B 26-0710 Legislature · 26th Council Period (2025-2026)

Entertainment Establishment Employee Safety Extension Emergency Amendment Act of 2026

This bill amends a District of Columbia law to allow certain retail stores and restaurants to refuse cash payments. It specifically applies to businesses with Class C or D licenses and restaurants that operate 24 hours a day or stay open until 3:00 am at least two days a week. To implement this change, establishments must display clear, written notices at their doors or on menus stating that cash is not accepted. The legislation is designed to provide additional safety options for employees in late-night entertainment venues by reducing the need to handle cash.
Bill status signed all 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jun 2026
Committee Review
Council Passage
Jun 2026
Signed into Law
Jul 2026
Introduced Jun 26, 2026 Signed Jul 22, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduction → Enrollment · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill was reformatted to include standard legislative headers and signatures, but the core policy text regarding cash refusal remains identical. The substantive change is the addition of restaurants to the list of businesses allowed to refuse cash, provided they operate 24 hours a day or at least 2 days a week until 3:00 am.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded from only retail establishments to also include specific restaurant locations.
ELIGIBILITY

Restaurants operating 24 hours a day or at least 2 days a week until 3:00 am are now eligible to refuse cash payments.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for conspicuous notice regarding cash refusal now applies to both retail establishments and the newly included restaurants.

Floor votes · Council Jun 30, 2026

How they voted

11–1
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 13
Jun 30, 2026
D Democratic11
9 Yea 1 Nay 1
81% Yea
I Independent2
2 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
9
Key actions
1
Committee
0
Amendments
1
Jun 30, 2026
Council · Passed
Council Vote: pass (11-1-1)
council
Jun 30, 2026
Introduced
Agendized; not considered at the request of Bonds (Amendment Withdrawn)
legislature
Jun 26, 2026
Introduced
B26-0710 Introduced by Councilmember Henderson at Office of the Secretary
legislature
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Christina Henderson
Christina Henderson
IIndependent
DC
At-Large