Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office says it has received 150 complaints about scams and price gouging on essential goods and services necessary to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
With those complaints expected to grow, Gov. Tim Walz issued an executive order Friday banning price gouging during the peacetime emergency.
“This purpose of the order is to stop pandemic profiteering and at a time of great uncertainty, help Minnesotans afford their lives,” Ellison said in a statement.
The items seeing “unconscionably excessive” prices are toilet paper, water, rice, butter, hand sanitizer, bleach, masks and allergy medicine, the attorney general’s office said. That price level is 20 percent greater than what was charged about a month ago, or it “grossly exceeds” the price of the good or service with the area.
“We have the authority and duty under state law to take action to protect health and preserve lives,” Ellison said. “This order is a narrowly tailored to cover only goods that are essential during the emergency.”
This order does not affect retailers who have had to increase prices on goods “because of factors out of their control,” Ellison said. “To them, I say: you’re protected.”
Ellison said he wants to avoid lawsuits with this order. The order gives his office authority to enforce penalties that may include fines up to $10,000 per transaction.
“My hope is that we won’t have to use this power, or that we will only have to use it sparingly,” Ellison said. “The point is for people to comply with the law to protect consumers. The point is to help people afford their lives in this emergency.”
The order outlined goods and services vital to the health and safety of the public include: food, water, fuel, gasoline, housing, shelter, transportation, health care goods and services, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and personal hygiene, sanitation, and cleaning goods.
