Bill > A09599

This bill requires certain retail stores, specifically those that primarily sell food for off-site consumption or include a pharmacy, to accept flexible benefit cards as a form of payment for eligible items, which are products that can be purchased with such a card as determined by the card's issuer. A flexible benefit card is defined as a card provided by a health insurance company to its members for purchasing items covered by their health insurance policy. Stores that accept credit or debit cards must also accept these flexible benefit cards for eligible purchases. Violations of this requirement will result in civil penalties of $250 for a first offense and $500 for subsequent offenses within 18 months, though the Superintendent of Financial Services will issue a warning for any violation within the first year of the law's effective date, and all violations by the same store on the same day will count as a single violation. Additionally, the Superintendent of Financial Services is tasked with educating and informing these stores about this new requirement.

Business and Industry

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A9599