Maine committee debates letting retailers add credit‑card surcharges; amendment would cap fees at 3% and give AG enforcement authority

Lawmakers in the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee spent more than two hours debating LD 151, a proposed change to Maine law that would repeal the existing prohibition on merchant surcharges for credit‑card and debit‑card transactions.

The bill, as explained by the committee analyst Colleen, would “repeal the provision in law that prohibits a seller … from imposing a surcharge for use of a credit card or debit card” and instead allow sellers to impose a surcharge so long as it is “clearly disclosed and does not exceed the cost associated with providing the credit card or debit card service.”

Supporters said merchants—especially small businesses and restaurants—face rising swipe or interchange fees and should be able to recoup those costs directly. Representative Morris said the measure “gives them the flexibility to be able to charge it if they wish,” adding it is a market decision whether customers accept that practice. Several lawmakers described examples of small vendors and farm stands where modest…