Bill > HB4739

This bill, titled the "Junk Fee Prevention Act," aims to combat deceptive pricing practices, commonly known as "junk fees," which artificially inflate costs and harm competition across various sectors like banking, travel, and delivery services. The Act defines "junk fees" as mandatory fees that must be paid to purchase an advertised good or service, are not reasonably avoidable, or are for something a consumer would expect to be included. It makes it unlawful to advertise prices without clearly disclosing the total cost including all mandatory fees, to fail to disclose mandatory fees before payment, to make misleading disclosures of price components, to present fee details less prominently than the advertised price, or to increase prices after a customer has selected an item. The bill also prohibits excessive early termination fees for contracts, especially those that automatically renew. The Attorney General is empowered to bring civil actions on behalf of consumers for violations, seeking damages for unintentional violations ($500 per consumer per incident or actual damages, whichever is greater) and intentional violations ($1,000 per consumer per incident or actual damages, whichever is greater), along with injunctive relief and other proper remedies. The Act also establishes a four-year statute of limitations for enforcement actions and clarifies that it does not preempt state or local laws offering greater consumer protections.

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http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4739&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill