Advocacy News – Sept. 19, 2024
What happened: Two identical packages of legislation are currently stirring up conversation with top state officials in Lansing. Michigan’s Attorney General, Dana Nessel, is now calling on the state legislature to move these bills.
- Senate Bills 954-956 and House Bills 5895-5897 restrict the state’s private companies from raising their prices above 10% when the Governor declares a state of emergency, which is sometimes referred to as price gouging.
What companies are impacted? The three overarching categories of products that would be impacted by this legislation are lodging, consumer goods and energy products. This includes, but is not limited to, hotels, conference centers, building materials, food items, emergency and medical supplies, gasoline, propane, and home heating oil.
The bottom line: Michigan already has price gouging restrictions that would prohibit this type of behavior. Furthermore, it appears to be unclear as to what constitutes a state emergency, as the current definition is written broadly and oftentimes the state of emergency declaration is enacted for smaller regions of the state. At this point, it is unclear in legislation how a regionally designated state of emergency would impact private business pricing.
We want feedback from you! Share your thoughts on this legislation with Leah Robinson.