H5138

Relative to consumer protections for low valued legal tender scarcity

Introduced·1/27/26
Introduced Text

Massachusetts bill H5138 mandates rounding of transaction amounts for payments made with legal tender.

Massachusetts bill H5138 amends the General Laws to establish rules for rounding transaction amounts when paid with legal tender. Specifically, it requires rounding down to the nearest multiple of five cents for transactions ending in 1, 2, 6, or 7 cents, and rounding up for those ending in 3, 4, 8, or 9 cents. Exceptions apply for transactions totaling $0.01 or $0.02. The Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation is tasked with ensuring businesses provide adequate notice to buyers regarding these payment practices.

Included in complete analysis

  • Overview
  • Core Provisions
  • Implementation
  • Impact
  • Legal Framework
  • Critical Issues

See what it does, who it affects, and the critical issues in plain language. Free, 30 seconds.

Where it stands

Current
In committee
Next
Committee decision

Sponsors

DD
2
0
Democratic CaucusRepublican Caucus

Calendar

Apr 15

1:00 PM

Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Hearing

Apr 15

1:00 PM

Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Hearing

History

May 26

House

Accompanied a new draft, see H5450

Apr 15

Joint

Hearing rescheduled to 04/15/2026 from 01:00 PM-01:35 PM in A-1 and Virtual Hearing updated to New End Time

Apr 2

Joint

Hearing scheduled for 04/15/2026 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-1