ALEXANDRIA, Va. – NACS sent an Action Alert today urging members to let Congress know that efforts to protect consumers from unscrupulous activity through anti-price gouging legislation will serve only to punish independent business owners – and ultimately the consumer.

If enacted, this legislation (H.R. 1252 and S. 1263) would subject retailers to millions of dollars in fines and years in prison for violating an ambiguous definition of what constitutes price gouging. Retailers must know what they can and cannot do in response to market conditions.

The Action Alert encourages NACS members and their employees to contact their U.S. senators and representative and ask them to amend the legislation to:

• Clearly define what constitutes a violation
• Provide honest retailers with a defense to violation
• Enable retailers to respond to market conditions

If this legislation is not amended, urge your senators and representatives to oppose the legislation.

There are two ways to contact your members of Congress. To contact members by phone, call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. To contact members via e-mail, click here for senators and click here for representatives. 

NACS will continue to communicate the industry’s voice on Capitol Hill. Look for more information at NACS Online or contact NACS Vice President of Government Relations John Eichberger at (703) 518-4247 or jeichberger@nacsonline.com.