May 13, 2025
Mrs. Torres of California (for herself, Ms. Castor of Florida, Ms. Norton, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Brownley, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. McGovern, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. Titus, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Chu, Mrs. Beatty, and Ms. Omar) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
To prohibit the pricing of consumer products and services that are substantially similar if such products or services are priced differently based on the gender of the individuals for whose use the products are intended or marketed or for whom the services are performed or offered.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Pink Tax Repeal Act
.
Sec. 2. Prohibition on gender-based pricing of consumer products and services
(a) Prohibited practices
(1) Consumer products
It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or offer for sale in interstate commerce any two consumer products from the same manufacturer that are substantially similar if such products are priced differently based on the gender of the individuals for whose use the products are intended or marketed.
(2) Services
It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or offer for sale any services that are substantially similar if such services are priced differently based on the gender of the individuals for which the services are performed, offered, or marketed.
(b) Enforcement by the Commission
(1) Unfair and deceptive act or practice
A violation of subsection (a) shall be treated as a violation of a rule prescribed under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)) defining an unfair or deceptive act or practice in or affecting interstate commerce.
(2) Powers of the commission
The Federal Trade Commission shall enforce this section in the same manner, by the same means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, and duties as though all applicable terms and provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act were incorporated into and made a part of this Act.
(3) Privileges and immunities
Any person who violates subsection (a) shall be subject to the penalties and entitled to the privileges and immunities provided in the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.).
(4) Authority preserved
Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the Commission under any other provision of law.
(c) State attorneys general
(1) Civil action
In any case in which the attorney general of a State has reason to believe that an interest of the residents of the State has been or is adversely affected by a violation of subsection (a), the attorney general may, as parens patriae, bring a civil action on behalf of the residents of the State in an appropriate district court of the United States—
(A)
to enjoin further violation of such subsection by the defendant;
(B)
to compel compliance with such subsection; or
(C)
obtain damages, restitution, or other compensation on behalf of residents of the State.
(2) Notice to the Commission
(A) Notice
Except as provided in subparagraph (C), the attorney general of a State shall notify the Commission in writing that the attorney general intends to bring a civil action under paragraph (1) not later than 10 days before initiating the civil action.
(B) Contents
The notice required by subparagraph (A) shall include a copy of the complaint to be filed to initiate such civil action.
(C) Exception
If it is not feasible for the attorney general of a State to provide the notice required by subparagraph (A), the attorney general shall notify the Commission immediately upon instituting a civil action under paragraph (1).
(3) Intervention by the Commission
The Commission may—
(A)
intervene in any civil action brought by the attorney general of a State under this subsection; and
(B)
upon intervening, be heard on all matters arising in such civil action and file petitions for appeal of a decision in such action.
(4) Investigatory powers
Nothing in this subsection may be construed to prevent the attorney general of a State from exercising the powers conferred on the attorney general by the laws of the State to conduct investigations, to administer oaths or affirmations, or to compel the attendance of witnesses or the production of documentary or other evidence.
(5) Preemptive action by the Commission
If the Commission institutes a civil action or an administrative action for a violation of this section, the attorney general of a State may not, during the pendency of such action, bring a civil action under this subsection against any defendant named in the complaint of the Commission for the violation with respect to which the Commission instituted such action.
(6) Actions by other state officials
(A) In general
In addition to any civil action brought by an attorney general under paragraph (1), any other consumer protection officer of a State who is authorized by the State to do so may bring a civil action under paragraph (1), subject to the same requirements and limitations that apply under this subsection to civil actions brought by an attorney general.
(B) Savings provision
Nothing in this subsection may be construed to prohibit an authorized official of a State from initiating or continuing any proceeding in a court of the State for a violation of any civil or criminal law of the State.
(d) Rules of construction
(1) Substantially similar products
For purposes of this section, two consumer products are substantially similar if there are no substantial differences in the materials used in the product, the intended use of the product, and the functional design and features of the product. A difference in coloring among any consumer products shall not be construed as a substantial difference for purposes of this paragraph.
(2) Substantially similar services
For purposes of this section, two services are substantially similar if there is no substantial difference in the amount of time to provide the services, the difficulty in providing the services, or the cost of providing the services.
(e) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Commission
The term Commission means the Federal Trade Commission.
(2) Consumer product
The term consumer product—
(A)
has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2052);
(B)
includes a device or cosmetics, as such terms are defined in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321); and
(C)
includes a child restraint system, as such term is defined in section 571.213 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations.