Colorado lawmaker wants to crack down on companies that charge hidden fees

When Colorado state Rep. Naquetta Ricks traveled to Las Vegas recently, she shopped around for the best rate on a hotel.

But when she arrived, she says, the price of her room jumped $240. She says the hotel tacked-on a "resort fee" that wasn't listed anywhere in the price of the room.

"Had I known that I would have compared apples to apples and gotten a nicer place to stay," says Ricks, who is now sponsoring a bill to shed light on hidden fees in Colorado.

She's introduced a bill that would ban advertising or selling a product or service without disclosing all fees upfront. Violations would be a deceptive trade practice.

The consumer advocacy group CoPIRG says there's been a rise in resort fees, convenience fees, processing fees, service fees and other fees.