Committee clarifies rounding rule: merchants must accept exact pennies when offered

A Georgia legislative committee adopted a one-sentence change to a bill passed last week to make explicit that merchants must accept exact payment of pennies when tendered.

Representative Barrett asked the committee to add lines 34–35 to L620428S to clarify that “while the one cent piece of the United States remains legal tender, any merchant shall accept exact payment in legal tender for the total amount due computed prior to any rounding,” according to the language read into the record. The change was framed as a simple consumer-protection clarification so a customer who has exact change (including pennies) will not be forced to accept rounding to the nearest nickel.

A motion to adopt the change was made and seconded and the committee approved the amendment by voice vote. The transcript records voice assent but does not include a roll-call or numerical tally.

The committee did not debate additional amendments or operational details during the exchange. No statutory citations were read aloud during the discussion; the change was presented as a narrow technical clarification to the bill previously approved by the committee.

The committee moved on to other agenda items after approving the change.