Gasoline Price-Gouging Act of 2005
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Gasoline Price-Gouging Act of 2005 - States that it is unlawful for a commercial vendor to sell either gasoline or diesel fuel at a price that is a 10% or greater increase from the average price prevailing in an area prior to its having been declared or designated as a major disaster area.
Excepts from such prohibition a fuel price that is: (1) attributable to a reasonable additional cost incurred attendant to a major disaster; or (2) consistent with national or international market trends.
Makes such prohibition applicable for 90 days after a declaration or designation is made.
Grants the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforcement powers to treat violation of this prohibition as an unfair or deceptive act or practice.
Requires the FTC, within five days following a declaration of a major disaster, to post on its Internet website the average price of gasoline and diesel fuel in such area for the 30-day period preceding the declaration.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on September 14, 2005. 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 September 19, 2005: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
- 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 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 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?
HEATHER WILSON (R-NM) introduced it on September 14, 2005, and 28 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 13 Democrats, 15 Republicans.
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 September 14, 2005, 7713 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7708 days ago, on September 19, 2005.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 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