Bans paper receipts for certain purchases; requires businesses to provide proof of purchase electronically, unless a proof of purchase is otherwise required by state or federal law.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8359
SPONSOR: Kelles TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
banning paper receipts for certain purchases and requiring businesses to
provide proof of purchases electronically
PURPOSE:
This bill would help conserve resources and reduce the generation of
single-use paper receipts.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Sec. 1- of this bill would add a new section 27-1601 to the environ-
mental conservation law (Ea) requiring after January 1, 2028, for a
paper receipt to be provided to a consumer by a business only at the
consumer's option. Violations of this section shall be punishable by $20
per violation following a warning, not to exceed $300 annually.
Sec. 2 - states the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Many shoppers find paper receipts unnecessary and discard them before
they even leave the store. Businesses have started to take steps to
address unnecessary paper receipts by looking at different applications
that allow for the electronic transmission of receipts. This new tech-
nology has allowed consumers to receive their receipt through either a
text message or an e-mail. The applications are more convenient and
better for the environment.
In the United States, paper receipt production uses an estimated 12.4
million trees, 13.2 billion gallons of water, and emits 4 billion pounds
of CO2 each year. Point-of-sale receipts are also so thin that they
rarely contain any recycled materials. Requiring consumers to request a
paper receipt is intended to reduce the number of paper receipts gener-
ated, which will conserve the resources needed to make the receipts and
reduce unnecessary paper waste. While recycling is vital to the environ-
ment, it is even more important for New York to make progress towards
reducing single-use materials.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: S7940 - died in Environmental Conservation
2021-2022: S771 - died in Environmental Conservation
2019-2020: S6090 - died in Environmental Conservation
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
to be determined
EFFECTIVE DATE:
immediately
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8359
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 13, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. KELLES -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
banning paper receipts for certain purchases and requiring businesses
to provide proof of purchases electronically
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Article 27 of the environmental conservation law is amended
2 by adding a new title 16 to read as follows:
3 TITLE 16
4 PAPER RECEIPT REDUCTION
5 Section 27-1601. Definitions.
6 27-1603. Paper receipt ban.
7 27-1605. Violations.
8 27-1607. Preemption of local law.
9 § 27-1601. Definitions.
10 As used in this title:
11 1. "Business" means a company that accepts payment through credit or
12 debit transactions. "Business" does not include a health care provider.
13 2. "Consumer" means a person who purchases, and does not offer for
14 resale, food, alcohol, other tangible personal property, or services.
15 3. "Electronic form" includes, but is not limited to, a form sent
16 through email or text message.
17 4. "Invoice" means an itemized list of goods or services provided
18 before or after the point of sale through a contract stating the amount
19 due.
20 5. "Proof of purchase" means a receipt for the retail sale of food,
21 alcohol, or other tangible personal property, or for the provision of
22 services, provided at the point of sale, but does not include an
23 invoice.
24 § 27-1603. Paper receipt ban.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11707-03-5
A. 8359 2
1 1. On and after January first, two thousand twenty-eight, a proof of
2 purchase shall be provided to a consumer by a business only at the
3 consumer's option, unless a proof of purchase is otherwise required to
4 be given to the consumer by state or federal law.
5 2. On and after January first, two thousand twenty-eight, a paper
6 proof of purchase shall not be printed if the consumer opts to not
7 receive a proof of purchase, unless otherwise required by state or
8 federal law.
9 3. (a) On and after January first, two thousand thirty, if a consumer
10 opts to receive a proof of purchase pursuant to subdivision one of this
11 section, the proof of purchase shall be provided in electronic form or
12 paper form, at the consumer's option, unless a prescribed form is other-
13 wise required by state or federal law.
14 (b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this subdivision, a business is
15 not required to provide an electronic proof of purchase if, due to
16 limited internet connectivity, a power outage, or other unexpected tech-
17 nical difficulties, the business is incapable of sending an electronic
18 proof of purchase.
19 4. Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, for
20 businesses with a gross revenue of five million dollars per year or
21 less, the requirements of subdivisions one and two of this section shall
22 be effective January first, two thousand thirty, and the requirements of
23 subdivision three of this section shall be effective January first, two
24 thousand thirty-two.
25 § 27-1605. Violations.
26 1. Any business who shall violate any provision of this title shall
27 receive a warning notice for the first such violation. A business shall
28 be liable to the state of New York for a civil penalty of twenty dollars
29 for each violation after receiving a warning, but such penalties shall
30 not to exceed three hundred dollars annually. A hearing or opportunity
31 to be heard shall be provided prior to the assessment of any civil
32 penalty.
33 2. The department and the attorney general are hereby authorized to
34 enforce the provisions of this title.
35 § 27-1607. Preemption of local law.
36 Jurisdiction in all matters pertaining to paper proof of purchase
37 restrictions as defined in this title is vested exclusively in the
38 state.
39 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
