3.0.0 225 2023-03-08T20:12:49Z 2023-03-08T20:12:49Z Senate S 2021-02-04 117 ssju00 Judiciary Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2021-02-04T17:38:45Z Consolidation Prevention and Competition Promotion Act of 2021 117 3267 S 2021-11-18 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Related bill CRS 2021-02-04 ssju00 Judiciary Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. IntroReferral 2021-02-04 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress K000367 Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] Amy Klobuchar D MN N B001277 Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] Richard Blumenthal D CT 2021-02-04 True B001288 Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] Cory Booker D NJ 2021-02-04 True M000133 Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] Edward Markey D MA J. 2021-02-04 True S001194 Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] Brian Schatz D HI 2021-02-04 True L000174 Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT] Patrick Leahy D VT 2021-02-05 False H001042 Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] Mazie Hirono D HI K. 2021-02-05 False W000805 Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] Mark Warner D VA R. 2021-02-12 False S001203 Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] Tina Smith D MN 2021-02-12 False H001046 Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] Martin Heinrich D NM T. 2021-02-23 False Commerce Administrative law and regulatory procedures Business records Civil actions and liability Competition and antitrust Consumer affairs Corporate finance and management Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation Department of Justice Employment discrimination and employee rights Evidence and witnesses Executive agency funding and structure Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Government information and archives Inflation and prices Interest, dividends, interest rates Small business Wages and earnings Commerce 00 2021-02-04 Introduced in Senate 2022-03-31T15:20:50Z Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act of 2021

This bill revises antitrust laws applicable to mergers and anticompetitive conduct.

Specifically, the bill applies a stricter standard for permissible mergers by prohibiting mergers that (1) create an appreciable risk of materially lessening competition, or (2) unfairly lower the prices of goods or wages because of a lack of competition among buyers or employers (i.e., a monopsony). Under current law, mergers that substantially lessen competition are prohibited.

Additionally, for some large mergers or mergers that concentrate markets beyond a certain threshold, the bill shifts the burden of proof to the merging parties to prove that the merger does not violate the law.

The bill also prohibits exclusionary conduct that presents an appreciable risk of harming competition.

The bill also establishes monetary penalties for violations, requires annual reporting for certain mergers and acquisitions, establishes within the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the Office of the Competition Advocate, and sets forth whistleblower protections.

The Government Accountability Office must report on (1) the success of merger remedies required by the Department of Justice or the FTC in recent consent decrees; and (2) the impact of mergers and acquisitions on wages, employment, innovation, and new business formation.

]]> Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act of 2021 Display Title Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act of 2021 Official Title as Introduced A bill to reform the antitrust laws to better protect competition in the American economy, to amend the Clayton Act to modify the standard for an unlawful acquisition, to deter anticompetitive exclusionary conduct that harms competition and consumers, to enhance the ability of the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the antitrust laws, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act of 2021 Introduced in Senate IS Introduced in Senate 2021-02-04T05:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-117s225is/xml/BILLS-117s225is.xml 2021-02-04 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.