SB1143

THE CONTEXT: MCCs are four-digit numbers used by credit card companies and payment processors to classify businesses based on the goods or services they provide; MCCs are used for purposes like fraud detection, rewards program categorization, and data analysis ( Visa Merchant Data Standards Manual ). MCCs are specified by the ISO 18245 standard ( ISO 18245:2023 ).

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would forbids any government entity from knowingly keeping or causing to be kept any list, record or registry of privately owned firearms or their owners, except when done in the regular course of a criminal investigation or prosecution or when otherwise required by law, prohibit a payment card network from requiring or incentivizing the use of an MCC in a way that distinguishes firearm retailers from other retailers, and prohibit any person or covered entity from assigning a firearm retailer an MCC that distinguishes them from other retailers.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to give the people who rely on the rule clearer information and a defined reporting process. It would forbids any government entity from knowingly keeping or causing to be kept any list, record or registry of privately owned firearms or their owners, except when done in the regular course of a criminal investigation or prosecution or when otherwise required by law, and would also prohibit a payment card network from requiring or incentivizing the use of an MCC in a way that distinguishes firearm retailers from other retailers, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.