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Is Virginia about to crack down on "junk fees?"

Members of the General Assembly are debating a bill to crack down on junk fees.

Everyone has a story about fees that have been added to a telephone bill or a concert ticket or even the monthly rent.

Here's what Delegate Alfonso Lopez heard from a constituent in Arlington.

"You have to use an online system to pay your monthly rent. But that online system costs $50 every time you use it, and it's not included in the rental agreement," Alfonso said. "You find out about it after you pay your first month's rent."

That's why Senator Stella Pekarsky of Fairfax County introduced a bill to crack down on what she calls junk fees, requiring disclosure of the total price upfront instead of adding on hidden fees later.

"When they’re paying their utility bills, when they’re buying tickets to a movie or even paying their rent, Virginia consumers can be charged up to 20% more for a single transaction because of these hidden junk fees," she explains.

A similar bill last year got through both chambers but hit a snag during the secret, closed door conference committee. Pekarsky says she's hoping that the problems that emerged last year in secret have now been ironed out.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.

Michael Pope is an author and journalist who lives in Old Town Alexandria.