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Durbin hopes this is the year for credit card competition bill

Durbin hopes this is the year for credit card competition bill

(l-r) Cindy Frisina of Legendary Small Town Trading Co., Taylorville; and Terryl Boulanger and Becky Baumgart, Girls in White Satin, Jacksonville; participate in a news conference about small business, Cafe Moxo, Springfield, Jan. 20, 2026 Photo: Saga Communications


Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – In his final year in Washington, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) hopes his credit card competition bill can pass once and for all. And not only is the chief sponsor a Republican, but President Trump has said he likes the bill.

Durbin, visiting Springfield’s Cafe Moxo Tuesday morning, said the big banks and big credit card companies are too powerful. And credit card fees are hurting businesses. “Some businesses say it’s the second highest cost to the business after payroll,” Durbin said. “Most people don’t know it. It’s a hidden charge for many customers, and it applies whenever you use that credit card.”

“We are paying over three percent of our sales in credit card processing fees,” said Cindy Frisina (pictured, left), owner of the Legendary Small Town Trading Company in Taylorville, “which is more than our marketing budget. It’s approaching our utility amount. And that means that’s money that we can’t do more things with in the business. And it’s really a take-it-or-leave-it proposition.”

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