Bid to bar price gouging in crisis

ALBANY — A Manhattan lawmaker wants to deter retailers from taking advantage of people during a pandemic.

Sen. Brad Hoylman — inspired by recent reports of price gouging related to the coronavirus outbreak — plans to introduce a bill Tuesday that would enlist the help of the attorney general in cracking down on companies that exploit the demand for face masks or other medical supplies during times of crisis.

“It’s said that after the storm come the vultures – and that’s exactly what could happen here if we don’t act now to stop price gouging in anticipation of the coronavirus outbreak here in New York,” Hoylman said.

New York reported its first coronavirus case, a 39-year-old Manhattan woman who recently traveled to Iran, late Sunday. More than 100 cases have been confirmed in the U.S. and six people have died as the virus spreads, according to officials.

Hoylman noted that prices on items like face masks and hand sanitizer have skyrocketed in drugstores across the city in recent days.

While the U.S. surgeon general has asked healthy members of the public not to buy face masks in order to prevent a shortage for health care professionals, a mask boom has prompted many sellers to jack up prices.

The proposed legislation would amend New York’s price-gouging statute to establish an “unconscionable excessive price” greater than 10% higher than before a public health emergency began.

The bill would prohibit stores and sellers from drastically marking up medical supplies, including first-aid kits, face masks and over-thecounter medications, during a public health crisis.