Picture Credit: Producer Sheron Bellio
You read that right, the California Legislature may be considering a bill which would ban restaurants and stores from giving customers paper receipts after a purchase. Assembly Bill 161, which was introduced by San Francisco Assemblyman Phil Thing, would require that all receipts be available only in electronic form. With that said though, businesses would be able to give receipts upon request. If passed and signed by Governor Newsom, the law would take effect starting January 1, 2022.
Check out this video though of this giant receipt during the official introduction by Assembly Member Ting. According to the bill as well, around 93 percent of paper receipts are coated with Bisphenol-A (BPA) or Bisphenol-S (BPS). Both chemicals are banned by the FDA from being used in baby bottles and are known to disrupt hormones, cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and potentially other developmental issues. While we see the good intent of this bill, we can't help but think about how this might affect people that are not as technology inclined.
The bill has passed through its first committee, but still has a long way to go if it were to show up on the best of Governor Newsom.