April showers are one thing, but how can we forget last year’s spring storms? On April 29, 2025, Allegheny County was battered by a storm that brought wind gusts up to 90 mph, downed trees and power lines, and caused widespread property damage.
The storm was so severe locally that three Western Pennsylvanians were killed, and Pittsburgh’s National Weather Service office sent crews to Wilkinsburg to look for evidence of tornado damage.
In the aftermath, as residents and business owners began cleaning up and fixing their properties, I heard from people who reported unusually high quotes for repairs. They suspect they were being price gouged.
That shouldn’t happen. When prices are artificially inflated to take advantage of a situation, it impacts us all, but the impact is particularly harsh for vulnerable populations — seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families.
To prevent that from happening, I introduced H.B. 1496. It closes a critical loophole in the Pennsylvania Price Gouging Act to extend the law’s provisions to local disaster emergencies — those declared by municipalities, counties, or other local governing bodies.
Provisions of current law apply only to price increases during a state of disaster declared by the governor.
This gap in the law leaves Pennsylvania consumers vulnerable to unfair price hikes during times of local emergencies, such as natural disasters, public health crises, and other community-wide emergencies where local authorities may declare a state of emergency to respond to the situation.
House Bill 1496 seeks a common- sense amendment to existing law.
Last fall, the bill cleared the House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee with bipartisan support, and it is now pending before the full House.
Notably, every member of the Allegheny County Democratic House Delegation has signed onto this legislation as a co-sponsor. That says something about how much support this bill has in our region.
My bill would establish price gouging as a price hike of more than 20% above the average price for similar goods or services in the affected area within 30 days of the termination of an emergency declaration.
The legislation also includes a provision to help businesses stay informed about emergency declarations. It allows trade associations and corporations to register an agent to receive notifications of local or state emergency declarations.
On April 30 last year, Allegheny County and the city of Pittsburgh promptly declared disaster emergencies, and either declaration should have been enough to trigger the laws that protect consumers.
There should be no gaps, no loopholes in the law, and no vulnerable residents as a result. Sometimes our laws need a dose of common sense, and that is why I’m working to write some common sense into this one.
State Rep. Aerion A. Abney represents the 19th Legislative District.
