# 119-s-3892: Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act of 2026

119-s-3892, Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3892
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3892
- Congress: 119
- Title: Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-02-12
- Sponsor: Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 10
- Policy area: Commerce
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Prohibits price gouging and surveillance-based price setting in retail food stores.** This bill would ban grossly excessive prices and pricing that targets shoppers using their personal data, while giving regulators and courts tools to stop and punish those practices. - Shoppers and families would gain protection from steep, targeted price hikes. The Federal Trade Commission could treat prices at or above 120% of a six-month market average as grossly excessive. - Retailers could argue a defense when higher prices come from costs out of their control. Large stores over 10,000 square feet must present non-digital prices and cannot use electronic shelf labels to change prices. - The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general could enforce the law, and consumers could sue for the greater of actual damages or $3,000 per violation, with treble damages for willful violations and a five-year filing window. *Would authorize $5.0 million in appropriations for fiscal year 2026, available through September 30, 2032, increasing federal outlays by that amount.*

## Cosponsors (10)

- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV] (D-NV), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2026-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-04-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA] (D-GA), 2026-04-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2026-04-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-06-08T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Consumer and state enforcement rights: benefit, high. If enacted, consumers who are harmed could sue in federal court for each violation and get the greater of actual monetary damages or $3,000. If a court finds the violation was willful or knowing, the award would be tripled. A winning plaintiff could recover court costs and reasonable attorney fees.…
- Ban on grocery price gouging: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would prohibit retail food stores from selling items at a grossly excessive price. It would also ban changing a price for a specific shopper based on that shopper's personal information (including data from facial recognition). Stores larger than 10,000 square feet would not be…
- FTC rules and definitions for pricing: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Federal Trade Commission would have to write rules within 180 days defining a market and what counts as an "excessive" or "grossly excessive" price. The FTC could use any metric and should consider calling prices 20% or more above the six-month average "grossly excessive." The bill…
- Limits on biometric use and signage: benefit, low. If enacted, adults could voluntarily provide biometric data to verify identity only after giving written consent and a written release. Stores would have to give written notice about what biometric data they collect, why they collect it, how long they keep it, and when they might share it with law…
- Funding to enforce the bill: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would authorize $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 to carry out and enforce the Act. Those funds would remain available through September 30, 2032. The money would be for agency rulemaking and enforcement, not direct payments to shoppers.

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-3892 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3892)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-852)
- [119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2150)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3892 (as of 2026-09-10).