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______________________________ 1 Councilmember Christina Henderson 2 3 4 5 6 7 A PROPOSED RESOLUTION 8 9 10 _________ 11 12 13 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 14 15 __________________ 16 17 18 To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend, on an emergency 19 basis, the District of Columbia Official Code to allow retail establishments with valid on-20 premises Class C and Class D retailer license to refuse cash as a form of payment in 21 certain circumstances. 22 RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 23 resolution may be cited as the “Entertainment Establishment Employee Safety Extension 24 Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026.”. 25 Sec. 2. (a) This emergency measure would permit a retail establishment with a valid on-26 premises Class C or Class D retailer license or a restaurant location that operates 24 hours a day 27 or operates at 3:00 am at least 2 days a week to refuse cash as a form of payment, provided that 28 such establishments display written, conspicuous notice to the public on the door of the 29 establishment or on its menu that cash payments are not accepted. 30 (b) This emergency measure and its accompanying temporary measure were initially 31 introduced and approved in Council Period 25 in recognition of the changes in consumer use of 32 payment forms post-pandemic, and to balance unbanked individuals’ reliance on cash as a form 33 of payment to obtain necessary goods and services with the safety concerns of particularly 34
vulnerable businesses. A permanent version of this measure was introduced on January 17, 2025, 35 and was referred to the Committee on Public Works and Operations. The committee held a 36 hearing on the permanent measure on June 9, 2025. The applicability of the emergency and 37 temporary measures was extended by additional emergency and temporary measures on October 38 7, 2025. 39 These emergency and temporary measures are identical to those approved by the 40 Council on December 17, 2024, and on October 7, 2025. Law 26-77, the Entertainment 41 Establishment Employee Safety Extension Temporary Amendment Act of 2025, will expire on 42 August 13, 2026. It is necessary to extend these measures’ applicability while the permanent bill 43 is pending in committee. 44 Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 45