Sponsored by:
Assemblyman PAUL D. MORIARTY
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Requires person offering digital coupon to make available paper coupon of identical value.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning digital coupons and supplementing P.L.1960, c.39 (56:8-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A person selling or offering for sale goods or services at retail that offers a digital coupon shall make available to a consumer a paper coupon of identical value.
As used in this section, “digital coupon” means a store coupon, rebate, or similar instrument that is offered to a consumer through the Internet.
b. A person that violates the provisions of subsection a. of this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of up to $2,500 for a first offense and up to $5,000 for any subsequent offense, which may be collected and enforced by the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety in a summary proceeding pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). The Superior Court shall have jurisdiction of proceedings for the enforcement of the penalty provided by this section.
c. The Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs shall, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the sixth month after enactment, although the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs may take any administrative action in advance of the effective date as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill provides that a person selling or offering for sale goods or services at retail that offers a digital coupon is required to also make available to a consumer a paper coupon of identical value.
The bill defines “digital coupon” to mean a store coupon, rebate, or similar instrument that is offered to a consumer through the Internet.
A violation of the bill’s provisions result in a civil penalty of up to $2,500 for a first offense and up to $5,000 for any subsequent offense, which may be collected and enforced by the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs.