Bill > H223

This bill aims to protect consumers by prohibiting "negative option sales," which are offers where a consumer is automatically signed up for products or services and charged unless they take specific action to cancel. The bill defines a "seller" as any business offering goods or services, and a "consumer" as someone accepting a trial offer. It mandates that sellers must clearly and conspicuously disclose all terms of a trial offer, including any future financial obligations, the cost, what goods or services will be provided, how to cancel, and the deadline for cancellation. Crucially, sellers must obtain "affirmative consent," meaning a consumer's explicit agreement to incur a financial obligation, which must be clearly indicated. For trial offers longer than 30 days, an additional reminder must be sent 5 to 10 days before the consumer is charged. The bill also prevents financial institutions from disclosing a customer's financial or personal information without the customer's express authorization, with specific exceptions. Violations of these provisions are considered unfair and deceptive practices.