1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to state government; authorizing payment by 
  1.3             electronic means; proposing coding for new law in 
  1.4             Minnesota Statutes, chapter 16A. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [16A.626] [ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS.] 
  1.7      (a) For purposes of this section, the terms defined in this 
  1.8   paragraph have the meaning given them.  "Agency" means a state 
  1.9   officer, employee, board, commission, authority, department, 
  1.10  entity, or organization of the executive branch of state 
  1.11  government.  "Government services transaction" means the conduct 
  1.12  of business between an agency and an individual or business 
  1.13  entity where the individual or business entity is paying a 
  1.14  license or permit fee or tax or purchasing goods or services. 
  1.15     (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule, or 
  1.16  regulation to the contrary, an agency may accept credit cards, 
  1.17  charge cards, debit cards, or other method of electronic funds 
  1.18  transfer for payment in government services transactions, 
  1.19  including electronic transactions. 
  1.20     (c) The commissioner of finance, in consultation with the 
  1.21  state treasurer, shall contract with one or more entities for 
  1.22  the purpose of enabling agencies to accept and process credit 
  1.23  cards and other electronic financial transactions.  All agencies 
  1.24  shall process their credit card and other electronic financial 
  1.25  transactions through the contracts negotiated by the 
  2.1   commissioner of finance, unless the commissioner of finance 
  2.2   grants a waiver allowing an agency to negotiate its own contract 
  2.3   with an entity.  These contracts must be approved by the 
  2.4   commissioner of finance. 
  2.5      (d) Agencies that accept credit cards, charge cards, debit 
  2.6   cards, or other method of electronic funds transfer for payment 
  2.7   may impose a convenience fee to be added to each transaction.  
  2.8   The total amount of such convenience fee must not exceed the 
  2.9   highest transaction fee charged by a processing contractor for 
  2.10  such credit services during the most recent collection period.  
  2.11  An agency imposing a convenience fee must notify the person 
  2.12  using the credit services of the fee before the transaction is 
  2.13  processed.  
  2.14     (e) A convenience fee imposed by an agency under this 
  2.15  section is in addition to any tax, fee, charge, or cost 
  2.16  otherwise imposed for a license, permit, tax, service, or good 
  2.17  provided by the agency. 
  2.18     (f) Credit card, charge card, debit card, or other method 
  2.19  of electronic funds transfer account numbers are nonpublic data 
  2.20  not on individuals as defined in section 13.02, subdivision 9, 
  2.21  or private data on individuals as defined in section 13.02, 
  2.22  subdivision 12. 
  2.23     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.24     Section 1 is effective the day following final enactment.