West Virginia Code § 46A-6J-3

Prohibited unfair pricing practices
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(a) Upon the declaration of a state of emergency or state of preparedness, and continuing for
the existence of the state of emergency or state of preparedness, or for 30 days following the
declaration, whichever period is longer, it is unlawful for any person, contractor, business,
or other entity to sell or offer to sell to any person in the area subject to the declaration any
consumer food items, essential consumer items, goods used for emergency celeanup,
emergency supplies, medical supplies, home heating oil, building materials, housing,
transportation, freight and storage services, or gasoline or other motorr fuels, for a price
greater than 10 percent above the price charged by that person for those goods or services
on the 10th day immediately preceding the declaration of emergency state of preparedness,
unless the increase in price is directly attributable to additional costs imposed on the seller
by the supplier of the goods or directly attributable to addititonal costs for labor or materials
used to provide the services: Provided, That in those situations where the increase in price is
attributable to additional costs imposed by the seller's supplier or additional costs of
providing the good or service during the state of emergency or state of preparedness, the
price is no greater than 10 percent above the total of the cost to the seller plus the markup
customarily applied by the seller for that good or service in the usual course of business on
the 10th day immediately preceding the declaration: Provided, however, That where a
supplier of gasoline or other motor fuels cannot determine its daily costs, the supplier may
sell gasoline or other motor fuels to distributers on any day at a rate not to exceed the
average of the Oil Price Information Service's average wholesale rack price for that product
at the Montvale/Roanoke, Virgeinia, Fairfax, Virginia, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
wholesale racks for the previous day.
(b) Upon the declaration of a state of emergency or state of preparedness, and for a period
of 180 days following that declaration, it is unlawful for any contractor to sell or offer to sell
any repair or reconstruction services or any services used in emergency cleanup in the area
subject to the declaration for a price greater than 10 percent above the price charged by
that person for those services on the 10th day immediately preceding the declaration, unless
the increase in price was directly attributable to additional costs imposed on it by the
supplier of the goods or directly attributable to additional costs for labor or materials used to
provide the services: Provided, That in those situations where the increase in price is
attributable to the additional costs imposed by the contractor's supplier or additional costs
of providing the service, the price is no greater than 10 percent above the total of the cost to
the contractor plus the markup customarily applied by the contractor for that good or
service in the usual course of business on the 10th day immediately preceding to the
declaration of the state of emergency or state of preparedness.
(c) Any business offering an item for sale at a reduced price 10 days immediately prior to the
declaration of the state of emergency or state of preparedness may use the price at which it
usually sells the item to calculate the price pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) of this section.
(d) Whenever the Governor declares a state of preparedness, the provisions of this article
only apply to those items or services specifically set forth in the proclamation.
(e) On the 15th day after the declaration of a state of emergency, and each 15th day
thereafter for so long as the state of emergency persists, the Governor shall review the
scope of goods to which this article applies and may issue a proclamation maintaining,
limiting, terminating, or extending the price restrictions imposed by this article with respect
to any categories of goods.

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