'I Wanna Quit The Gym' Bill Passes In NY State Senate

NEW YORK CITY — You can quit the gym! A new law to crack down on sneaky gym subscription tactics passed in the New York state Senate Thursday, legislators announced.

"Exercising regularly is tiring enough," said state Sen. Brad Hoylman, the Manhattan representative who sponsored the bill.

"New Yorkers shouldn’t have to jump through hoops simply to quit their gym and join another."

News that Equinox gym owner Stephen Ross was hosting a Hamptons fund-raising gala for President Donald Trump may have helped jump-start the bill by highlighting just how difficult it was for members to quit in protest.

"Many were shocked to discover the gym’s uncompromising cancellation policies made it extremely difficult to cancel," Hoylman's announcement reads.

Free trials and promotional prices also weigh heavily on the shoulders of consumers, studies show.

Nearly 60 percent of credit and debit card owners who signed up for free gym trials were later charged against their wills, a Bankrate.com analysis shows.

The Better Business Bureau found estimates automatic renewal schemes cost consumers $1.3 billion in the last decade.

Hoylman's bill, first introduced in 2013, requires businesses to present clear terms and receive written consent before setting up automatic renewal charges.

It would also mandate businesses provide a convenient method of canceling services that didn't require going down to the gym and facing off against a sales rep.

The bill now heads to the New York state Assembly for a vote.