Senate Hears Bill to Address Hoarding, Price Gouging

This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on Senate Bill 301. Introduced by Sens. Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and Steve Wilson (R-Maineville), the bill targets panic buying and price gouging during a declared disaster or emergency.

The bill would give the attorney general permissive authority to establish per-consumer, per-transaction quantity limits on goods or services sold by suppliers in emergencies. SB 301 also provides expanded authority to investigate grossly excessive price increases as a violation of the Consumers Sales Practices Act after an emergency is declared. The legislators provided sponsor testimony and answered questions from lawmakers. The bill is expected to have more hearings in the coming weeks. 5/7/2020