Lower Grocery Prices Act
Sponsored By: Representative Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1]
Introduced
Summary
Ban on surveillance-based price setting for food, groceries, and agricultural commodities. The bill bars using automated systems and surveillance data to offer customized prices for individual shoppers, and builds rules for limited exceptions, public disclosures, and enforcement.
Show full summary
- Consumers and families gain new transparency and correction tools. They must be told what data influences prices and can correct or challenge data used by automated systems, and individuals may sue for damages equal to actual harm or $3,000 per violation, with courts allowed to treble awards for willful violations.
- Businesses and retailers face new disclosure and process requirements. Firms must publish procedures at least 180 days in advance, apply discounts uniformly when eligible, and may only use surveillance data for loyalty or broadly disclosed discounts under narrow conditions.
- States and federal agencies get stronger tools to enforce the rule. The Federal Trade Commission enforces the prohibition under the FTC Act, and state attorneys general can sue as parens patriae to seek damages, restitution, and use state investigative powers.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 4 mixed.
Enforcement and consumer damages
If enacted, the FTC would enforce the surveillance pricing ban and treat violations like other unfair trade practices. Individuals could sue in state or federal court and recover, per violation, the greater of actual damages or $3,000. Courts could triple awards for willful violations. Plaintiffs who win could also get costs and reasonable attorney fees, and lawsuits must start within five years after discovery.
Ban on targeted grocery pricing
If enacted, this bill would bar using automated surveillance data to set individualized prices for food, groceries, or farm commodities. It would still allow three exceptions: cost-based differences, discounts for broadly defined groups (like teachers or seniors), and opt-in loyalty or membership discounts. Each exception would require clear disclosure, uniform offers to eligible people, and limits on how surveillance data is used. Companies would have to follow those rules or face enforcement.
Legal definitions for pricing rules
If enacted, the bill would define key terms used in the ban and enforcement rules. Definitions include "automated decision system," "surveillance data," "price," and "personal information." These definitions would guide how regulators, courts, and businesses apply the rules.
Advance notice and data rules
If enacted, sellers who plan to use the allowed group or loyalty discounts would have to publish procedures at least 180 days before starting. The procedures must say what data the automated system uses, include a data accuracy process, and let consumers correct or challenge errors. The goal would be more transparency and a way to fix wrong data used for pricing.
State law protections preserved
If enacted, the section would not override State laws unless a State law directly conflicts with it. States could keep or add stronger rules about surveillance pricing or data collection. That could mean different rules across states and extra compliance steps for some businesses.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1]
NH • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov