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Councilmember Zachary Parker Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie 3
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Councilmember Anita Bonds Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. 7
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A PROPOSED RESOLUTION 10
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 13
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To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend Title 28 of 16
the District of Columbia Official Code to extend the applicability date of the 17
cashless retailer prohibition to January 1, 2026. 18
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RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That 20
this resolution may be cited as the “Cashless Retailer Extension Emergency Declaration 21
Resolution of 2024”. 22
Sec. 2. (a) T he Cashless Retailers Prohibition Amendment Act of 2020 (“Act”) 23
enacted in 2021 with applicability subject to appropriation. As part of the Fiscal Year 24
2024 Budget Support Act of 2023 ( D.C. Law 25- 50), the Council funded the Act. 25
Therefore, beginning on January 1, 2025, a retailer will no longer be able to refuse to 26
accept cash as a form of payment, post signs on the premises that cash payment is not 27
accepted, or charge a higher price to consumers who pay cash. 28
(b) Retailers in the District continue to be affected by the disruptions to in- person 29
office work, commute patterns, and crime levels that have significantly improved but 30
remain above levels when the original law was enacted. The vast majority of retailers 31 2
accept cash, and most of those who do not accept it have experienced criminal activity at 32
their establishment. The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington recently 33
completed a survey of their members finding that 90% of their members accept cash. Of 34
the surveyed members who do not accept cash, all were robbed or burglarized in the past. 35
This has led to concerns among staff who must carry large sums of cash at night. 36
(c) An extension of the implementation date for section 28- 5402 is necessary as it 37
will cause disruptions to businesses that continue face economic challenges exacerbated 38
by targeted criminal activity against retailers that physically hold cash reserves. 39
Sec. 3. The Council determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 40
constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Cashless Retailer 41
Extension Emergency Amendment Act of 2024 be adopted after a single reading. 42
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 43