ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The penny, long considered a symbol of good luck, may be about to run out of luck of its own as debate continues about whether the coin should continue to be circulated, reports the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

The debate will soon echo through the halls of Congress, as Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) prepares to introduce legislation that will effectively eliminate the need for the U.S. Mint to continue producing the penny. The legislation will also call for merchants to round all cash transactions to the nearest nickel, notes the newspaper.

“Times change. You have to adapt to those changes,” Rep. Kolbe recently told USA Today, adding, “A penny should be thought of not as some nostalgic thing but as .... currency. And it simply has no use as a medium of commerce.”

Last month a USA Today/Gallup poll found that 55 percent of respondents feel the penny is useful and should be kept in circulation.

Retailers such as Candy Nation Plus owner Emily Peterson told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle that getting rid of the penny would be bad for business.

“A penny definitely has value at my store,” said Peterson, who sells one-cent candy items that are kept in kid-friendly plastic buckets accessible to her younger clientele. “It's certainly not a profit-maker, but it's very important …. It would really be an issue here. There would be so many disappointed families.”

George Hamlin IV, president of Canandaigua National Bank, told the newspaper that pennies are not an “undue hardship” for banks and are in as much demand from businesses as other coins. He commented that doing away with the penny would hurt businesses because consumers would perceive items to be more expense at $5.00 than $4.99. “This would really change society,” he said.

Wegmans Food Markets spokeswoman Jo Natale commented that it would “very difficult” to get rid of the penny. “How would you give change?” she said, noting, “It probably would not be a good idea.”

Cindy Bauman, co-owner of Steve's Convenience store, told the newspaper that “life would be easier” if customers didn’t have to search for pennies when making their purchases, noting that the penny dish kept next to the register is very useful.

“There are always people happy to get rid of them, but no one seems to complain saying they wish we didn't have pennies,” said Bauman, adding, “But if we didn't have pennies, then everyone would be searching for nickels.”