§ 583 - Credit card payments - Vermont Statutes

§ 583. Credit card payments

(a) A statewide officer or secretary of a state agency, commissioner of a state department, or the court administrator may accept payment of taxes, registration fees, license fees, penalties, fines, interest, charges, surcharges, or any other fees or amounts due the state by means of credit cards, debit cards, charge cards, prepaid cards, stored value cards, and direct bank account withdrawals or transfers.

(b) The state treasurer shall negotiate and contract with banks and bank credit card companies or others to provide as a method of payment to state agencies or departments the use of credit card or debit card accounts or direct bank account withdrawals or transfers, and may agree to pay such bank or other company a fee or percentage of the amount collected and remitted to the state. The court administrator may so contract for the judiciary with the approval of the state treasurer. Notwithstanding section 502 of this title, an agency, a department, or the judiciary may charge against such collections the percentage or fee imposed.

(c) The state treasurer shall assist each statewide officer, secretary, commissioner, and court administrator who elects to accept payments, as authorized by this section, with establishing procedures for accepting those payments.

(d) A statewide officer or secretary of a state agency, a commissioner of a state department, or the court administrator who has authority to accept payment of fees, penalties, fines, charges, surcharges, or any other amounts due the state by a credit card, debit card, charge card, prepaid card, or stored value card shall not charge or collect any additional amounts for using such card to make the payment unless the agency develops a policy regarding additional charges. Each policy and recommended charge, except that which is adopted and recommended by the court administrator, shall be approved by the secretary of administration prior to applying the charge. Any such charge shall approximate the cost of providing the service.

(e) By January 15 of each year, the treasurer, with the assistance of the court administrator, shall file a report with the general assembly and the joint fiscal committee which details all bank charges, service fees, and fees charged to consumers related to credit card transactions according to credit card usage by agency, department, or the judiciary. (Added 1997, No. 155 (Adj. Sess.), § 66c; amended 2003, No. 61, §§ 1, 5; 2007, No. 51, § 8.)