Pallone, Pascrell join Biden to tackle junk fees

New Jersey Reps. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) and Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) joined President Joe Biden at a press conference today announcing a new series of actions designed to eliminate so-called “junk fees.”

“Consumers should be able to enjoy live music or plan a vacation without fear of hidden fees that can unexpectedly break the bank,” Pallone said in a statement. “These new actions from the Biden Administration will bring much needed transparency to the live event, car rental, hotel, and banking industries. It’s past time to end this deceptive practice companies use to unfairly raise prices on consumers.”

Under a proposed Federal Trade Commission rule, companies would be prohibited from adding hidden fees and would be required to display the full price of a product or service up front. Biden also said that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will work to prevent banks from adding unjust charges to minor services like checking account balances.

“Millions of Americans are in a sour mood and it’s clear why: so many of us are sick and tired and fed up paying crooked junk fees for almost anything they do,” Pascrell said in a statement. “Today’s latest announcement is a major victory for Americans who remain under the thumb of deceptive ticketing pricing schemes… President Biden is turning happy talk into action and accountability, and I believe he can get this consumer victory done.”

Both Pascrell and Pallone have long been top players in the fight against junk fees, especially at the huge sporting and music events that MetLife Stadium (in Pascrell’s congressional district) hosts frequently.

Since 2009, the pair of congressmen have been pushing for legislation that would require more transparent distribution and pricing practices from ticket sellers. Earlier this year, the bill was reintroduced as the Better Oversight of Stub Sales and Strengthening Well Informed and Fair Transactions for Audiences of Concert Ticketing Act of 2023 – shortened to the BOSS and SWIFT Act, in honor of two musicians whose New Jersey concerts led to widespread ticketing chaos.