Discussion · House of Representatives
Maxwell Frost Democrat
“I oppose this bill. Banks already use purchase codes for businesses like pharmacies and casinos. These codes do not track what specific items people buy, and the police still need legal permission to see the records. Using these codes can help stop mass shootings.”
“Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to say because we hear over and over from our colleagues about the Constitution: If using merchant category codes violated the Fourth Amendment, where is your bill on amending this for every purchase at a pharmacy, liquor store, or casino? This is a standard accounting tool that is used by banks. This argument, unless you are going to follow it up with legislation to essentially make it illegal to track and have the same codes, which is just a four-digit number, for pharmacies, casinos, liquor, and other things as well, the argument falls flat. Law enforcement needs to go through a legal process to access the financial records here. Mr. Speaker, it is not a good argument. We are talking about something that doesn’t track what you are buying. It doesn’t track the guns you are buying. It won’t tell them that, but it is just a general tool to help us stop some of the worst of the worst mass shootings.”
Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to say because we hear over and over from our colleagues about the Constitution: If using merchant category codes violated the Fourth Amendment, where is your bill on amending this for every purchase at a pharmacy, liquor store, or casino? This is a standard accounting tool that is used by banks. This argument, unless you are going to follow it up with legislation to essentially make it illegal to track and have the same codes, which is just a four-digit number, for pharmacies, casinos, liquor, and other things as well, the argument falls flat. Law enforcement needs to go through a legal process to access the financial records here. Mr. Speaker, it is not a good argument. We are talking about something that doesn’t track what you are buying. It doesn’t track the guns you are buying. It won’t tell them that, but it is just a general tool to help us stop some of the worst of the worst mass shootings.