Senate committee refers cash-acceptance bill to summer study after hours-long debate

Lawmakers sent a contentious bill on cashless retail practices to summer study after an extended, cross-cutting discussion that touched on consumer inclusion, disaster resilience and business operations.

Sponsor Sen. Cindy Harshbarger framed SB 0739 as preserving access for Tennesseans who lack credit cards or bank accounts and protecting residents from the risks of electronic-only payments in emergencies. "Cash is legal tender and should remain an available option," she said.

Catherine Austin Fitts, testifying in favor, cited surveys showing sizable portions of households without bank cards and argued cash circulation benefits local economies and provides resilience when electronic systems fail. "Electronic systems fail in emergencies," she said, pointing to international and local outages.

Committee members raised practical concerns: how the bill would apply to airports and airlines, whether kiosks or prepaid cards would close the gap, ATM withdrawal limits versus the bill’s $3,000 per-transaction exception, and whether public venues should be carved out. Senators also questioned enforcement: the bill allows class-action remedies for repeat violators with more than 100 employees but does not impose criminal penalties.

Sponsor and several supporters agreed further study was appropriate. The committee unanimously approved sending the measure to a summer study so stakeholders, enforcement language, and carve-outs can be refined before a floor vote.