III 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 603 

Designating the week beginning on the first Friday after Thanksgiving in 

2016 as ‘‘National Electronic Payments Week’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 

Mr. ISAKSON (for himself, Mr. ROUNDS, Mr. PETERS, and Mr. PERDUE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Designating the week beginning on the first Friday after 

Thanksgiving in 2016 as ‘‘National Electronic Payments 

Week’’. 

Whereas 70 percent of all consumer spending in the United 

States is conducted via electronic payments; 

Whereas electronic payments play a central role in promoting 

prosperity, commerce, and economic growth in the United 

States; 

Whereas electronic payments involve purchases with credit, 

debit, and prepaid accounts, either in-store using a card 

or connected device or online; 

Whereas payments companies in the United States enable individuals to gain access to rapid, convenient, and secure 


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financial payments not otherwise available without electronic payments; 

Whereas payments and technology companies in the United 

States are continually developing and deploying new, innovative electronic payments technologies to make commerce more secure, faster, accessible, and efficient to 

protect against fraud; 

Whereas innovative electronic payments technologies support 

small businesses in the United States by providing secure, faster, accessible, and efficient solutions; 

Whereas electronic payments are used by more than 

8,000,000 merchants in the United States and the 

1,200,000,000 payment cards in circulation allow individuals to conduct electronic payments through those merchants and with one another; 

Whereas the value of electronic payments made on a mobile 

device was estimated to increase by 210 percent in 2016; 

Whereas electronic payments companies processed more than 

$5,000,000,000,000 in payments in 2015, and electronic 

payments are projected to increase to 

$7,000,000,000,000 in 2017; 

Whereas holiday spending accounted for nearly 20 percent of 

retail sales during 2015, and nearly 70 percent of all holiday sales are conducted via electronic payments; 

Whereas, on Black Friday in 2015, for the first time more 

individuals in the United States shopped online than in 

retail stores, which could not have been possible without 

electronic payments companies; 

Whereas the 7-day period after Thanksgiving accounted for 

more than 6.5 percent of electronic payments for the 


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final quarter of 2015, and electronic payments totaled 

$35,000,000,000 during that 7-day period; 

Whereas the designation of National Electronic Payments 

Week is especially important to the electronic payments 

industry because it marks the start of the holiday season 

and includes Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, 

Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday; and 

Whereas electronic payments play an integral role for consumers and merchants in the transfer of goods and services not only during the holiday season, but also throughout the year: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates the week beginning on the first 

3 Friday after Thanksgiving in 2016 as ‘‘National 

4 Electronic Payments Week’’; 

5 (2) recognizes the significant contributions and 

6 great importance of electronic payments and the ad7 vantages electronic payments provide to consumers, 

8 merchants, small businesses, and the economy of the 

9 United States as a whole; 

10 (3) appreciates the significant role that elec11 tronic payments play in the global marketplace; 

12 (4) acknowledges the growth of electronic pay13 ments domestically and abroad; and 


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1 (5) desires to foster an environment that en2 courages continued innovation and enhanced security 

3 in electronic payments. 

Æ 


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