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House debates consumer protections for crypto ATMs after lawmakers cite large reported losses
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Summary
Lawmakers debated a Commerce Committee amendment to Senate Bill 482 addressing consumer protections for cryptocurrency kiosks, centering on a 72‑hour refund window, caps on early transactions and privacy safeguards. Members split over whether the amendment protects seniors from scams or unduly shields operators.
Representative Jared Sullivan, the minority member on the Commerce Committee, told colleagues that Granite Staters have suffered large losses to scams involving cryptocurrency kiosks, citing town-level reports and a committee hearing tally. “In 2025, Littleton reported $100,000 in losses. Manchester, over $1,500,000. And statewide, Granite Staters lost more than $22,000,000,” Sullivan said, arguing machines and operator business models make victims easy targets.
Sullivan urged defeat of the floor amendment 1526h, saying it “will do little to protect them” and that the machines enable high-fee, quick transactions that scammers exploit. He also told the House that law enforcement had recovered “exactly 0% of all of these losses,” framing the bill as a consumer-protection necessity.
Representative Bridal spoke in opposition to the amendment but in support of the underlying senate bill. Bridal said the senate proposal — which he described as a compromise built with law-enforcement input — would allow crypto kiosks to operate with “reasonable safeguards” and argued the committee amendment’72‑hour window and additional privacy and accountability measures were aimed at protecting older residents who are frequently targeted by scams.
Representative Ammon, sponsor of the Commerce Committee amendment, described its three central features: a 72‑hour “new customer” protection period with a $3,000 cap on transactions during that window, privacy protections for biometric data, and operator accountability requirements including published anti‑fraud policies and fraud-detection software. “The purpose of the committee amendment is to break the spell,” Ammon said, describing coercive scam tactics that lead victims to feed cash into kiosks.
The House first took a division vote on the floor amendment; a later roll-call on the underlying bill produced recorded tallies on the chamber floor. Amendment 1526h failed on the division, and the House subsequently passed the motion on SB 482 as reported and referred it to the Committee on Criminal Justice for further consideration.
What happens next: SB 482 was passed as reported and referred to criminal justice for follow-up work and potential additional changes. Lawmakers on both sides requested further attention to balancing consumer protections, privacy safeguards, and local authority.
(Quoted speakers are identified from the House floor: Representative Jared Sullivan, Representative Bridal, Representative Ammon.)
