Pennsylvania Everyday Prices and Inflation Relief Act

The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:

1. Rising prices for groceries, energy, housing, transportation, health care, and other necessities reduce the purchasing power of Pennsylvania households.
2. Inflation harms working families, fixed-income seniors, small businesses, and young adults seeking to save, start businesses, or purchase homes.
3. Pennsylvania cannot independently control national monetary policy; however, the Commonwealth can reduce state-created costs, increase competition, expand housing and energy supply, prevent unlawful price gouging, and provide targeted relief to residents.
4. The Commonwealth has a compelling interest in ensuring transparent pricing, fair markets, affordable utilities, and responsible use of public funds.
5. The goal of this act is to bring down everyday household costs, protect consumer purchasing power, and support a long-term inflation environment as close to zero as economically sustainable without suppressing jobs, wages, or essential investment.
   Section 3. Definitions
   As used in this act:
   “Department” means the Department of Community and Economic Development.
   “Essential good or service” means food, household necessities, prescription drugs, gasoline, heating fuel, electricity, natural gas, water, rental housing, transportation, and other categories designated by the Office of Household Affordability.
   “Office” means the Office of Household Affordability established under section 4.
   “Price gouging” means an unconscionable increase in the price of an essential good or service during a declared disaster emergency or market emergency, not reasonably attributable to increased costs of acquisition, production, transportation, labor, or compliance.
   “State agency” means a department, board, commission, authority, or other instrumentality of the Commonwealth.
   Section 4. Office of Household Affordability
   (a) Establishment.—The Office of Household Affordability is established within the Department of Community and Economic Development.
   (b) Duties.—The office shall:
6. Publish a monthly Pennsylvania Household Affordability Dashboard tracking the cost of groceries, gasoline, electricity, natural gas, rent, homeownership, insurance, child care, and other essential expenses.
7. Identify State laws, regulations, fees, procurement practices, and licensing requirements that unnecessarily increase household prices.
8. Recommend annual cost-reduction measures to the Governor and General Assembly.
9. Coordinate with the Attorney General, Public Utility Commission, Independent Fiscal Office, Department of Revenue, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Human Services.
10. Issue an annual report estimating household savings produced by this act.
    (c) Public availability.—All reports and dashboard data shall be publicly available online in a clear and searchable format.
    Section 5. Price transparency and consumer protection
    (a) A seller of an essential good or service shall clearly disclose the full consumer price before payment, including mandatory fees, surcharges, service charges, delivery charges, and other nonoptional charges.
    (b) A seller may not advertise a price that excludes a mandatory charge required to complete the transaction.
    (c) The Attorney General shall enforce this section under the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.
    (d) A violation of this section constitutes an unfair or deceptive act or practice.
    Section 6. Prevention of price gouging
    (a) During a declared disaster emergency or market emergency, a person may not engage in price gouging involving an essential good or service.
    (b) The Attorney General may investigate suspected violations, issue subpoenas as authorized by law, seek restitution for consumers, obtain injunctive relief, and impose civil penalties.
    (c) In determining whether an increase is unconscionable, the Attorney General shall consider documented changes in wholesale, transportation, labor, production, insurance, regulatory, and supply-chain costs.
    (d) Nothing in this section prohibits a seller from raising prices where the increase is reasonably related to actual, documented cost increases.
    Section 7. Utility affordability and energy supply
    (a) The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission shall require each regulated electric and natural-gas distribution company to provide customers with:
11. Clear, standardized bills identifying supply, delivery, taxes, and all fees.
12. Prominent notice of available lower-cost supply options, payment plans, and income-based assistance.
13. An annual report explaining major year-over-year rate changes.
    (b) Before approving a rate increase, the commission shall consider:
14. The impact on household affordability.
15. Whether the utility has reduced avoidable administrative and contracting costs.
16. Whether lower-cost alternatives, demand-response programs, energy-efficiency measures, and competitive procurement have been fully considered.
    (c) The commission shall issue a public annual affordability scorecard for each regulated utility.
    Section 8. Housing-cost reduction and supply
    (a) The department shall establish a Housing Affordability Incentive Program to support municipalities that voluntarily:
17. Streamline permitting for residential construction and rehabilitation.
18. Allow accessory dwelling units, mixed-use development, and appropriately located multifamily housing.
19. Reduce unnecessary parking mandates and duplicative approval requirements.
20. Rehabilitate vacant properties for workforce housing.
21. Expand housing near jobs, transit, schools, and essential services.
    (b) Grant priority shall be given to projects that produce homes affordable to households earning at or below 120 percent of area median income.
    (c) Nothing in this section shall require a municipality to adopt a specific zoning ordinance.
    Section 9. State fee and regulation review
    (a) Within 180 days of the effective date of this section, each State agency shall submit to the office a review of fees, penalties, permits, licensing requirements, and administrative rules under its authority.
    (b) Each review shall identify provisions that:
22. Increase consumer costs without a substantial public-health, safety, or consumer-protection benefit.
23. Duplicate federal, State, or local requirements.
24. Create unnecessary delays for housing, energy, food production, transportation, or small-business formation.
    (c) The office shall submit recommended repeals, reductions, consolidations, or reforms to the General Assembly no later than 270 days after the effective date of this section.
    Section 10. Small-business competition and local food access
    (a) The department shall establish a Pennsylvania Local Competition Grant Program for small businesses, farmers’ markets, food cooperatives, independent grocers, manufacturers, and local distribution businesses that expand access to affordable essential goods.
    (b) Priority shall be given to applicants operating in food deserts, rural communities, low-income communities, and communities with limited retail competition.
    (c) Grants may be used for equipment, refrigeration, delivery systems, inventory modernization, technology, workforce training, and storefront improvements.
    Section 11. Household inflation relief rebate
    (a) Subject to appropriation, the Department of Revenue shall establish an income-based Household Inflation Relief Rebate.
    (b) Eligibility shall prioritize:
25. Seniors on fixed incomes.
26. Households with children.
27. Individuals with disabilities.
28. Working households earning at or below the income limit established by the department.
29. Residents experiencing a substantial increase in essential household costs.
    (c) The department shall design the rebate to avoid reducing eligibility for other State benefits to the greatest extent permitted by law.
    (d) The Independent Fiscal Office shall publish an annual estimate of the rebate’s fiscal cost and household impact.
    Section 12. Fiscal safeguards
    (a) No program under this act may be implemented unless funded by a specific appropriation or an identified existing funding source.
    (b) The Independent Fiscal Office shall prepare a fiscal note for each program established under this act, including projected costs, anticipated savings, and likely impact on household expenses.
    (c) The office shall prioritize reforms that reduce costs without creating unfunded mandates for municipalities, school districts, small businesses, or consumers.
    Section 13. Inflation and affordability targets
    (a) The Commonwealth shall adopt the following policy objectives:
30. Reduce avoidable State-created household costs.
31. Reduce the annual growth rate of essential household expenses.
32. Seek long-term price stability, with inflation as close to zero as economically sustainable.
33. Protect employment, wages, and the availability of essential goods and services.
    (b) Nothing in this act shall be construed to establish a legally enforceable requirement that the Commonwealth achieve a zero inflation rate.
    Section 14. Effective date
    This act shall take effect as follows:
34. Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 12, 13, and 14 shall take effect immediately.
35. Sections 5 and 6 shall take effect in 180 days.
36. Sections 7, 8, 10, and 11 shall take effect upon appropriation of funds.