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Committee adopts amendment and reports fitness automatic-renewal bill
Summary
A bill requiring fitness facilities to notify customers electronically of upcoming contract renewals and to secure customer opt-in for automatic renewals was amended to clarify acceptable electronic modes and advanced by the committee.
The committee adopted an amendment and voted to report favorably on a bill (H4635) governing automatic-renewal practices for physical-fitness services.
Committee staff said the measure allows a fitness facility to notify customers electronically of an upcoming contract renewal and requires a customer-choice (opt-in) approach when signing the initial contract. The discussion clarified that "electronic" could mean a patient portal, e-mail or text message and that the facility must inform the customer which method will be used. The sponsor and staff said the intent is to protect consumers from surprise renewals and to make the renewal mode explicit in the contract.
Senators questioned grammatical construction and placement of the opt-in subject within the bill text; staff and the sponsor agreed to revise language for clarity. An amendment that spells out modes of electronic communication and confirms that the customer—not the facility—selects the notification method was adopted without objection. The committee then voted to report the bill favorably as amended.
The sponsor cited testimony from multiple states and consumer-affairs participation during subcommittee review. Senators who shared consumer anecdotes said the measure would help people avoid unwanted, hard-to-cancel renewals.
