CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After almost two and a half years, the COVID-19 Emergency order will expire next month. Any Emergency Order in North Carolina triggers other laws on the books. So we wanted to look into what laws will also expire with it.
On Aug. 15, North Carolina's pandemic state of emergency will end. The Governor declared the State of Emergency in March of 2020, and that order triggered the price-gouging law, where the Attorney General could go after companies that boosted prices to take advantage of a natural disaster or state emergency.
THE QUESTION:
Is the price gouging law still in effect once an emergency order expires?
OUR SOURCES:
THE ANSWER:
Yes, once an Emergency Order expires, so does the price gouging statute. Although, you can still submit a complaint to the Attorney General's Office.
WHAT WE FOUND:
Since January, there have been more than 400 price gouging complaints ranging from gas, at-home COVID-19 tests and store goods. But as that emergency order comes to an end.
"Once the emergency declaration is gone, the ability to force this price gouging statute goes away," Mauney said.
This is a law that only takes effect after a trigger event or market disruption. Things like an emergency declaration by the President or a "code red" from homeland security, or a state of emergency issued by the Governor.
"It only applies in very limited circumstances," Mauney said.
However, when this goes away, that won't mean you can't still submit a complaint. In an email, the North Carolina Attorney General's office said:
"Once the price gouging statute is no longer in effect, our office will still review price gouging complaints that are logged afterward if they were reporting prices during the period that the price gouging law was in effect."
So what happens if the complaint wasn't during that time?
The AG's office said people can always file general consumer complaints with their office, and they will continue to review them.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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