The Oklahoma House of Representatives is advancing legislation that would change how cash transactions are handled at public entities. House Bill 3075, known as the Common Cents Act, has passed the House policy committee and is scheduled for consideration by the Government Oversight Committee.
According to the Oklahoma House of Representatives release, authored by Rep. Derrick Hildebrant, R-Catoosa, the bill would require public entities to round cash payments to the nearest five cents. The proposal applies only to cash transactions conducted by government agencies and does not affect private businesses, credit or debit card payments, or online transactions. Rep. Hildebrant stated that the legislation is intended to modernize cash handling while leaving digital payments unchanged.
Under the bill, amounts ending in $0.01 or $0.02 would be rounded down, while $0.03 and $0.04 would be rounded up to $0.05. Amounts ending in $0.06 or $0.07 would be rounded down to $0.05, and $0.08 or $0.09 would be rounded up to $0.10.
The legislation was supported by data presented by Rogers County Treasurer Jason Carini, who analyzed county cash transactions. According to the data, rounding produced small net gains: $0.21 from 1,517 transactions in 2023, $0.75 from 1,555 transactions in 2024, and $0.86 from 1,542 transactions in 2025.
The bill mirrors similar proposals at the federal level aimed at reducing reliance on the penny. If enacted, political subdivisions would have until July 1, 2027, to implement the rounding system. Any surplus or shortfall resulting from rounding would be managed by local financial authorities. The bill passed the House General Government Subcommittee by a 9–0 vote and now awaits further consideration.
