Massachusetts Commission Convenes to Study Credit Card Fees Hitting Small Businesses

BOSTON — March 18, 2026 — Massachusetts Legislature's new payments commission holds organizational session ahead of April hearings. House Chair Representative James Murphy and Senate co-chair Senator Paul Feeney convened the first meeting of the Joint Special Commission on Payments and Sales Transactions on March 18, introducing ten commissioners drawn from the Attorney General's office, the banking sector, retail and restaurant trade groups, and small business owners. The commission, created under Chapter 238 of the Acts of 2024, is charged with studying credit card fees, mobile payments, buy-now-pay-later financing, and the rise of cashless commerce, and must produce a report with policy recommendations for the legislature. Bill Rennie of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, which represents about 4,000 members statewide, told the panel that swipe fees have become the second-highest operating cost for most members. Stephen Clark of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association noted that card transactions now account for 90 to 95 percent of restaurant sales, up from roughly 50 percent before the pandemic. The commission's first substantive hearing is tentatively set for April 8 in Gardner Auditorium at the State House, with topics expected to include business and consumer impacts of card fees, the legal and regulatory landscape, and policy transparency measures.