Overview of Pennsylvania Bills 117, 129, 131 – ID Scanning For Alcohol Sales
The Pennsylvania Senate has referred a bill to committee that would require ID scanning or electronic ID verification for alcohol purchase. Pennsylvania has previous legislation in place that required ID scanning when the state temporarily allowed take-out cocktails during the pandemic. Here is an overview of specific Pennsylvania bills.
Bills 117, 129, and 131 are nearly identical, but are different bills for wine sellers and spirits sellers.
When ID scanning for alcohol sales would be required under Pennsylvania Bills 117, Bill 129, and Bill 131
A wine expanded permit holder, spirit expanded permit holder, shall utilize a transaction scan device to verify the age of an individual who appears to be under thirty-five years of age [before making a sale of wine] at the point of sale.
The term “transaction scan device” means a device capable of deciphering, in an electronically readable format, the information encoded on the magnetic strip or bar code of an identification card.
Who is exempt from ID scanning under Bill 117, Bill 129, and Bill 131
Bill 117 excludes military and armed forces identification cards. This is in line with most states, who prohibit scanning of military ID cards, due to inclusion of social security numbers in the 2D barcode on some military IDs.
Can wine/liquor be purchased via self-checkout in Pennsylvania?
The sale of wine may not occur at a point of sale where the customer scans the customer’s own purchases.
