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Debate in committee over HB 1530: allows regulated businesses such as tow operators to pass credit‑card processing fees with a 3% cap and required no-cost pay
Summary
House Bill 1530 would allow statutorily regulated businesses (for example, tow truck operators regulated by the state) to charge a transaction fee up to 3% for credit-card payments if a no-cost payment option is disclosed and available. The bill prompted competing testimony from towing industry representatives and consumer advocates.
House Bill 1530 — described by staff as modernizing payment options for registered tow truck operators and other regulated businesses — prompted extended public testimony from tow‑industry witnesses and consumer‑protection advocates at the Feb. 7 Consumer Protection & Business Committee hearing.
Megan Mulvihill, committee staff, summarized the bill’s core provisions: regulated businesses may charge a transaction fee to cover credit-card processing costs, up to 3% of the payment amount, provided the business offers and discloses a no‑cost payment option. Mulvihill explained interchange fees are typically “around 1 to 3% with a fixed rate of 5 to 25¢ per transaction,” and that the bill defines credit-card payment broadly to include payment cards that incur an interchange fee.
Representative Amy Wallen, prime sponsor, framed the bill as relief for small tow operators who are subject to statutorily set fees but cannot currently pass credit-card processing costs to customers. Wallen described tow operators as small, family-run businesses that operate…
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