Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H3508 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1314 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3508
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Bradley H. Jones, Jr.
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act to study gasoline-focused sales-below-cost.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Bradley H. Jones, Jr.20th Middlesex1/14/2025Kimberly N. Ferguson1st Worcester1/15/2025Paul K. Frost7th Worcester1/31/2025Todd M. Smola1st Hampden3/10/2025 1 of 2
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1314 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3508
18	18	By Representative Jones of North Reading, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3508) of
19	19	Bradley H. Jones, Jr. and others for legislation to establish a special commission (including
20	20	members of the General Court) to study gasoline-focused sales-below-cost.
21	21	Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.
22	22	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
23	23	SEE HOUSE, NO. 3181 OF 2023-2024.]
24	24	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
25	25	_______________
26	26	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
27	27	(2025-2026)
28	28	_______________
29	29	An Act to study gasoline-focused sales-below-cost.
30	30	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
31	31	of the same, as follows:
32	32	1 SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a
33	33	2special commission to study and provide recommendations on the feasibility of eliminating
34	34	3gasoline-focused sales-below-cost (SBC) laws for all gasoline station fuel sales in the
35	35	4commonwealth. The commission shall seek to find the quantifiable effects of gasoline-focused
36	36	5sales-below-cost laws in the commonwealth. The study shall seek to use an econometric fixed-
37	37	6effects model with longitudinal and state panel data to examine the effects of SBC laws on the
38	38	7weighted average price of unleaded gasoline, the wholesale price of gasoline, and the number of
39	39	8sellers in the retail gasoline sector. The commission shall investigate states in the United States
40	40	9that do not have SBC laws and determine the feasibility of instituting a similar approach in the
41	41	10commonwealth. The commission shall make determinations on the economic feasibility of 2 of 2
42	42	11repealing SBC laws in the commonwealth. The commission shall take into account market
43	43	12concentration, wholesale prices, and retail prices. The commission shall make recommendations
44	44	13on guidelines and approaches to dealing with SBC laws and estimates of potential savings for
45	45	14consumers. The commission's recommendations may include but are not limited to retaining the
46	46	15law, raising or lowering the gasoline price floor, or repealing the law entirely. The commission
47	47	16shall seek input from statisticians and econometricians to determine the best method to model
48	48	17and approach this topic to achieve the most robust and sound results.
49	49	18 SECTION 2. The commission shall consist of the house and senate chairs of the joint
50	50	19committee on economic development and emerging technologies, who shall serve as the co-
51	51	20chairs; the speaker of the house of representatives or a designee; the president of the senate or a
52	52	21designee; the house minority leader or a designee; the senate minority leader or designee; and 4
53	53	22persons who have extensive knowledge in the economics of industrial organization, consumer
54	54	23welfare, and statistical methodologies, who shall be appointed by the chairs in consultation with
55	55	24the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The commission shall hold no less than four public
56	56	25hearings.
57	57	26 SECTION 3. The commission shall submit its report and findings, along with any
58	58	27recommendations, to the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee
59	59	28on economic development and emerging technologies, and the clerk of the house of
60	60	29representatives and the clerk of the senate 12 months after the passage of this legislation.