WASHINGTON — Starting next year, green may not be the only color on the bills in your wallet.

        The government plans to roll out new currency in mid- to late-2003 as part of a stepped-up effort to combat counterfeiters because computers have made copying money much easier.

        Among other changes, the most noticeable will be color. While now all bills feature green and black print on neutral-colored paper, the new money is likely to have “subtle color” in the neutral areas.

        Changes won't be radical. “They'll be traditional in their appearance,” Bureau of Engraving and Printing spokesman Jim Hagedorn says, noting that size won't change and the same presidents will appear on the same bills.

        The new bills will likely be unveiled later this year before going into circulation.

        The U.S. last introduced new currency in 1996, the first redesign since the 1920s. In that change, the government enlarged the presidential portraits and placed them off-center. It also added a watermark that can be seen when held up to the light and a strip on the bill that shows color when put under an ultraviolet lamp.

        The new bills will enhance those changes. And as in 1996, the $1 and $2 bills likely will be unchanged because they rarely are faked.

        Old currency will continue to be accepted when the new money is released.

        The government plans to redesign U.S. currency every seven to 10 years to stay ahead of the currency copycats. That's necessary in part because counterfeiting has become much easier because of computers and laser printers. In the 2001 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, 39 percent of the $47.5 million in counterfeit money that entered into circulation was computer-generated. That's up from 0.5 percent in 1995, according to the Secret Service.

        “You no longer have to be a skilled printer. You can just print it off of your computer,” Secret Service spokesman Jim Mackin says.

        Making the change to the new bills won't be easy. Not only does the U.S. public need to be educated about what their new money will look like, but consumers abroad need to get the same information because two-thirds of U.S. currency is circulated outside the USA.

        The government has earmarked $55 million for the public relations campaign to introduce the new money, about double the amount spent for the 1996 change.

Two games, same result
Rights leaders back boycott
BRONSON: Fightin' words
Some Good News
Counseling demand overwhelms colleges
Green reigns supreme
Hospital gone, but gap filled by others
Victims of fatal wreck had 'shared everything'
Cemetery operator on trial
Dual roles connect community
Medicare sector up for reduction
Panel would aid Liberty development
Parents get lesson in sex education
Park plan lets down theater group
Traficant quiet on defense strategy
U.S. currency redesign may include color
Weapons bill nears House vote
485 Indiana waterways too polluted, survey says
4,000 dogs compete in Louisville
N.Ky. backs more gaming
Tristate A.M. report