Stop Prison Price Gouging Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9903 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9903

  To require the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to set prices for
 commissary goods available in Bureau of Prisons facilities at a price
    not greater than the fair market value, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 2026

 Mrs. Foushee introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To require the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to set prices for
 commissary goods available in Bureau of Prisons facilities at a price
    not greater than the fair market value, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Stop Prison Price Gouging Act of
2026''.

SEC. 2. COMMISSARY GOODS PRICING.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the Bureau of Prisons shall set
the price for any commissary good available in a Bureau of Prisons
facility at a price not greater than the fair market value for such
good in the State such facility is located.
    (b) Requirements.--
            (1) Contracts.--With respect to entering into a contract
        for a commissary good, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons--
                    (A) shall use a competitive bidding process; and
                    (B) may not enter into such contract if such
                contract provides for revenue sharing.
            (2) Price review.--Not later than 1 month after the date of
        enactment of this Act, and every month thereafter, the Director
        of the Bureau of Prisons shall review the prices set under
        subsection (a) to ensure such prices comply with the
        requirement under such subsection.
    (c) Report.--The Director of the Bureau of Prisons shall annually
submit to Congress, with respect to each Bureau of Prisons facility, a
report that contains--
            (1) a list of each commissary good available for purchase
        and the price for each such good; and
            (2) a summary of any contract for commissary goods entered
        into by the Director including the terms of the contract.
    (d) Audit.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall
conduct an annual audit of each Bureau of Prisons facility to determine
if the requirement under subsection (a) is being satisfied.
    (e) Fair Market Value.--The term ``fair market value'' means the
average retail price at which an identical or substantially similar
consumer good is sold to the general public within the State in which
the Bureau of Prisons facility is located, as determined by the
Director of the Bureau of Prisons using prices from multiple nationally
recognized retail stores, regional retailers, online retailers that
sell to consumers in such State, and other comparable commercial
sources. The Director shall exclude prices charged by correctional
institutions, detention facilities, or other captive markets when
determining fair market value.
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