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SB 838FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026dead

Proposed Rules for Electronic Payment Fees on Car Loans

Original title: Electronic Payments of Retail Installment Contracts

December 9, 2025

consumer protectionfinanceretailmotor vehiclesfees

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Where This Stands

Currently dead. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Introduced.

Last action
Died in MessagesMar 13, 2026

Procedural history

21 actions
  1. Feb 19, 2026House
    In Messages
  2. Feb 19, 2026Senate
    Immediately certified
  3. Feb 19, 2026SenateFloor
    CS passed as amended; YEAS 38 NAYS 0
  4. Feb 19, 2026SenateFloor
    Read 3rd time
  5. Feb 19, 2026Senate
    Amendment(s) adopted (794450)
  6. Feb 19, 2026SenateFloor
    Read 2nd time
Show 15 earlier actions
  1. Feb 18, 2026Senate
    Placed on Special Order Calendar, 02/19/26
  2. Feb 18, 2026Senate
    Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
  3. Feb 17, 2026SenateCommittee
    Favorable by- Rules; YEAS 24 NAYS 0
  4. Feb 12, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Rules, 02/17/26, 12:00 pm, 412 Knott Building
  5. Feb 4, 2026Senate
    Now in Rules
  6. Feb 4, 2026SenateCommittee
    Favorable by Banking and Insurance; YEAS 10 NAYS 0
  7. Jan 30, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Banking and Insurance, 02/04/26, 10:30 am, 412 Knott Building
  8. Jan 14, 2026Senate
    CS by Commerce and Tourism read 1st time
  9. Jan 14, 2026Senate
    Now in Banking and Insurance
  10. Jan 14, 2026Senate
    Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
  11. Jan 13, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Introduced
  12. Jan 13, 2026Senate
    CS by Commerce and Tourism; YEAS 10 NAYS 0
  13. Jan 8, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Commerce and Tourism, 01/13/26, 4:00 pm, 110 Senate Building
  14. Dec 16, 2025SenateCommittee
    Referred to Commerce and Tourism; Banking and Insurance; Rules
  15. Dec 9, 2025SenateIntroduced
    Filed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

The Frame

What this does

If enacted, this legislation would have set the legal standards for when and how car loan providers can charge convenience fees to consumers, impacting the total cost of loan repayment for motor vehicle buyers.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Motor vehicle retail buyers

These individuals would have been subject to new fee disclosure requirements and provided with guaranteed free payment options for their retail installment contracts.

Retail installment contract holders

These entities would have been granted the authority to collect processing fees for electronic payments, provided they met specific disclosure and alternative payment requirements.

What changed

Last recorded activity December 9, 2025.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This bill would have allowed companies that hold motor vehicle s to charge fees for processing electronic payments, provided they also offer a free payment alternative. It established specific disclosure requirements and prohibited companies from making electronic payments the default expectation for buyers.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Could a company force me to pay by credit card?
No. The bill would have prohibited companies from establishing electronic payment as the expected form of payment and required them to offer a free alternative.
How much could a company charge for an electronic payment fee?
The bill required that any fee charged must be reasonably related to the actual expense incurred by the company to process that specific payment.

Why It Matters

If enacted, this legislation would have set the legal standards for when and how car loan providers can charge convenience fees to consumers, impacting the total cost of loan repayment for motor vehicle buyers.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Voting Record

Motion succeededsenate2/19/2026Official roll call ↗

Third Reading

Total

42

Yes

39

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Motion succeededsenate2/17/2026Official roll call ↗

Favorable

Total

27

Yes

27

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Motion succeededsenate2/4/2026Official roll call ↗

Favorable

Total

12

Yes

12

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Motion succeededhouse1/13/2026Official roll call ↗

Favorable with Committee Substitute

Total

12

Yes

12

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Full roll-call analysis →

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Legislative Failure

Despite unanimous support in the Senate (38-0), the bill failed to progress through the House and died in messages.

Florida Legislature

Connected Entities

dollar_amount794450“Amount of amendment adopted”Map →
organizationCommerce and Tourism“Initial referral committee”Map →
organizationRules“Final committee review and approval”Map →
locationKnott Building“Meeting location on 2026-01-30 and 2026-02-12”Map →
dollar_amount10“Number of senators voting 'yea' on 2026-02-04”Map →
dollar_amount110“Number of senators voting 'yea' on 2026-01-13”Map →
dollar_amount24“Number of senators voting 'yea' on 2026-02-17”Map →
locationSenate Building“Meeting location on 2026-01-08”Map →
organizationBanking and Insurance“Multiple committee reviews and final approval”Map →
dollar_amount38“Number of senators voting 'yea' on 2026-02-19”Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance45
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz10
    Current news / social attention level

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