Idaho lawmakers seek to alter emergency price-gouging law

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Legislation to alter state law to allow what the Idaho attorney general's office considers a form of price gouging during a declared emergency such as the pandemic is headed to the full Senate.

The Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve the legislation that would allow sellers to keep prices high to consumers even if prices they paid suppliers plummeted.

The proposed change follows three Idaho gas retailers in November agreeing to provide $1.5 million in sales credits after the attorney general's office launched an investigation into their fuel prices during the pandemic.

The retailers didn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing under the agreement.