon. Women and girls, especially communities of color, deserve to see themselves represented and celebrated – and I won’t stop fighting to make this a priority until we see it through.”
Click here to view the full bill text.
Senator Shaheen has long led action in the Senate pushing for Harriet Tubman’s depiction on the $20 bill. In 2015, she called on the Obama administration to feature a woman on our currency through executive action and introduced the Harriet Tubman Tribute Act to require all $20 bills to bear Tubman’s likeness. During the first Trump administration, Shaheen called on U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to release a detailed timeline on the $20 bill redesign to meet the 2020 deadline in conjunction with the 100-year anniversary of women’s suffrage. Secretary Mnuchin failed to provide such information and the Trump administration refused to make this a priority. Shaheen engaged with the Biden administration transition team before the President took office, urging his administration to make this a priority. In 2021, Shaheen, along with then-U.S. Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), sent a letter to current U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, urging the Department to prioritize putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.