Albany, NY – Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D,WF-Fresh Meadows) announced that legislation (A979) she co-sponsors to ban zone pricing of gasoline passed the Assembly. The bill aims to ensure fairness in gas pricing for motorists and prevent markups based on location.

“While fluctuating gas prices are inevitable, location should not be a reason for arbitrary price increases,” said Assemblywoman Rozic, who sits on the Assembly’s Consumer Affairs and Protection Committee. “As the representative of a district without any subway stations and limited access to public transportation, over 56% of my constituents commute to work using a car, putting them at the mercy of unjustified hikes in gas prices.”

This bill would make a similar 2008 bill more enforceable. The new bill would strengthen current law and allow the state Office of the Attorney General to more easily address price gouging based solely on geographic location of the gas station. The legislation would also allow customers impacted by zone pricing to bring actions against sellers engaging in the practice.

The bill defines ‘geographic market’ as an area supplied by the same terminal and would allow for consideration of price differences based on actual costs such as labor and transportation expenses.