Reps. Sak, Accavitti, Ball, Bauer, Bieda, Booher, Brown, Clack, Clemente, Condino, Constan, Dean, Espinoza, Farrah, Gonzales, Green, Hammel, Hammon, Hansen, Hopgood, Horn, Johnson, Rick Jones, Robert Jones, Lahti, LeBlanc, Leland, Lemmons, Lindberg, Mayes, McDowell, Meltzer, Miller, Polidori, Sheltrown, Simpson, Tobocman, Vagnozzi, Valentine, Wojno and Kathleen Law offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 127.

            A resolution to memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact legislation, and the President of the United States to sign legislation, to make gasoline price gouging a crime in times of an energy emergency.

            Whereas, The talk of the nation, from water cooler chatter to board room negotiations, is the record high gasoline prices. The Midwestern states are being hit the hardest with Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin currently having the nation's most expensive gasoline. In fact, Michigan motorists have the dubious distinction of paying the highest gas prices in America. While the national average price of regular unleaded gasoline is about $3.20 per gallon, Michigan motorists are paying more than $3.50 per gallon; and

            Whereas, Escalating gasoline prices place further strain on Michigan's already struggling economy. The state's three largest income-producing industries--manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism--are highly dependent on fuels, making them even more susceptible to the effects of soaring prices; and

            Whereas, The oil industry continues to enjoy record profits, while Michigan's citizens and economy are laboring under punitively high gas prices. In 2006, ExxonMobil posted $39.5 billion in profits, the largest profit of any corporation ever. Chevron, the nation's second-largest oil company, posted $17.1 billion in earnings, and ConocoPhillips posted profits in excess of $15.5 billion. The most recent quarterly financial information indicates more double digit-gains in profit; and

            Whereas, The time is right to prevent oil companies with skyrocketing profits from gouging our nation's motoring public and fuel-based industries. The United States House of Representatives recently passed the Federal Price Gouging Protection Act to make gasoline price gouging a federal crime in times of an energy emergency. Even before the United States Senate has begun to mark up the bill, the White House has threatened a veto, pitting the oil industry against the American people; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact legislation, and the President of the United States to sign legislation, to make gasoline price gouging a crime in times of an energy emergency; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Office of the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.