"Because people see one drop in the Gulf and they start going up on their prices," said Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood.

He said he's seen that practice before and expects to see it again. That's why Hood is pushing to change a state law to get more authority prior to hurricanes like Gustav.

Hood said he wants to issue his own state of emergency to stop certain businesses from raising prices on items they know will be in high demand.

"To immediately when we see one coming toward the Gulf, make that declaration. That way, we can stop those who are just circumventing our state law," Hood said.

It's not illegal to raise prices before a state of emergency is issued and then only in the area specified.

Gov. Haley Barbour declared a state of emergency the Thursday prior to the storm. The Attorney General's Office received 350 complaints of price gouging this time, down from the close to one thousand they got after Katrina.

"We didn't have it as much, but those that we catch this time, and these subpoenas, we made on arrest yesterday or actually wrote a citation on one, they're going to jail," said Hood. "There's no way they're going to be able to tell me that they didn't know about this."

To receive the authority to declare a price gouging state of emergency, the legislature must pass a bill into law.

The attorney general made that attempt following Katrina in 2005 and again in 2006. It was killed in committee.