Oklahoma 2022 2022 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB4351 Introduced / Bill

Filed 01/20/2022

                     
 
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STATE OF OKLAHOMA 
 
2nd Session of the 58th Legislature (2022 ) 
 
HOUSE BILL 4351 	By: Hill 
 
 
 
 
 
AS INTRODUCED 
 
An Act relating to the Uniform Consumer Credit Code ; 
defining terms; allowing surcharges in certain 
transactions; limiting surcharge amount; requiring 
certain disclosures; limiting application of 
surcharge in a single transaction; prohibiting 
surcharges in certain transactions; creating 
liability for violation ; allowing surcharges under 
certain agreements; repealing 14A O.S. 2021, Section 
2-417, which prohibits surcharges; amending 14A O.S. 
2021, Section 2-211, which relates to discounts; 
deleting surcharge prohibition; providing for 
codification; and providing an effective date . 
 
 
 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: 
SECTION 1.     NEW LAW     A new section of law to be codified 
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Sect ion 2-418 of Title 14A, unless there 
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: 
A.  As used in this section: 
1.  "Debit card" means any instrument or device, whether known 
as a debit card or by any other name, issued with or without fee by 
an issuer for the use of the cardholder in depositing, obtaining , or 
transferring funds from a consumer banking electronic facility;   
 
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2.  "Charge card" includes cards on which unpaid balances are 
payable on demand; 
3.  "Merchant discount fee " means the actual fee, expressed as a 
percentage or fixed amount of the total transaction amount, that a 
seller or lessor pays its processor or service provider to process 
the transaction; and 
4.  "Surcharge" means any additional amount imposed at the time 
of the sales or lease transaction by the seller or lessor that 
increases the charge to the buyer or lessee for the privilege of 
using a credit or charge card. 
B.  In accordance with this section, a seller or lessor in any 
sales or lease transaction may impose a surcharge on a buyer or 
lessee who elects to use a credit card or charge card in lieu of 
payment by cash, check , or similar means. 
C.  A seller or lessor may impose a surcharge of either: 
1.  An amount not to exceed two percent (2%) of the total cost 
to the buyer or lessee for the sales or lease transaction.  A seller 
or lessor that imposes a surcharge on credit cards or charge cards 
shall post signage at t he seller's or lessor's premises in a manner 
that is visible to customers or, for a sales or lease transaction 
made online, display before an online customer 's completion of the 
sales or lease transaction in a manner that is visible to the online 
customer, the following language:   
 
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"TO COVER THE COST OF PROCESSING A CREDIT OR CHARGE CARD 
TRANSACTION, AND PURSUANT TO S ECTION 2-418 OF TITLE 14A OF THE 
OKLAHOMA STATUTES, A SELLER OR LESSOR MAY IMPOSE A PROCESSING 
SURCHARGE IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED TWO PERCENT (2%) OF THE TOTAL 
PAYMENT MADE FOR GOODS OR SERVICES PURCHASED OR LEASED BY USE OF A 
CREDIT OR CHARGE CARD. A SELLER OR LESSOR MAY NOT IMPOSE A 
PROCESSING SURCHARGE ON PAYMENTS MADE BY USE OF CASH, CHECK, OR 
DEBIT CARD OR REDEMPTION OF A GIFT CARD. "; or 
2.  An amount not to exceed the merchant discount fee that the 
seller or lessor incurs in processing the sales or lease 
transaction.  The seller or lessor or the seller's or lessor's 
processor or service provider shall calculate the surcharge at an 
amount not to exceed the actual amount paid to the processor or 
service provider to process the transaction.  A seller or lessor 
shall post signage at the seller 's or lessor's premises in a manner 
that is visible to customers or, for a sales or lease transaction 
made online, display before an online customer 's completion of the 
sales or lease transaction in a manner that is visible to the online 
customer, the following language: 
"TO COVER THE COST OF PROCESSING A CREDIT OR CHARGE CARD  
TRANSACTION, AND PURSUANT TO SECTION 2-418 OF TITLE 14A OF THE 
OKLAHOMA STATUTES, A SELLER OR LESSOR MAY IMPOSE A PROCESSING 
SURCHARGE IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED THE MERCHANT DISCOUNT FEE THAT 
THE SELLER OR LESSOR INCURS IN PROCESSING THE SALES OR LEASE   
 
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TRANSACTION.  A SELLER OR LESSOR MAY NOT IMPOSE A PROCESSING 
SURCHARGE ON PAYMENTS MADE BY USE OF CASH, CHECK, OR DEBIT CARD OR 
REDEMPTION OF A GIFT CARD." 
The processor or service provider may provide the seller or 
lessor with the means to make the disclosure required by this 
paragraph. 
D.  For any goods or services purchased or leased through 
payment by credit card or charge card, the seller, l essor, 
processor, or service provider shall provide the surcharge amount 
imposed as a separate line item on the customer 's receipt. 
E.  A seller or lessor may impose only a single credit card or 
charge card surcharge per sales or lease transaction. 
F.  A seller or lessor shall not impose a surcharge if a 
customer elects to pay for goods or services by: 
1.  Using cash or check; 
2.  Using a debit ca rd, whether or not a personal identification 
number is used; 
3.  Processing a payment as a debit payment; or 
4.  Redeeming a gift card. 
G.  A seller or lessor who violates this section violates the 
Uniform Consumer Credit Code and is subject to liability u nder the 
Code.   
 
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H.  A seller or lessor may impose a surcharge under this section 
regardless of any contract or ag reement that the seller or lessor 
enters into on or after the effective date of this act. 
SECTION 2.     REPEALER     14A O.S. 2 021, Section 2-417, is 
hereby repealed. 
SECTION 3.     AMENDATORY     14 A O.S. 2021, Section 2 -211, is 
amended to read as follows: 
Section 2-211.  A.  With respect to all sales transactions, a 
discount which a seller offers, allows or oth erwise makes available 
for the purpose of inducing payment by cash, check or similar means 
rather than by use of an open-end credit card account shall not 
constitute a credit service charge as determined under Section 2 -109 
of this title if the discount is offered to all prospective buyers 
clearly and conspicuously in accordance with regulations of the 
Administrator of Consumer Affairs. No seller in any sales 
transaction may impose a surcharge on a cardholder who elects an 
open-end credit card or debit car d account instead of paying by 
cash, check or similar means.  There is no limit on the discount 
which may be offered by the seller.  A seller who provides a 
discount otherwise than in accordance with the regulations of the 
Administrator must make the discl osures required by those 
regulations. 
B.  A seller who is registered with the United States Treasury 
Department as a money transmitter pursuant to 31 CFR, Section   
 
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103.41, and who provides an electronic funds transmission service, 
including service by telep hone and the Internet, may charge a 
different price for a funds transmission service based on the mode 
of transmission used in the transaction without violating this 
section so long as the price charged for a service paid for with an 
open-end credit card or debit card account is not greater than the 
price charged for such service if paid for with currency or other 
similar means accepted within the same mode of transmission. 
C.  Any seller subject to the provisions of subsection B of this 
section shall either conduct business at a location in this state or 
comply with the provisions of Section 1022 of Title 18 of the 
Oklahoma Statutes. 
D. As used in this section, "debit card" means any instrument 
or device, whether known as a debit card or by any other name, 
issued with or without fee by an issuer for the use of the 
cardholder in depositing, obtaining or transferring funds from a 
consumer banking electronic facility. 
E.  For purposes of this section, a private educational 
institution as defined in paragraph ( e) of Section 3102 of Title 70 
of the Oklahoma Statutes, a private school defined as a nonpublic 
entity conducting an educational program for at least one grade 
between prekindergarten through twelve, a municipality as defined in 
paragraph 5 of Section 1 -102 of Title 11 of the Oklahoma Statutes or 
a public trust with a municipality as its beneficiary may charge a   
 
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service fee.  The service fee shall be limited to bank processing 
fees and financial transaction fees, the cost of providing for 
secure transaction, portal fees, and fees necessary to compensate 
for increased bandwidth incurred as a result of providing for a n 
online transaction. 
SECTION 4.  This act shall become effective November 1, 2022. 
 
58-2-8663 AQH 01/04/22