PRINTER'S NO. 4062

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 2913 Session of 1996


        INTRODUCED BY LYNCH, GEIST, ITKIN, FARGO, STABACK, SCHULER,
           HESS, BLAUM, SAYLOR, NICKOL, PHILLIPS, TRAVAGLIO, READSHAW,
           BROWN, BOSCOLA, DONATUCCI, BELFANTI, LEH, PETTIT, FICHTER,
           FARMER, STEELMAN, HARHART, ROHRER, TRELLO, RAMOS AND
           YOUNGBLOOD, OCTOBER 1, 1996

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,
           OCTOBER 1, 1996

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of May 21, 1992 (P.L.241, No.36), entitled "An
     2     act prohibiting persons who accept credit cards for the
     3     transaction of business from requiring certain additional
     4     information from the credit cardholder; providing for
     5     enforcement of the act; and imposing civil penalties,"
     6     enlarging the scope of the act; and further providing for
     7     requirement of information.

     8     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     9  hereby enacts as follows:
    10     Section 1.  The title and section 2 of the act of May 21,
    11  1992 (P.L.241, No.36), referred to as the Credit Card
    12  Information Act, are amended to read:
    13                               AN ACT

    14  Prohibiting persons who accept credit cards for the transaction
    15     of business or checks for the purchase of goods or services
    16     from requiring certain additional information from the credit
    17     cardholder; providing for enforcement of the act; and


     1     imposing civil penalties.
     2  Section 2.  Requirement of information prohibited.
     3     (a)  General rule.--No person who accepts credit cards for
     4  the transaction of business shall require the credit cardholder
     5  to write on the credit card transaction form, nor shall the
     6  person write or cause to be written on the form, any personal
     7  identification information, including, but not limited to, the
     8  credit cardholder's social security number, address or telephone
     9  number, that is not required by the credit card issuer to
    10  complete the credit card transaction, provided, however, that
    11  the credit cardholder's address and telephone number may be
    12  required on the form where:
    13         (1)  the information is necessary for shipping, delivery
    14     or installation of purchased merchandise, warranties or
    15     service maintenance agreements, or for special orders;
    16         (2)  the person processes credit card transactions by
    17     mailing transaction forms to a designated bankcard center for
    18     settlement; or
    19         (3)  the information is necessary to comply with Federal
    20     or State law or regulations adopted pursuant thereto.
    21     (b)  Checks.--No person shall, as a condition of acceptance
    22  of a check for the purchase of goods or services, as a means of
    23  identification or for any other purpose, require that a person
    24  presenting a check produce a credit card number or social
    25  security number for recordation. No person shall record a credit
    26  card number in connection with:
    27         (1)  a sale of goods or services in which a purchaser
    28     pays by check; or
    29         (2)  the acceptance of a check.
    30     (c)  Guaranteed checks.--A credit card number may be
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     1  requested and recorded as a condition for cashing a check where
     2  payment of the check is being guaranteed by the credit card
     3  issuer and all of the following conditions are met:
     4         (1)  the person requesting the card has agreed with the
     5     issuer to cash checks as a service to the issuer's
     6     cardholders;
     7         (2)  the issuer has agreed to guarantee cardholder checks
     8     cashed by that person; and
     9         (3)  the cardholder has given actual, apparent or implied
    10     authority for use of his card number in this manner and for
    11     this purpose.
    12     (d)  Construction of section.--This section shall not be
    13  construed to prohibit a person from requesting a purchaser to
    14  display a credit card as identification. The only information
    15  concerning a credit card which may be recorded when a credit
    16  card is being used as identification and the credit card issuer
    17  is not guaranteeing payment is the type, the issuer and the
    18  expiration date of the credit card. A credit card number may be
    19  requested and recorded as a condition for cashing a check where
    20  the credit card was issued by the person accepting the check.
    21  This section does not require acceptance of a check whether or
    22  not a credit card is presented.
    23     Section 2.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.





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