Cash is freedom. Nearly 25 million American households (and 1 in every 25 Ohio households) are unbanked or underbanked, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Payment Choice Act will protect their right to participate in our economy with legal tender − cash.

Cash is security. Cash works even if the electric grid goes down. Consider hurricanes in the Southeast, tornadoes or snowstorms in Ohio, or a cyberattack anywhere − digital payments grind to a halt. Last fall, storms left folks from Florida to North Carolina powerless for weeks. Ohio’s not immune either. When disaster hits, cash isn’t just handy − it’s a lifeline.

Cash is essential to defending freedom. Other forms of payment can be cancelled altogether. Cash keeps money in its proper realm as an efficient means of payment and a stable store of value. America should never become a cashless society, and as we become increasingly digital, self-custody of digital money must retain the characteristics of cash. Protect the right to transact. Pass the Payment Choice Act.