x
Breaking News
More () »

New bills introduced in state legislature would protect Pennsylvanians from hidden 'junk' fees, faulty motorcycles

Both bills are being introduced by State Rep. Nick Pisciottano (D-Allegheny) and await consideration by the House Consumer Protection Committee.
Credit: AP
The Pennsylvania Capitol is shown Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, in Harrisburg, Pa. Lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the main Pennsylvania state budget bill on Friday, July 8, 2022, more than a week after it was due — a plan fattened by federal stimulus cash and unusually robust state tax collections. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Two new bills introduced by a Pennsylvania lawmaker would protect residents from paying hidden "junk" fees to companies like Ticketmaster and keep them from having to deal with faulty motorcycles.

State Rep. Nick Pisciottano (D-Allegheny) introduced H.B. 636, otherwise known as the Pay the Price You See bill, and H.B. 360, the Motorcycle Lemon bill, following his appointment to the House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee.

“Hidden or ‘junk’ fees are inherently deceptive and should not exist in a free and fair market,” Pisciottano said of H.B. 636. “For too long, companies like Ticketmaster have taken advantage of American consumers through these arbitrary fees. I applaud the steps being taken at the federal level to address junk fees and look forward to supplementing consumer protections here in Pennsylvania by mandating fee transparency in advertised prices.”

The “Pay the Price You See” bill would require the disclosure of all mandatory fees and charges included in the advertised and displayed price of any good or service sold in Pennsylvania.

Pisciottano’s second bill would protect consumers who purchase a defective motorcycle and help keep more of those motorcycles off the road.

“Motorcycle buyers deserve the same protection from faulty products afforded to car buyers," he said. "The Automobile Lemon Law has shielded automobile purchasers from defective products for decades and it’s past time to expand those protections to motorcycles.”

Pisciottano specified that the current law requires a manufacturer to fix any automobile default which substantially impairs the use, value or safety of the vehicle during the first year of ownership, and that his bill simply extends this requirement to also cover motorcycles.

“This bill would help keep potentially unsafe motorcycles off our roadways as well as strengthen consumer protections for Pennsylvanians purchasing new motorcycles," he said. 

Pisciottano thanked now-retired state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Greene/Fayette/Washington, who championed the motorcycle lemon bill in previous legislative sessions and orchestrated its unanimous passage through the Republican-controlled House last session.

Both bills have been referred to and await consideration by the House Consumer Protection Committee.

Download the FOX43 app

Before You Leave, Check This Out