Consumer-protection measure passes despite BP opposition
Patrons will be able to shop-till-they-drop using plastic on every purchase if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approves a plan introduced by Jenny Oropeza (D-28th District) that will ban retailers from imposing surcharges on those who use debit cards. The Assembly approved the plan and sent it to the governor last week. Schwarzenegger now has approximately one week to either sign the measure of veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature. To date, the governor has made no comment on Oropeza’s plan. “Senate Bill 933 would close a loophole in current law by prohibiting a retailer from imposing a surcharge on consumers who elect to use their debit card or prepaid cards when making a purchase,” Oropeza said after the bipartisan vote was presented by Asm. Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco). “A 1985 statue prohibits a retailer from charging a surcharge on a consumer who elects to use their credit card when making a purchase. Had debit or prepaid cards been in existence when the law passed, those forms of payment would have been included in the statute.” Oropeza cited figures showing that since 2005, more than half of total transactions nationwide have been paid with a credit or debit…
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