Credit and Debit Card Receipt Clarification Act Signed into Law!
Major Victory for the National Restaurant Association and Its Members
On June 3, President Bush signed into law H.R. 4008, the Credit and Debit Card Receipt Clarification Act! His signature on this important legislation represents a major legislative victory for the National Restaurant Association’s Government Affairs team and is a rare display of congressional bipartisanship in an increasingly polarized political environment. Thanks to the Association’s 15,000-member grassroots network for urging support from Congress of this vital legislation – your work paid off!
The NRA, in conjunction with coalition partners, worked with Representatives Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y) and many others to secure a unanimous vote in both the House and Senate.
HR 4008 helps to clarify the confusing language of the original Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA) by stating if a restaurant took the credit card numbers off the diner’s receipt but accidently left the credit card expiration date on the receipt, they would not get in trouble with the government…or be sued by the trial lawyers. We see this as just a technical correction, but the trial lawyers were starting to file suits. So this law protects our restaurants who were making an innocent mistake. The National Restaurant Association reminds all member companies to eliminate the expiration date on receipts given to consumers in accordance with Federal Trade Commission guidelines.
If you have any questions regarding FACTA or how to comply, please feel free to contact Mike Shutley at mshutley@restaurant.org, or visit the NRA’s issue page at http://www.restaurant.org/government/issues/issue.cfm?Issue=creditcard