Bill Text: NY S04691 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Prohibits food-service and retail establishments from refusing to accept cash as payment for goods or services and calls for a civil fine if an establishment should refuse cash as payment.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO CONSUMER PROTECTION [S04691 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S04691-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          4691
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                     March 20, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by Sen. CARLUCCI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection
        AN ACT to amend the general business law,  in  relation  to  prohibiting
          retail establishments from refusing to accept payment in cash
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section
     2  396-ii to read as follows:
     3    § 396-ii. Cashless policies prohibited. a. As used  in  this  section,
     4  the following terms shall have the following meanings:
     5    (i)  "Food-service  establishment"  shall  mean an establishment which
     6  gives or offers for sale food or beverages to the public for consumption
     7  or use on or off the premises.
     8    (ii) "Retail establishment"  shall  mean  an  establishment  in  which
     9  consumer  commodities  are sold, displayed or offered for sale, or which
    10  provides services to consumers at retail.
    11    b. It shall be unlawful for a food-service establishment or  a  retail
    12  establishment,  as  policy,  to  refuse  to  accept payment in cash from
    13  consumers.
    14    c. A food-service establishment or retail establishment violating this
    15  section is liable for a civil  penalty  of  not  more  than  twenty-five
    16  hundred  dollars for the first violation and a civil penalty of not more
    17  than five thousand dollars for each succeeding violation.
    18    d. The department of labor may  promulgate  such  rules  as  it  deems
    19  necessary to implement and enforce this section.
    20    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10905-01-9