I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1479 
To prohibit unfair and deceptive advertising of prices for hotel rooms and 
other places of short-term lodging, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 21, 2025 
Mrs. KIM (for herself, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. FRY, and Mr. MULLIN) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To prohibit unfair and deceptive advertising of prices for 
hotel rooms and other places of short-term lodging, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hotel Fees Trans-
parency Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON UNFAIR AND DECEPTIVE ADVER-
TISING 
OF 
HOTEL 
ROOMS 
AND 
OTHER 
SHORT-TERM RENTAL PRICES. 
(a) PROHIBITION.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—It shall be unlawful for a 
covered entity to display, advertise, market, or offer 
in interstate commerce, including through direct of-
ferings, third-party distribution, or metasearch refer-
rals, a price for covered services that does not clear-
ly, conspicuously, and prominently— 
(A) display the total services price, if a 
price is displayed, in any advertisement, mar-
keting, or price list wherever the covered serv-
ices are displayed, advertised, marketed, or of-
fered for sale; 
(B) disclose to any individual who seeks to 
purchase covered services the total services 
price at the time the covered services are first 
displayed to the individual and anytime there-
after throughout the covered services pur-
chasing process; and 
(C) disclose, prior to the final purchase, 
any tax, fee, or assessment imposed by any gov-
ernment entity, quasi-government entity, or 
government-created special district or program 
on the sale of covered services. 
(2) INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS.—Provided that 
such displays are less prominent than the total serv-
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ice price required in paragraph (1), nothing in this 
Act shall be construed to prohibit the display of— 
(A) individual components of the total 
price; or 
(B) details of other items not required by 
paragraph (1). 
(3) INDEMNIFICATION
PROVISIONS.—Nothing 
in this section shall be construed to prohibit any cov-
ered entity from entering into a contract with any 
other covered entity that contains an indemnification 
provision with respect to price or fee information 
disclosed, exchanged, or shared between the covered 
entities that are parties to the contract. 
(b) ENFORCEMENT.— 
(1) ENFORCEMENT BY THE COMMISSION.— 
(A) UNFAIR OR DECEPTIVE ACTS OR PRAC-
TICES.—A violation of subsection (a) shall be 
treated as a violation of a rule defining an un-
fair or deceptive act or practice prescribed 
under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade 
Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)). 
(B) POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.— 
(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Commission 
shall enforce this section in the same man-
ner, by the same means, and with the 
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same jurisdiction, powers, and duties as 
though all applicable terms and provisions 
of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 
U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into 
and made a part of this Act. 
(ii) PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES.— 
Any person who violates this section shall 
be subject to the penalties and entitled to 
the privileges and immunities provided in 
the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 
U.S.C. 41 et seq.). 
(iii) AUTHORITY PRESERVED.—Noth-
ing in this section shall be construed to 
limit the authority of the Commission 
under any other provision of law. 
(2) ENFORCEMENT BY STATES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—If the attorney general 
of a State has reason to believe that an interest 
of the residents of the State has been or is 
being threatened or adversely affected by a 
practice that violates subsection (a), the attor-
ney general of the State may, as parens patriae, 
bring a civil action on behalf of the residents of 
the State in an appropriate district court of the 
United States to obtain appropriate relief. 
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(B) RIGHTS OF THE COMMISSION.— 
(i) NOTICE TO THE COMMISSION.— 
(I) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro-
vided in subclause (III), the attorney 
general of a State, before initiating a 
civil action under subparagraph (A) 
shall notify the Commission in writing 
that the attorney general intends to 
bring such civil action. 
(II) CONTENTS.—The notifica-
tion required by subclause (I) shall in-
clude a copy of the complaint to be 
filed to initiate the civil action. 
(III) EXCEPTION.—If it is not 
feasible for the attorney general of a 
State to provide the notification re-
quired by subclause (I) before initi-
ating a civil action under subpara-
graph (A), the attorney general shall 
notify the Commission immediately 
upon instituting the civil action. 
(ii) INTERVENTION BY THE COMMIS-
SION.—The Commission may— 
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(I) intervene in any civil action 
brought by the attorney general of a 
State under subparagraph (A); and 
(II) upon intervening— 
(aa) be heard on all matters 
arising in the civil action; and 
(bb) file petitions for appeal. 
(C) INVESTIGATORY POWERS.—Nothing in 
this paragraph may be construed to prevent the 
attorney general of a State from exercising the 
powers conferred on the attorney general by the 
laws of the State to conduct investigations, to 
administer oaths or affirmations, or to compel 
the attendance of witnesses or the production of 
documentary or other evidence. 
(D) ACTION BY THE COMMISSION.—When-
ever a civil action has been instituted by or on 
behalf of the Commission for violation of sub-
section (a), no attorney general of a State may, 
during the pendency of that action, institute an 
action under subparagraph (A) against any de-
fendant named in the complaint in that action 
for a violation of subsection (a) alleged in such 
complaint. 
(E) VENUE; SERVICE OF PROCESS.— 
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(i) 
VENUE.—Any 
action 
brought 
under subparagraph (A) may be brought 
in— 
(I) the district court of the 
United States that meets applicable 
requirements relating to venue under 
section 1391 of title 28, United States 
Code; or 
(II) another court of competent 
jurisdiction. 
(ii) SERVICE OF PROCESS.—In an ac-
tion brought under subparagraph (A), 
process may be served in any district in 
which— 
(I) the defendant is an inhab-
itant, may be found, or transacts 
business; or 
(II) venue is proper under section 
1391 of title 28, United States Code. 
(F) ACTIONS
BY
OTHER
STATE
OFFI-
CIALS.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—In addition to civil 
actions brought by an attorney general 
under subparagraph (A), any other officer 
of a State who is authorized by the State 
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to do so may bring a civil action under 
subparagraph (A), subject to the same re-
quirements and limitations that apply 
under this paragraph to civil actions 
brought by attorneys general. 
(ii) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in 
this paragraph may be construed to pro-
hibit an authorized official of a State from 
initiating or continuing any proceeding in 
a court of the State for a violation of any 
civil or criminal law of the State. 
(3) AFFIRMATIVE
DEFENSE.—In any action 
pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2), an intermediary 
or third-party online seller may assert an affirmative 
defense if such intermediary or third-party online 
seller— 
(A) established procedures to receive up-to- 
date price information from hotels or short- 
term rentals, or agents acting on behalf of a 
hotel or short-term rental; 
(B) relied in good faith on information 
provided to the intermediary or third-party on-
line seller by a hotel or short-term rental, or 
agent acting on behalf of such hotel or short- 
term rental, and such information was inac-
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curate at the time it was provided to the inter-
mediary or third-party online seller; and 
(C) took prompt action to remove or cor-
rect any false or inaccurate information about 
the total services price after receiving notice 
that such information was false or inaccurate. 
(c) PREEMPTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A State, or political subdivi-
sion of a State, may not maintain, enforce, pre-
scribe, or continue in effect any law, rule, regulation, 
requirement, standard, or other provision having the 
force and effect of law of the State, or political sub-
division of the State, that prohibits a covered entity 
from advertising, displaying, marketing, or otherwise 
offering, or otherwise affects the manner in which a 
covered entity may advertise, display, market, or 
otherwise offer, for sale in interstate commerce, in-
cluding through a direct offering, third-party dis-
tribution, or metasearch referral, a price of a res-
ervation for a covered service, and that requires fee 
disclosure, unless such provision requires the total 
services price to include each service fee in accord-
ance with subsection (a)(1). 
(2) RULE
OF
CONSTRUCTION.—This section 
may not be construed to— 
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(A) preempt any law of a State or political 
subdivision of a State relating to contracts or 
torts; or 
(B) preempt any law of a State or political 
subdivision of a State to the extent that such 
law relates to an act of fraud, unauthorized ac-
cess to personal information, or notification of 
unauthorized access to personal information. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) BASE SERVICES PRICE.—The term ‘‘base 
services price’’— 
(A) means, with respect to the covered 
services provided by a hotel or short-term rent-
al, the price in order to obtain the covered serv-
ices of the hotel or short-term rental; and 
(B) does not include— 
(i) any service fee; 
(ii) any taxes or fees imposed by a 
government or quasi-government entity; 
(iii) assessment fees of a government- 
created special district or program; or 
(iv) any charges or fees for an op-
tional product or service associated with 
the covered services that may be selected 
by a purchaser of covered services. 
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(2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Trade Commission. 
(3) COVERED ENTITY.—The term ‘‘covered en-
tity’’ means a person, partnership, or corporation 
with respect to whom the Commission has jurisdic-
tion under section 5(a)(2) of the Federal Trade 
Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 45(a)(2)), including— 
(A) a hotel or short-term rental; 
(B) a third-party online seller; or 
(C) an intermediary. 
(4) COVERED
SERVICES.—The term ‘‘covered 
services’’— 
(A) means the temporary provision of a 
room, building, or other lodging facility; and 
(B) does not include the provision of a 
meeting room, banquet services, or catering 
services. 
(5) HOTEL.—The term ‘‘hotel’’ means an es-
tablishment that is— 
(A) primarily engaged in providing a cov-
ered service to the general public; and 
(B) promoted, advertised, or marketed in 
interstate commerce or for which such estab-
lishment’s services are sold in interstate com-
merce. 
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(6) INTERMEDIARY.—The term ‘‘intermediary’’ 
means an entity that operates either as a business- 
to-business platform, consumer-facing platform, or 
both, that displays, including through direct offer-
ings, third-party distribution, or metasearch referral, 
a price for covered services or price comparison tools 
for consumers seeking covered services. 
(7) OPTIONAL
PRODUCT
OR
SERVICE.—The 
term ‘‘optional product or service’’ means a product 
or service that an individual does not need to pur-
chase to use or obtain covered services. 
(8) SERVICE FEE.—The term ‘‘service fee’’— 
(A) means a charge imposed by a covered 
entity that must be paid in order to obtain cov-
ered services; and 
(B) does not include— 
(i) any taxes or fees imposed by a 
government or quasi-government entity; 
(ii) any assessment fees of a govern-
ment-created special district or program; 
or 
(iii) any charges or fees for an op-
tional product or service associated with 
the covered services that may be selected 
by a purchaser of covered services. 
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(9) SHORT-TERM RENTAL.—The term ‘‘short- 
term rental’’ means a property, including a single- 
family dwelling or a unit in a condominium, coopera-
tive, or time-share, that provides covered services 
(either with respect to the entire property or a part 
of the property) to the general public— 
(A) in exchange for a fee; 
(B) for periods shorter than 30 consecutive 
days; and 
(C) is promoted, advertised, or marketed in 
interstate commerce or for which such prop-
erty’s services are sold in interstate commerce. 
(10) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and any ter-
ritory or possession of the United States. 
(11) THIRD-PARTY ONLINE SELLER.—The term 
‘‘third-party online seller’’ means any person other 
than a hotel or short-term rental that sells covered 
services or offers for sale covered services with re-
spect to a hotel or short-term rental in a transaction 
facilitated on the internet. 
(12) TOTAL SERVICES PRICE.—The term ‘‘total 
services’’— 
(A) means, with respect to covered serv-
ices, the total cost of the covered services, in-
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cluding the base services price and any service 
fees; and 
(B) does not include— 
(i) any taxes or fees imposed by a 
government or quasi-government entity; 
(ii) any assessment fees of a govern-
ment-created special district or program; 
or 
(iii) any charges or fees for an op-
tional product or service associated with 
the covered services that may be selected 
by a purchaser of covered services. 
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The prohibition under sub-
section (a) shall take effect 450 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act and shall apply to advertise-
ments, displays, marketing, and offers of covered services 
of a covered entity made on or after such date. 
Æ 
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