A. Subject to § 19.2-353.3, any public body that is responsible for revenue collection, including, but not limited to, taxes, interest, penalties, fees, fines or other charges, may accept payment of any amount due by any commercially acceptable means, including, but not limited to, checks, credit cards, debit cards, and electronic funds transfers.

B. The public body may add to any amount due a sum, not to exceed the amount charged to that public body for acceptance of any payment by a means that incurs a charge to that public body or the amount negotiated and agreed to in a contract with that public body, whichever is less. Any state agency imposing such additional charges shall waive them when the use of these means of payment reduces processing costs and losses due to bad checks or other receivable costs by an amount equal to or greater than the amount of such additional charges.

C. If any check or other means of payment tendered to a public body in the course of its duties is not paid by the financial institution on which it is drawn, because of insufficient funds in the account of the drawer, no account is in the name of the drawer, or the account of the drawer is closed, and the check or other means of payment is returned to the public body unpaid, the amount thereof shall be charged to the person on whose account it was received, and his liability and that of his sureties, shall be as if he had never offered any such payment. A penalty of $35 or the amount of any costs, whichever is greater, shall be added to such amount. This penalty shall be in addition to any other penalty provided by law, except the penalty imposed by § 58.1-12 shall not apply.

2002, c. 719; 2004, c. 565.