No Utility Junk Fees Act
Sponsored By: Representative Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]
Introduced
Summary
Stops spurious utility payment fees. The No Utility Junk Fees Act would tie State energy program funding to rules that ban excessive payment surcharges, require clear billing disclosures, and force at least one fee-free payment option for residential electric customers.
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- Families and households: Residential customers would be shielded from "spurious charges" that exceed 150 percent of a utility's documented cost of acceptance or $3.00. Utilities would have to disclose fee amounts and reasons, show the total due including the charge, list fee-free alternatives, and offer at least one fee-free payment channel accessible without internet.
- States: States would need to adopt and enforce five consumer-protection requirements or face the Secretary of Energy withholding 10 percent of a State's annual State energy program financial assistance starting the first full fiscal year after enactment. States would submit compliance documentation beginning 18 months after enactment and get a 90-day cure period for violations.
- Regulated electric utilities: Utilities would have to document the direct "cost of acceptance" for each payment channel, stop charging fees where no documented cost exists, and comply with State enforcement that can investigate complaints, impose penalties, and allow consumers to recover unlawfully assessed fees.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Stops small utility payment fees
This bill would define when a utility payment fee is "spurious." A fee would be spurious if it is more than 150% of the utility's documented cost to process the payment or more than $3. A fee would also be spurious if the utility had no documented cost for that payment channel (for example, in-person office payments, automatic recurring payments, direct ACH transfers, or mail). A fee would also be spurious if it was not affirmatively and clearly disclosed before payment, including the amount, reason, total due, and a no-fee alternative. "Cost of acceptance" would mean direct, documented processing costs (interchange, gateway or processor fees, fraud-prevention charges, and labor directly attributable to processing) and would exclude general overhead or profit.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]
VA • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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