Earned‑wage access bill debated; tipping ban and anti‑discrimination language affirmed, 'stacking' requires more study

Subcommittee members spent the bulk of the meeting discussing HB 237, the earned‑wage access (EWA) bill returned with changes from last year. Delegate Pam Queen said the bill includes a prohibition on tip prompts and adds references to anti‑discrimination and unfair or deceptive practice language already in the commercial law article.

A Department of Labor representative said the bill's core changes are to (1) prohibit tipping in EWA transactions and (2) add anti‑discrimination and false‑advertising references consistent with other lending statutes. The representative said those references point back to existing commercial law provisions cited in testimony.

Several delegates raised the issue of "stacking"—customers taking multiple advances from different EWA providers—and whether technological or regulatory fixes are feasible. One delegate said Connecticut's approach was not yet operational and cautioned against imposing requirements that vendors cannot technologically meet, arguing that overbroad regulation could push providers out of the state and reduce consumer access. Another delegate noted unfavorable testimony on the bill and recommended further stakeholder negotiation.

Committee members agreed not to vote on HB 237 that day. The subcommittee asked staff to invite the Office of the Attorney General to explain proposed stacking and cap amendments and to work with stakeholders to reconcile technical drafting and statutory cross‑references before a future vote.

The discussion left substantive issues unresolved: the EWA bill on the table prohibits tips and incorporates consumer‑protection references, while proposed AG amendments on stacking and caps remain under consideration and require further technical review.