SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3959

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 17, 2019

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 3959.

      Senate Bill No. 3959 permits lottery sales agents to accept decoupled debit as a form of payment from patrons for the purchase of lottery tickets. Under the bill, “decoupled debit” means an electronic fund transfer by an entity that does not hold the enrolled user’s bank account and uses the automated clearing house network to debit the user’s checking account for the settlement of transactions.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The fiscal impacts of this bill cannot be determined.

      The bill permits lottery sales agents to accept decoupled debit as a form of payment from patrons for the purchase of lottery tickets. Under the bill, “decoupled debit” means an electronic fund transfer by an entity that does not hold the enrolled user’s bank account and uses the automated clearing house network to debit the user’s checking account for the settlement of transactions.

      Current law does not restrict the forms of payment that a lottery sales agent may accept from patrons purchasing lottery tickets. According to the Division of State Lottery, the State Lottery does not restrict what forms of payment a retailer may accept from customers for the purchase of lottery tickets; however, individual retailers may have prohibitions on customers purchasing lottery tickets with debit or credit cards. This bill does not change this basic framework as it is permissive in application.