Welch, House Democrats Crack Down on Junk Fees, Price Gouging Schemes with New Affordability Laws
WESTCHESTER, Ill. – Major affordability measures cracking down on hidden junk fees and price gouging schemes are now law thanks to the work of Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and House Democrats.
“Families and seniors on fixed incomes are being hit at every turn by illegal tariffs, by instability and crises overseas, and by pure corporate greed and opportunism. And while no state can singlehandedly reverse all of Donald Trump’s failed policies or set prices at the store, we can take charge of what we can control to provide people with some relief right now,” Welch said. “Protecting people from price gouging and helping them make fully informed purchasing decisions is a critical part of that effort.”
Often disguised as “convenience” or “processing” fees, hidden junk fees cost families over $3,000 every day, driving the affordability crisis and making everyday purchases more expensive.
Welch and Rep. Bob Morgan worked to crack down on these hidden fees with House Bill 228, which is now law. The measure requires businesses to display all mandatory fees and charges they are adding on top of a purchase price and gives the attorney general’s office more authority to hold businesses accountable for not disclosing surprise fees.
“At a time when affordability is the top concern affecting Illinois families, the last thing they need is to be misled about the price of their utility bill or the price at the bottom of their receipt after eating at a restaurant,” Morgan said. “This legislation ensures that the price you see is the price you pay. Hidden fees mislead the marketplace, cost families thousands of dollars each year, and make it harder for honest businesses to compete.”
Welch and Rep. Nabeela Syed also worked to expand protections for people buying tickets to concerts and sporting events. In response to high-profile reports of abusive practices perpetrated by ticket resellers and AI-powered ‘bot farms’ purchasing mass amounts of event tickets to be resold at two or three times the face value, House Democrats passed House Bill 4984, which bans resellers from offering the sale of tickets they do not actually possess. Additionally, Senate Bill 318 bans the use of bots to buy tickets in excess of posted limits of online ticket sales or to circumvent electronic queues and other waiting periods. These measures are now law.
“Every Illinoisan deserves the confidence that when they buy a ticket, they're buying something real—not falling for a scam that leaves them at the door empty-handed,” Syed said. “These two laws put consumers first by ending the sale of tickets that don't exist and shutting down the bots that buy up entire shows only to resell them at prices families can't afford. But this is also about the small, independent venues that are the heartbeat of our communities. When scalpers and bots hollow out a sold-out show, those venues lose the ticket sales, the concessions, and the local revenue they depend on to keep their doors open. By protecting both the people who love live events and the businesses that make them possible, we're standing up for fairness, for our local economies, and for the cultural life that makes our communities what they are.”
