Stop Disaster Price Gouging Act
Latest action. Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Stop Disaster Price Gouging Act
This bill prohibits certain price increases following presidentially declared major disasters or emergencies, requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce the prohibition, and authorizes states and private parties to bring legal action for violations.
The bill prohibits entities from increasing prices in affected areas by more than 10% above pre-disaster prices for 30 days after the declaration date for essential consumer goods and services (e.g., food, emergency supplies, and transportation), hotel lodging, and residential rental properties. For repair or reconstruction services this prohibition lasts 180 days. Also, for 30 days, entities may not charge more than 50% above their cost for such goods, services, or housing if they did not charge that price pre-disaster. The bill provides exceptions, including for higher costs.
Violations of the prohibition are subject to specified civil penalties. Amounts recovered by the FTC must be used to assist communities in areas affected by a major disaster or emergency.
Additionally, the bill authorizes states, with prior notice to the FTC, to bring a civil action in state or federal court when their residents are threatened or affected by a violation of the bill. It also authorizes private parties to bring an action if commenced within two years after discovering the violation.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 27, 2025. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 27, 2025: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Laura Friedman (D-CA) introduced it on March 27, 2025, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Democrat.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 27, 2025, 532 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 532 days ago, on March 27, 2025.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers