The bill (S.4153A/A.7929A), passed by the Senate and Assembly during this year’s legislative session, would prohibit food service and retail establishments throughout the state from refusing to accept payment in cash from consumers. Gov. Hochul signed the bill on Nov. 21.
Violators would be subject to civil penalties under the bill. It would prevent discrimination against those who lack financial stability and who need to pay with cash because they do not have access to credit cards or a checking account.
Earlier this year, during the Great New York State Fair, Sen. Griffo urged Gov. Hochul to sign the bill, as vendors at the Fair, which is run by New York State, were among those moving to adopt a card only model.
“An overwhelming majority of New Yorkers support this proposal,” Sen. Griffo said. “They want to be able to choose for themselves how they pay for goods or services. I am grateful to Gov. Hochul for seeing that this commonsense legislation was an important step for our small businesses and consumers and will fix a flaw that arose because of the digital era.”
Several states and major cities already have policies in place or are considering taking action to ban cashless stores.
