Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act
Latest action · Jun 4, 2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 27, 2009
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act - Makes it unlawful, during a period proclaimed by the President as an energy emergency, to sell gasoline or any other petroleum distillate at a price that: (1) is unconscionably excessive; or (2) indicates the seller is taking unfair advantage of the circumstances of an emergency to increase prices unreasonably.
Authorizes the President to issue an energy emergency proclamation of up to 30 days, with renewals allowed, and to cite the geographic area, gasoline or other petroleum distillate, and time period covered.
Authorizes a proclamation to include a period of up to one week preceding a reasonably foreseeable emergency.
Exempts from this Act a sale of gasoline or other petroleum distillate transaction on a futures market.
Empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to enforce this Act. Prescribes civil and criminal penalties for violations, but limits the criminal penalty to criminal actions brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Allows a state to bring a civil action to enforce this Act or to impose civil penalties.
Requires deposit of fines and penalties collected under this Act in a separate Consumer Relief Trust Fund in the Treasury to provide assistance under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) Program.
Declares that nothing in this Act preempts state law.
Cosponsors 41
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 27, 2009 to Sep 15, 2009; 31 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NJ | Albio Sires | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-IN | Baron P. Hill | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-OH | Betty Sutton | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-NJ | Bill Pascrell, Jr. | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-WA | Brian Baird | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-NY | Brian Higgins | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-NY | Carolyn B. Maloney | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-PA | Christopher P. Carney | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-MA | Edward J. Markey | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-MS | Gene Taylor | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-CA | Howard L. Berman | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-MN | James L. Oberstar | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Original | Apr 27, 2009 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Apr 27, 2009 |
| Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee | Referred Apr 28, 2009 | |
| Energy Subcommittee | Referred Apr 28, 2009 | |
| House | Education and Workforce Committee | Referred Apr 27, 2009 |
| Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee | Referred Jun 4, 2009 |
Actions 7
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 4, 2009Referred to the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.
- Apr 28, 2009Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
- Apr 28, 2009Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment.
- Apr 27, 2009Introduced in House
- Apr 27, 2009Referred to House Energy and Commerce
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To protect consumers from price-gouging of gasoline and other fuels, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Energy.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 27, 2009Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
