Oct. 8, 2002 – You won't get Virgin Islands quarters back in your change anytime soon, but you might be able to one of these years, if the U.S. Senate goes along with a bill passed by the House of Representatives on Monday that would add the five territories and Washington, D.C., to the Commemorative Quarter Dollar Coin Program.
However, Brian Modeste, an aide to Delegate Donna M. Christensen, said on Tuesday that he doubts the Senate will take up its version of the bill before the end of term. So, efforts to expand the program will have to begin anew when the next Congress takes office in January.
"Because it's so late in the session, they may not get to it," Modeste said, noting that Congress is absorbed by the looming war with Iraq.
The House had already passed a bill to expand the coin program once before, Modeste said, but there just wasn't enough support for it in the Senate. However, he said, he believes the proposal eventually will become law.
The U.S. Mint began issuing quarters honoring the states in 1999 in the order of their admittance to the Union, starting with Delaware. It is just now issuing No. 19, Indiana. Mississippi is the last one scheduled for this year.
The final state coin, for Hawaii, is to be issued in 2008. This means it would be at least 2009 before coins commemorating the five territories and the District of Columbia could be issued. When the prospects for a Virgin Islands coin come closer to realty, Modeste said, a contest will be held to pick the design.
Even looking at seven years from now, the issuing of a Virgin Islands quarter can only help the territory's tourism picture, a V.I. hotelier believes.
"That's a nice little positive P.R. thing," said Richard Doumeng, general manager of Bolongo Bay Beach Resort and a past president of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association. He said he can envision all kinds of tourism promotions tied to the coin.
"I wish it was sooner, but let's assume we'll still need marketing assistance in 2009," he said.
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