Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Frank D. Lucas

Republican on Common Cents Act 2026-07-14

395 words · 17 sentences · 23 clauses

Statement grade

A–

Average 89 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Greeting 2%Procedure 4%Positioning 8%Claims 66%Anecdote 15%Thanks 6%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. Speaker, Greeting · 7 wordsI appreciate those comments by the chairman.Greeting Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 11 wordsI rise today in strong support of the Common Cents Act.Procedure Positioning · 32 wordsThis bill has been over a year in the making with my colleagues Mrs. McClain and Mr. Garcia from California, and I am proud of the product that we put forward today.Positioning Claims · 259 wordsThe 1 cent piece, or the penny as it is commonly known, does indeed cost almost 4 cents to produce, ¹and 2024 was the 19th consecutive year the U.S. Government lost money keeping the 1 cent piece in circulation.² That is why this year, the President rightly ordered the Department of the Treasury to stop wasting hard-earned taxpayer money to produce the coin and why we are excited to move forward in codifying this action.³ The Common Cents Act also gives flexibility to the Mint to produce a nickel with cheaper materials. In 1866, Congress mandated the nickel be produced from an alloy of copper and nickel, ⁴and we haven’t updated the composition since.⁵ This bill gives the Mint the flexibility to produce a cheaper coin, while retaining Congress’ responsibility of coining money. Finally, the bill provides certainty for businesses in their cash transactions with customers without mandating price controls from the government. We are also proud to boast the endorsements of the National Retail Federation, the National Grocers Association, the United Steelworkers International Union, ⁹and the American Bankers Association, among many others. I must take one moment and note with the passing of the 1 cent piece, it is a coin that was mandated in the 1792 Mint Act, a coin that when it was originally produced in 1793 by the United States Mint in that very fledgling facility in Philadelphia, represented 1 cent of pure copper.⁶⁷ Over time, with inflation and the changing consumer patterns, we went to the smaller 1-cent piece we now use in 1857.⁸ Anecdote · 58 wordsNow, all of this time later, the 1-cent piece has passed its prime and time. Yet, it was a coin that was important to commerce from the founding of the country. It was an important coin because every American at least had a few cents in their pocket, even in the toughest times, over the last 200 years.Anecdote Procedure · 4 wordsNow we move forward.Procedure Thanks · 24 wordsAgain, I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on the Financial Services Committee for making these wise decisions in codifying it.Thanks

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 63

9 of 9 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Greetings and pleasantries.What the tags mean “I appreciate those comments by the chairman.”A greeting: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I rise today in strong support of the Common Cents Act.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “This bill has been over a year in the making with my colleagues Mrs. McClain and Mr. Garcia from California,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “and I am proud of the product that we put forward today.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Now, all of this time later, the 1-cent piece has passed its prime and time.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Yet, it was a coin that was important to commerce from the founding of the country.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “It was an important coin because every American at least had a few cents in their pocket, even in the toughest times, over the last 200 years.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Now we move forward.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “Again, I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on the Financial Services Committee for making these wise decisions in codifying it.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 100

0 of 9 deductions are Relevance

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the bill under debate.

Nothing lost points.

Reasoning · 93

0 of 9 deductions are Reasoning

Reasoning checks for sound logic and solid support for any conclusion. A low score means the speaker made unsupported leaps or used weak arguments.

Nothing lost points.

Conclusions found · 2

Conclusion“That is why this year, the President rightly ordered the Department of the Treasury to stop wasting hard-earned taxpayer money to produce the coin and why we are excited to move forward in codifying this action.”

Because“or the penny as it is commonly known, does indeed cost almost 4 cents to produce,”

“and 2024 was the 19th consecutive year the U.S. Government lost money keeping the 1 cent piece in circulation.”

Reason given
Conclusion“Now, all of this time later, the 1-cent piece has passed its prime and time.”

Because“or the penny as it is commonly known, does indeed cost almost 4 cents to produce,”

“and 2024 was the 19th consecutive year the U.S. Government lost money keeping the 1 cent piece in circulation.”

“Over time, with inflation and the changing consumer patterns, we went to the smaller 1-cent piece we now use in 1857.”

Reason given

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 100

0 of 9 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Nothing lost points.

Claims · 9

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“cost almost 4 cents to produce”The U.S. penny (the 1-cent coin) costs almost 4 cents to produce.search
2“2024 was the 19th consecutive year the U.S. Government lost money keeping the 1 cent piece in circulation”In 2024, the U.S. government lost money producing the penny for the 19th consecutive year.search
3“the President rightly ordered the Department of the Treasury to stop wasting hard-earned taxpayer money to produce the coin”The President ordered the Department of the Treasury to stop producing the penny.search
4“In 1866, Congress mandated the nickel be produced from an alloy of copper and nickel”In 1866, Congress mandated that the five-cent nickel coin be produced from a copper-nickel alloy.search
5“we haven’t updated the composition since”The composition of the U.S. nickel has not been updated since 1866.search
6“a coin that was mandated in the 1792 Mint Act”The U.S. cent was mandated by the 1792 Mint Act.search
7“originally produced in 1793 by the United States Mint in that very fledgling facility in Philadelphia”The U.S. Mint first produced the cent in 1793 at its Philadelphia facility.search
8“we went to the smaller 1-cent piece we now use in 1857”The smaller 1-cent piece currently in use was introduced in 1857.search
9“the endorsements of the National Retail Federation, the National Grocers Association, the United Steelworkers International Union”The Common Cents Act is endorsed by the National Retail Federation, the National Grocers Association, and the United Steelworkers International Union.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15