AG seeks to crack down on price gouging

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown testified Wednesday in Annapolis on legislation that would give his office the authority to crack down on price gouging. Price gouging is often suspected, but hard to prove, so House Bill 775 would set parameters to go after offenders. The proposal would only apply to the price of goods and services during a declared emergency. Brown told members of the House Economic Matters Committee that his price-gouging legislation is an easy fix to a tough problem. The bill would prohibit the sale of essential goods and services for a price of 10% or more above the highest cost during a state of emergency. That baseline would be how much the item or service cost 60 days before the state of emergency.