Committee releases bill tightening ID and record rules for secondhand phone dealers

The Consumer Affairs Committee voted May 15 to release Assembly Bill A 43 34 as amended, a measure that would impose new identification and recordkeeping requirements on secondhand dealers of cellular telephones and wireless communication devices. Committee staff read amendments that expand the definition of a secondhand dealer to include automated kiosks that purchase devices, require dealers to capture a clear photograph of a seller’s face and record accompanying identifying information, and treat those items as a form of photographic identification under the bill.

The amendments would also require dealers to apply the term “device identifier” to mobile equipment identifiers, international mobile station equipment identity numbers, or electronic serial numbers; to update a device’s description with an identifier “as soon as commercially practical” if it was not available at the time of transaction; and to retain purchase records for one year. The bill exempts kiosks that require a government‑issued identification card from certain identification requirements and excludes entities that provide portable electronics insurance from the definition of secondhand dealers, per the committee reading.

Chairman Samson opened the floor for comment but no slips or public testimony were offered on the item. A motion to amend and release A 43 34 and to release the companion Senate bill carried on a roll call vote, with recorded yes votes from members voting during the roll call. The committee clerk read the bill and the amendments into the record during the hearing.

The measure will proceed to the next legislative step as a committee‑released bill.