Minnesota House passes bill that would eliminate junk fees

ST. PAUL, Minn. (GRAY) – Minnesota lawmakers have passed a bill that would effectively put an end to so-called “junk fees.” Junk fees are added fees that typically come during checkout for a given purchase.

“Call them what you want. They’re just another way for corporations to use into competitive practices that raise the cost of a good or service,” said Rep. Emma Greenman (DFL-Minneapolis), author of the bill.

Greenman’s bill would require restaurants, online retailers, and more to include those fees up-front. In most cases, that would mean any fees would be included in the original price.

“It simply requires that the folks advertising their product include the listed price, include everything that people are required to pay to get that product,” Greenman said.

Republicans pushed back against the bill, claiming that the law would keep businesses from disclosing fees that may result from government policy.

The bill passed alongside another bill, one that requires the same practice for ticketing agencies.

“It requires all in pricing whenever a ticket is sold, or resold. So this allows consumers to know upfront what the total cost of the ticket is going to be before they get to that very end screen and have only a couple minutes to make a decision,” said author Kelly Moller (DFL-Shoreview).

The ticketing bill also puts new limitations and requirements on resale of tickets.

“It prevents the use of deceptive websites that trick consumers into thinking that those websites are those of the actual venue or the original seller of the tickets. It bans speculative ticketing which is the process used in the resale market to sell tickets that haven’t even gone on sale yet,” Moller said.

The bill also bans methods that are commonly used by scalpers to acquire those tickets.

“It prohibits the use of bots to purchase tickets and other unfair practices that put tickets in the hands of scalpers over consumers,” said Moller.

Both bills passed the House and are awaiting a vote in the Senate.

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