By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

THE U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 392, which authorizes the United States Mint to circulate redesigned quarter dollars that would commemorate the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories, including Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Yesterday’s vote was the fifth time the U.S. House of Representatives has given approval to the proposed legislation which would, in effect, extend the 50 State Quarters Program.
Also known as “The District of Columbia and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar Program Act,” the legislation now goes to the U.S. Senate where it has stalled over the past eight years.
The popular 50 State Quarters Program was authorized by an Act of Congress in 1997. The District of Columbia and the U.S. territories were not included in the original legislation.
Guam Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo spoke in favor of the legislation on the House floor yesterday.
“Guam, like the District of Columbia and the other U.S. territories, has unique attributes that too few Americans are aware of. In fact, it is all too common for Americans to be unaware of—or misinformed about—Guam’s history and culture,” Bordallo said in her statement.
“Continuation of the Quarters Program by minting quarters to honor Guam and our sister territories would be a good way to promote our country’s diversity and to educate Americans about our island’s history, our culture, and our island community,” she added.