Sponsors (76)
The bill strengthens consumer protections against price gouging, biometric surveillance, and surveillance-based personalized pricing while giving the FTC authority and funding to enforce them — but it imposes new compliance costs, legal uncertainty, and operational frictions that could raise costs for retailers (especially small and multi-state ones) and limit some convenient, personalized services for shoppers.
Shoppers — especially low-income households — are protected from grossly excessive retail food prices by banning 'grossly excessive' pricing and providing definitions that enable enforcement.
Consumers gain stronger privacy and control over biometric and surveillance data used in stores: written consent, limits on sale/share of biometric data, required disclosures, and clearer definitions reduce misuse risks.
The bill limits surveillance-based individualized price discrimination (while preserving common, publicly disclosed group discounts), protecting shoppers from being charged different prices based on their personal data.
Small and multi-state retailers face meaningful new compliance costs and enforcement risk (tracking baselines, labeling, consent regimes, expanded data definitions), which may be passed to consumers or strain small businesses.
The 'grossly excessive' price prohibition could discourage retailers from raising prices during legitimate supply shocks and may reduce incentives to stock scarce items, risking short-term availability problems.
Limits on biometric uses and restrictions on digital shelf labels may reduce convenience features (fast biometric checkout, personalized displays) and cause retailers to curtail targeted promotions or loyalty benefits.
Based on analysis of 9 sections of legislative text.
Bans grossly excessive grocery prices and surveillance-based individualized pricing, limits facial recognition and electronic shelf labels in large stores, empowers FTC rulemaking and enforcement.
Prohibits grocery stores from charging "grossly excessive" prices and from using electronic surveillance of shoppers to set individual prices. It gives the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) authority to define those terms, write rules, and enforce the law, allows consumers and states to sue for violations, limits use of facial recognition and biometric data in stores, and bans electronic shelf labels in large brick-and-mortar stores. The bill also authorizes $5 million for implementation and creates clear definitions and defenses for cost-based price changes and certain public discounts.
Introduced August 12, 2025 by Rashida Tlaib · Last progress August 12, 2025