Maryland 2022 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB322 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0322
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 322
8	8	C2 2lr1324
9	9	SB 220/20 – FIN
10	10	By: Senators Kagan, West, and Benson
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 20, 2022
12	12	Assigned to: Finance
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Gas Price Gouging Act 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of altering the information about a certain measurement of certain 3
21	21	gasoline that must be stated on a certain sign on the premises of a retail service 4
22	22	station dealer to require that the highest price, or the cash price and the credit price, 5
23	23	be stated in a certain manner; authorizing a certain sign to state the highest price, 6
24	24	or the cash price and the credit price, for a certain measurement of certain other 7
25	25	motor fuel products; repealing a certain exemption from a certain signage 8
26	26	requirement for certain retail service station dealers; and generally relating to 9
27	27	required signs at retail service stations. 10
28	28
29	29	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 11
30	30	Article – Business Regulation 12
31	31	Section 10–315 13
32	32	Annotated Code of Maryland 14
33	33	(2015 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 15
34	34
35	35	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 16
36	36	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 17
37	37
38	38	Article – Business Regulation 18
39	39
40	40	10–315. 19
41	41
42	42	(a) A person who sells motor fuel at retail shall display signs in accordance with 20
43	43	this section. 21
44	44
45	45	(b) (1) All dispensing equipment for motor fuel shall be marked conspicuously 22
46	46	to show in numerals of equal size the price, including taxes, of a gallon of the motor fuel 23
47	47	offered for sale. 24
48	48	2 SENATE BILL 322
49	49
50	50
51	51	(2) If numerals that show a fractional cent are used, the combined height 1
52	52	and width of the numerator and denominator shall equal the height and width of the other 2
53	53	numerals used. 3
54	54
55	55	(c) (1) A sign or other means on the premises and approaches to a retail outlet 4
56	56	that advertises the retail price of motor fuel: 5
57	57
58	58	(i) may list the price and each tax separately if the listing of the 6
59	59	total of the price and all taxes is the same size as the separate listing of the price; but 7
60	60
61	61	(ii) shall list the total of the price and all taxes by numerals of 8
62	62	uniform size. 9
63	63
64	64	(2) In the listing of the total of the price and all taxes, a denominator need 10
65	65	not be used to indicate a fraction, but: 11
66	66
67	67	(i) if a denominator is used, the numerator and denominator 12
68	68	combined shall be the same size as the numeral that indicates the whole number; or 13
69	69
70	70	(ii) if a denominator is not used, the numerator shall be the same 14
71	71	size as the numeral that indicates the whole number. 15
72	72
73	73	(d) If the retail price of motor fuel is advertised on a sign or by other means on 16
74	74	the premises of and approaches to the retail outlet, the grade designation displayed for any 17
75	75	motor fuel in the advertisement shall be the same as the grade designation that is required 18
76	76	to be displayed for that motor fuel on the retail dispensing pump as specified by the 19
77	77	Comptroller. 20
78	78
79	79	(e) (1) [This subsection does not apply to a retail service station dealer who 21
80	80	operates with not more than 3 dispensing units that combined have not more than 6 22
81	81	nozzles. 23
82	82
83	83	(2)] (i) Each retail service station dealer shall keep a sign on the 24
84	84	premises that: 25
85	85
86	86	1. states [the lowest price] CLEARLY AND VISIBLY for a 26
87	87	whole measurement unit of regular gasoline sold on the premises: 27
88	88
89	89	A. THE HIGHEST PRICE ; OR 28
90	90
91	91	B. THE CASH PRICE AND T HE CREDIT PRICE; 29
92	92
93	93	2. states the unit of measurement used; and 30
94	94
95	95	3. is readable by passing motorists. 31
96	96	SENATE BILL 322 3
97	97
98	98
99	99	(ii) The sign required under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph also 1
100	100	may state [the lowest price] for a whole measurement unit of diesel and other motor fuel 2
101	101	products sold on the premises: 3
102	102
103	103	1. THE HIGHEST PRICE ; OR 4
104	104
105	105	2. THE CASH PRICE AND T HE CREDIT PRICE . 5
106	106
107	107	[(3)] (2) All numerals on the sign shall: 6
108	108
109	109	(i) be uniform; 7
110	110
111	111	(ii) be at least 8 inches high and 3.5 inches wide; and 8
112	112
113	113	(iii) have a brush stroke of at least 1 inch. 9
114	114
115	115	[(4)] (3) A numeral in a fraction or a letter shall be at least one–third the 10
116	116	height of a numeral that indicates a whole number. 11
117	117
118	118	[(5)] (4) If a new or additional sign is required to comply with this 12
119	119	subsection, the supplier of the gasoline shall provide the sign and numerals without cost to 13
120	120	the retail service station dealer. 14
121	121
122	122	(f) A sign required at a service station by this section or any other State or federal 15
123	123	law is exempt from the provisions of a local law, ordinance, or regulation for the purpose of 16
124	124	determining: 17
125	125
126	126	(1) the total number of signs permitted; and 18
127	127
128	128	(2) the area of signs permitted. 19
129	129
130	130	(g) Except as provided in subsection (f) of this section, signs regulated by this 20
131	131	section or other State law or by federal law may be regulated by the local zoning authority 21
132	132	and shall be consistent with the local law, ordinance, or regulation governing signs. 22
133	133
134	134	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 23
135	135	October 1, 2022. 24
136	136