"State Senate OK’s price scanner bill; Items would not" by Michael Norton and Andy Metzger | State House News Service, June 26, 2012
With just two senators present, the state Senate approved a bill Monday morning that food stores in Massachusetts have been pushing unsuccessfully for a decade.
Welcome to Massachusetts democracy, readers.
Under the bill, which has already cleared the House, grocery stores in Massachusetts would no longer be required to put price tags on each item and could instead deploy price scanners for consumers to use.
If the bill becomes law, Massachusetts would become the last state in the nation to eliminate the individual price tag requirement for grocery and food stores. The supermarket industry has fought for years to stop tagging each item; consumer groups say the move is bad for shoppers trying to compare prices.
“We’re extremely disappointed.’’ said Deirdre Cummings, a lobbyist for the consumer advocacy group MassPIRG who said she hoped Governor Deval Patrick would veto the law. “This is a time we ought to be providing more and better price disclosure, not less. And in the end, I think the consumers are harmed.”
Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, was one of a handful of people to see the bill approved, with only state Senators Stanley Rosenberg, Democrat of Amherst, and Michael Knapik, Republican of Westfield, in the chamber....
Hurst said that after Michigan approved the law last year, Massachusetts remained the only state with an item pricing requirement. He said studies show the law can add up to 10 percent to food prices.
“This is one of those laws that put us at a competitive disadvantage,” said Hurst.
Chris Flynn, president of the Massachusetts Food Association, said the bill would provide more accurate pricing to the consumer as well by doing away with what he called the archaic and problematic practice of pricing each item with a pricing gun....
Isn't that someone's job?
The bill also sailed through the House in May without debate or a recorded vote....
Related: The Perils of One-Party Politics: The Ruling Party
Of course, the truth is it doesn't matter which party controls your state or Congress. They all serve banks, corporations, well-connected concerns, Israel, and themselves first. That's the state of 21st-century AmeriKa, and the state of Massachusetts.
--more--"
Maybe I should head over to the farmers market instead.
