[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2630 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2630

To make it unlawful for any physical retail establishment to refuse to 
            accept cash as payment, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 9, 2019

 Mr. Cicilline (for himself, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Cummings, Mr. 
  Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Omar, Ms. Pressley, Ms. 
    Schakowsky, Mr. Veasey, and Mrs. Watson Coleman) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To make it unlawful for any physical retail establishment to refuse to 
            accept cash as payment, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited to as the ``CASH Act'' or the ``Cash Always 
Should be Honored Act''.

SEC. 2. REQUIRED ACCEPTANCE OF LEGAL TENDER.

    (a) In General.--It shall be unlawful for any physical retail 
establishment to refuse to accept legal tender as payment for any 
products or services offered for sale by such physical retail 
establishment.
    (b) Online Transactions.--For any physical retail establishment 
that also offers products and services for sale through an internet-
based platform, subsection (a) shall not apply to a transaction 
conducted through such platform if the individual making a payment in 
such transaction is not physically present in the physical retail 
establishment at the time of the transaction.
    (c) Telephone Transactions.--For any physical retail establishment 
that also offers products and services for sale by way of the 
telephone, subsection (a) shall not apply to a transaction conducted by 
way of the telephone if the individual making a payment in such 
transaction is not physically present in the physical retail 
establishment at the time of the transaction.
    (d) Enforcement by Federal Trade Commission.--
            (1) Unfair or deceptive acts or practices.--A violation of 
        subsection (a) shall be treated as a violation of a regulation 
        under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act 
        (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)) regarding unfair or deceptive acts or 
        practices.
            (2) Powers of commission.--The Federal Trade Commission 
        shall enforce subsection (a) in the same manner, by the same 
        means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, and duties as 
        though all applicable terms and provisions of the Federal Trade 
        Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into 
        and made a part of this section. Any person who violates this 
        section shall be subject to the penalties and entitled to the 
        privileges and immunities provided in the Federal Trade 
        Commission Act.
            (3) Rulemaking.--The Federal Trade Commission may 
        promulgate regulations under section 553 of title 5, United 
        States Code, to implement this section.
    (e) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
            (1) Legal tender.--The term ``legal tender'' means any 
        United States coin or currency.
            (2) Physical retail establishment.--The term ``physical 
        retail establishment'' means any physical establishment where 
        goods or services are offered for sale and sold to individuals 
        who are physically present in such physical establishment.
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