Congress votes for Sacagawea dollar redesign

WASHINGTON - Congress approved a redesign of the Sacagawea dollar yesterday in hopes of enticing consumer and business use of the gold-colored dollar.

Under legislation passed by voice vote in the House and sent to President Bush for his signature, new editions of the coin honoring the young Shoshone who helped Lewis and Clark on their trek to the Pacific Ocean more than 200 years ago will come out in 2009.

The new coins will continue to depict Sacagawea and her child, but they will feature scenes on the reverse side, changed annually, commemorating the achievements of other American Indians and tribes.

The Sacagawea dollar was first minted in 2000 to replace the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin. But like its predecessor, it failed to win public acceptance and today is produced only for sale to collectors.

The bill requires that the newly designed Sacagawea coins make up at least 20 percent of all one-dollar coins minted each year and instructs the Treasury Department to carry out an aggressive campaign to encourage commercial enterprises to accept and dispense the coins.