Attorney General Mayes Blasts Legislative Republicans for Blocking Price Gouging Bill That Would Protect Arizonans During Disasters and Emergencies

PHOENIX — Attorney General Kris Mayes today blasted Republican legislative leaders for refusing to grant even a committee hearing to SB 1714, a bill that would give the Attorney General new authority to investigate and prosecute price gouging during states of emergency, leaving Arizonans without protection when they need it most. 

"Arizonans should never have to worry that a disaster will be made worse by someone trying to make a fast buck off their suffering," said Attorney General Mayes. "That is exactly what price gouging laws are designed to stop. When floods wiped out businesses and homes in Globe and Miami last fall, Arizonans needed protection. My office proposed the tools needed to go after this problem. Republicans in the Legislature have decided we shouldn’t have that authority. That is a choice and Arizonans should know they made it." 

The bill, introduced by Senator Priya Sundareshan and co-sponsored by other Democratic legislators, would make it a felony for businesses to raise prices on essential commodities — including gas, food, water, electricity, building materials, and medical supplies — by more than ten percent above pre-emergency levels during a declared state of emergency.  

Any violation would also constitute an unlawful practice under Arizona's consumer protection laws, giving the Attorney General explicit authority to investigate and seek restitution on behalf of consumers. Republican leaders have refused to even consider the bill. It did not receive a single committee hearing. 

Last fall, the communities of Globe and Miami were hit with devastating floods, with businesses that had already been badly damaged by September's historic storms being damaged again in October as floodwaters returned. Disasters like these — and other disruptions that send gas and grocery prices surging — are exactly the kind of scenarios that price gouging laws are built for. 

At least 39 states have anti-price gouging statutes. Arizona is not one of them. SB 1714 would change that, creating legal standards and giving the Attorney General's Office the enforcement power to act when consumers are most vulnerable. 

"This isn't a partisan issue, it's common-sense consumer protection that most states already have," AG Mayes continued. "Why Republicans blocked this bill and left Arizonans exposed to price-gouging is beyond me."