April 20, 2026
For Immediate Release
Sierra Wallace, Communications Director
(202)355-8431
swallace@dccouncil.gov

Councilmember Henderson Introduces Legislation
to Address Predatory Consumer Pricing

Washington, DC – Today, Councilmember Henderson introduced the Surveillance Pricing Prohibition Amendment Act of 2026. This bill would address emerging concerns around digital marketplace practices that hike prices of goods and would protect DC residents from exploitative surveillance-based pricing strategies.  

“District residents can no longer be confident that a given good or service’s quoted price reflects its market value,” stated Councilmember Henderson, citing a Federal Trade Commission investigation showing that companies are increasing prices based on consumer data rather than the fairly assessed, mass-market-borne cost of a good or service. “As the District faces affordability issues and increasing unemployment rates, this predatory manipulation of costs on essential goods like groceries for private gain exploits our residents when many are already struggling.”

The introduced legislation would amend the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA), creating new definitions for “surveillance-based price discrimination” and “personally identifiable information,” and explicitly classifying surveillance-based pricing as an unfair or deceptive trade practice under D.C. Official Code § 28–3904.

“By advancing this bill, the District of Columbia can protect residents from exploitative pricing strategies before they become widespread and entrenched,” Councilmember Henderson said. This legislation would align with similar efforts in Maryland, Georgia, Ohio, Minnesota, and California to address surveillance-based pricing practices.

This bill was co-introduced by Councilmembers Zachary Parker, Matthew Frumin, Anita Bonds, Charles Allen, Janeese Lewis George, Robert C. White, Jr., Brooke Pinto, and Doni Crawford.  

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