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Retailers, sponsor tell committee ID‑swipe bill is a narrow tool to keep age‑restricted goods from minors
Summary
Supporters of Senate Bill 1005 told the Rules Committee the bill permits retailers to swipe IDs to verify age and raises damages for unlawful storage or sale of scanned data; proponents said scans are used only to validate ID authenticity and age.
The Rules Committee on June 11 heard testimony on Senate Bill 1005, which would allow private entities to swipe a customer’s driver’s license or identification card to verify age when selling age‑restricted products, regardless of whether the clerk has a reasonable doubt the buyer is 21. The committee heard testimony in a public hearing; a dash‑2 amendment increases statutory damages for unlawful storage, sale or sharing of scanned personal information from $1,000 to $5,000 or actual damages if greater.
Jonathan Polonsky, CEO of Plaid Pantry, said his chain of 104 convenience stores uses ID scanning solely to verify authenticity and age and that the company “has never stored or sold any of our customer's personal information.” He told the committee that without the bill, retailers would revert to less robust age‑verification practices and compliance rates could fall.
Senator Daniel Bonham, a sponsor, described the bill as a short, targeted change: “This bill is about 15 words, 1 of which is a contraction and a number, that's it,” he said, arguing that authorized scanning improves compliance in compliance audits. Representative Emily McIntyre, who testified in support, highlighted the dash‑2 amendment’s strengthened penalty for data misuse and said the bill protects minors while allowing businesses to verify age.
Members of the committee asked about privacy concerns raised by written testimony from a private citizen who expressed distrust of scanning ID images. Representative Croft suggested retailers might post visible notices clarifying that the store does not store scan data and that civil remedies are available under the statute; supporters said the dash‑2 amendment expressly increases penalties to deter misuse.
No committee vote was held on the bill during this session; the record includes public testimony and sponsor remarks. The committee preserved written testimony and closed the public hearing on SB 1005.
