New Jersey Governor Sherrill signed an executive order intended to take what was described as the state's fight for affordability and accountability to the next level. The measure was presented as part of a broader effort to lower costs for residents, with officials promising to work with advocates, unions, businesses and the legislature to protect consumers across the board. The order was unveiled alongside the state attorney general and other officials at a public event.
The governor framed the move within New Jersey's long history on consumer protection, noting that the state's key consumer law dates back to 1960 and calling it one of the oldest, broadest and strongest frameworks in the country. He said the state had continued to build on that record over the years, positioning the new executive order as the latest step rather than a starting point.
Among the recent actions he highlighted were a crackdown on predatory home lending and the passage of what he called one of the nation's most aggressive data privacy laws. He tied those efforts to the new order, arguing that the various pieces fit together and are essential to lowering costs for families in the current economy.
The governor also voiced support for the legislature's current work to end what is known as surveillance pricing. He described the practice as big technology companies tracking a person's personal information, such as location, gender and even phone browsing history, and using it to charge that individual the highest price they are believed to be willing to pay, rather than a single price offered to everyone.
The attorney general, who spoke after the governor, pointed to enforcement already under way. He said his office had brought a major lawsuit against the lender One Main Financial, accusing it of charging consumers hundreds of millions of dollars in hidden junk fees for add-ons attached to the loans it sold. He presented the case as an example of the kind of practice the state intends to challenge.
Officials said the office is also investigating junk fee practices in other areas, including rental housing, rental cars, ticket sales and financial services, and indicated that the work was only beginning. Residents were directed to the state Division of Consumer Affairs website, at njoag.gov slash junk dash fees, to report charges and join the effort to push back against the fees.
Advocates at the event illustrated the problem with concrete examples, citing complaints gathered by Consumer Reports. They said users of earned wage advance products pay an average of about 300 dollars a year, with fees that can translate into annual rates exceeding 330 percent for small short-term advances. Among the cases cited were a homeowners association that charges a fee when a resident pays by any method other than giving it direct access to her bank account, and a waste hauler that imposed a 10 dollar late fee for paying a pre-bill just days after it was received, before any service had been provided.
The announcement drew support from other officials and advocates, including a state assemblyman and Beverly Brown Ruscha, the financial justice program director of New Jersey Citizens Action. They argued that eliminating junk fees is not a minor footnote to consumer protection but a central part of it, framing the initiative as a direct effort to ease the burden of repeated fees on residents.