“It’s simple, cash is the basis for business in America. Our taxpayers should always have the ability to use cash in their daily lives,” Ohio state Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) told Fox Business.
Thomas introduced the bill in late October. A hearing was held on the legislation this month.
“I hear from residents who may not trust virtual payment options or just prefer to use physical cash,” Thomas also said. “This bill balances the needs of government and business to be efficient with the ability to still rely on physical currency.”
The Ohio legislation follows a bipartisan bill that Sen. John Fetterman, (D-PA) and Sen. Kevan Cramer, (R-ND) introduced in Congress, called the Payment Choice Act of 2025. Their bill would also requires businesses to not only accept cash but prevent them from charging a higher price for taking it.
The Ohio bill has the same stipulations.
The legislation is apparently the result of the move by big retailers such as Target, Walmart, Costco and supermarket chains to use self-checkout stations, some of which don’t take hard currency but rely on credit and debit cards to operate.
The so-called cashless society – operated on “digital currency” — has been controversial, particularly among conservative Americans as it is invasive in that it would allow corporations and government to track every dollar an individual spends and where they spend it.
Some Christians have also made a point of opposing it because of Biblical prophecy in the Book of Revelation that predicts the “mark of the beast,” which everyone must have to buy or sell.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more
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