[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1381 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1381

  To require the Federal Trade Commission to monitor and investigate 
              gasoline prices under certain circumstances.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 14, 2007

  Mrs. Boxer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Federal Trade Commission to monitor and investigate 
              gasoline prices under certain circumstances.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. INVESTIGATION OF GASOLINE PRICES.

    (a) In General.--If, based on weekly data published by the Energy 
Information Administration of the Department of Energy, the average 
price of regular grade gasoline in a State increases 20 percent or more 
for at least 7 days during any 3-month period, the Federal Trade 
Commission shall initiate an investigation into the retail price of 
gasoline in that State to determine if the price of gasoline is being 
artificially manipulated by reducing refinery capacity or by any other 
form of manipulation.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the initiation of the 
investigation described in subsection (a), the Federal Trade Commission 
shall report to Congress the results of the investigation.
    (c) Public Meeting.--Not later than 14 days after issuing the 
report described in subsection (b), the Federal Trade Commission shall 
hold a public hearing in the State in which the retail price of 
gasoline was investigated as described in subsection (a) for the 
purpose of presenting the results of the investigation.
    (d) Action on Price Increase.--If the Federal Trade Commission 
determines that the increase in gasoline prices in a State is a result 
of market manipulation, the Federal Trade Commission shall, in 
cooperation with the Attorney General of that State, take appropriate 
action.
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