Virginia coin moves closer to reality "Our nation's most fundamental principles - equal rights, rule of law, private property rights, individual liberty - still require a dependable dollar to be meaningfully preserved," the bill reads. The plan calls for spending $17,440 to create a 10-member commission, which would determine the "need, means and schedule for establishing a metallic-based monetary unit" - in other words, a return to a gold standard. It is unclear how Marshall's measure will fare in the Senate. And Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) has said in the past that he does not support the commonwealth printing its own money. But that the bill has made it even this far underscores the depth of distrust among some surrounding the nation's central bank. Marshall first introduced the idea as the 2008 financial crisis rocked many Americans" faith in the foundations of the economy. One of the focal points of the distrust was the Federal Reserve, which controls the supply of money. The Fed was testing the limits of its powers as it cut interest rates to historic lows and began buying trillions of dollars in bonds to pump money into the economy. To the Fed, these were bold moves required to prevent the next Great Depression. To Marshall, they raised the specter of hyperinflation and dollar debasement. Marshall is not the only legislator who is worried: Bills related to the gold standard were introduced in four other states this year. Utah passed a law in 2011 that recognizes gold and silver coins issued by the federal government as tender and requires a study on adopting other forms of legal tender. Among the economists who have endorsed Marshall's measure are Judy Shelton, co-director of the Sound Money Project at the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, and Lawrence White, a George Mason University professor. Marshall has also said Virginia should be prepared with an alternative currency in case the country's financial system is felled by a cyberattack. Tuesday morning, the activist hacking collective Anonymous said it had obtained contact information for 4,000 bank executives. A news report said the data came from Federal Reserve computers. The idea of a Virginia currency has been derided by many Democrats as a fruitless endeavor. A lobbyist passed out wooden nickels stamped with "In Bob We Trust" at a state dinner for politicians and the media several years ago. Are we seriously going to spend taxpayer resources studying a replacement to the world's backbone currency? Are we descending into la-la land?" said Del. Mark D. Sickles (Fairfax), the Democratic Caucus chairman, in an interview last month.