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RICHMOND, Va. – Lawmakers adjourned Sine Die on Saturday after failing to pass comprehensive consumer protections to address the scourge that are surprise junk fees. These fees cost people across the country $90 billion per year.
Senator Stella Pekarsky (D-Fairfax) and Delegate Adele McClure (D-Arlington) this year championed a bold plan to level the playing field in the Virginia economy to protect both hardworking families and honest businesses that are undermined by the harmful practice of junk fees. Pekarsky’s bill originally passed the Senate by a 28-11 bipartisan margin. As noted by The Richmond Times-Dispatch, this proposal was “the most sweeping consumer protection measure to emerge in this year’s General Assembly session.”
A more limited proposal patroned by Delegate Dan Helmer would have banned junk fees in concert and event tickets, and had received bipartisan support throughout the session. It also failed to pass yesterday.
“I am astonished that some lawmakers chose to side with corporations who build their business models on deception instead of with their constituents,” said Senator Pekarsky. “People deserve to know the cost of something upfront, not at check-out. Junk fees also hurt small businesses, including women and veteran-owned businesses, that are honest and transparent about their pricing. This is not the end of this conversation, which initially had strong bipartisan support. I will be back to fight for my constituents and for consumers all across Virginia.”
“The average family of four loses about $3,200 a year to junk fees, so we are talking about real financial relief,” said Delegate McClure. “President Biden, in his State of the Union address last week, took a bold stance against surprise junk fees. We’ll continue working to make sure Virginia can lead on strong consumer protections.”
“Middle class families are the foundation of our economy, and they deserve to be able to take their families to concerts, and to know the true price of the ticket,” said Delegate Helmer. “Many parents saved up to take their kids to see Beyoncé or Taylor Swift last year. Now, as many artists announce concerts that hardworking Virginians want to attend, families will continue to be hit by ridiculous surprise fees.”
“Even kids selling lemonade know it’s not fair to put a price on their sign to attract customers, then change that price the second people open up their wallets,” said Freedom Virginia Executive Director Rhena Hicks. “It is disappointing that certain lawmakers chose to side with deceptive businesses. The only winners in delaying junk fee legislation are out-of-state corporations who want to scam Virginians out of their hard-earned money. We are thankful to our legislative champions for getting us as far as we did this session and look forward to getting even farther in 2025.”
In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden highlighted his efforts to ban junk fees across the country, noting that his administration “has proposed rules to make cable, travel, utilities and online ticket sellers tell you the total price upfront so there are no surprises.”
A recent national poll showed broad support across party lines for banning junk fees, with 77% of voters — including 81% of Democrats, 78% of independents and 72% of Republicans — in favor of the effort.
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