ANTITRUST POLICY

Bills and resolutions

Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act: delay sunset (see S. 1219), S6364 [9JN] (see H.R. 2675), H6154 [3JN]

Consumers: restore rule making it illegal for manufacturers to set a minimum price below which a retailer cannot sell the manufacturer's product (see S. 148), S43 [6JA] (see H.R. 3190), H8024 [13JY]

Dept. of Justice: review agricultural mergers and acquisitions (see S. 364), S1431 [3FE]

Financial institutions: amend laws to ensure competitive market-based rates and terms for merchants' access to electronic payment systems (see S. 1212), S6364 [9JN] (see H.R. 2695), H6262 [4JN]

GAO: study Dept. of Transportation policies on approving international alliances between domestic and foreign air carriers and granting antitrust exemptions connected to such alliances (see H.R. 831), H921 [3FE]

Health: apply antitrust laws to negotiations between groups of independent pharmacies and health plans and health insurance issuers in the same manner as collective bargaining by labor organizations (see H.R. 1204), H2835 [25FE]

———ensure that health insurance issuers and medical malpractice insurance issuers cannot engage in price fixing, bid rigging, or market allocations to the detriment of competition and consumers (see S. 1681), S9554 [17SE] (see H.R. 3596), H9729 [17SE]

Health care professionals: exempt from Federal antitrust laws in negotiations with health plans and health insurance issuers (see H.R. 1493), H3400 [12MR]

Insurance: further competition in the insurance industry (see H.R. 1583), H3640 [18MR]

Motor vehicles: prohibit certain restraints of competition adversely affecting automobile dealers (see H.R. 3450), H9276 [31JY]

NCAA: demand antitrust investigation of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and support establishment of a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Championship playoff system (see H. Res. 68), H382 [15JA]

Petroleum: make oil-producing and exporting cartels illegal (see S. 204), S308 [12JA]

Railroads: provide expanded coverage and eliminate certain exemptions relative to railroads (see S. 146), S43 [6JA] (see H.R. 233), H69 [7JA]

Cloture motions

Railroads: provide expanded coverage and eliminate certain exemptions relative to railroads (S. 146), S5887 [21MY]

Letters

Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act: Senator Rockefeller, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (Senate) and Senator Kohl, Committee on the Judiciary (Senate), S5908 [1JN]

Remarks in House

Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act: delay sunset (H.R. 2675), H6328, H6330 [9JN]

Consumers: restore rule making it illegal for manufacturers to set a minimum price below which a retailer cannot sell the manufacturer's product (H.R. 3190), E1734 [13JY]

Dept. of Transportation: impose a sunset provision on airline antitrust immunity, H5916, H5920-H5925 [21MY]

Financial institutions: amend laws to ensure competitive market-based rates and terms for merchants' access to electronic payment systems (H.R. 2695), H10527 [7OC], E1308 [4JN]

GAO: study Dept. of Transportation policies on approving international alliances between domestic and foreign air carriers and granting antitrust exemptions connected to such alliances (H.R. 831), E190 [3FE]

Health: ensure that health insurance issuers and medical malpractice insurance issuers cannot engage in price fixing, bid rigging, or market allocations to the detriment of competition and consumers, H12889 [7NO]

———ensure that health insurance issuers and medical malpractice insurance issuers cannot engage in price fixing, bid rigging, or market allocations to the detriment of competition and consumers (H.R. 3596), E2318 [17SE]

Health care professionals: exempt from Federal antitrust laws in negotiations with health plans and health insurance issuers (H.R. 1493), E655 [12MR]

Motor vehicles: prohibit certain restraints of competition adversely affecting automobile dealers (H.R. 3450), H9263 [31JY]

Remarks in Senate

Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act: delay sunset (S. 1219), S6382 [9JN]

———extend Dept. of Justice Antitrust Division leniency program (H.R. 2675), S6741 [17JN]

Consumers: restore rule making it illegal for manufacturers to set a minimum price below which a retailer cannot sell the manufacturer's product (S. 148), S133 [6JA]

Dept. of Justice: review agricultural mergers and acquisitions, S10286 [8OC]

Financial institutions: amend laws to ensure competitive market-based rates and terms for merchants' access to electronic payment systems, S5467, S5468 [14MY]

———amend laws to ensure competitive market-based rates and terms for merchants' access to electronic payment systems (S. 1212), S6416 [10JN]

Health: ensure that health insurance issuers and medical malpractice insurance issuers cannot engage in price fixing, bid rigging, or market allocations to the detriment of competition and consumers, S11075 [4NO], S11908 [21NO], S12030 [1DE], S13694 [21DE]

———ensure that health insurance issuers and medical malpractice insurance issuers cannot engage in price fixing, bid rigging, or market allocations to the detriment of competition and consumers (S. 1681), S9556 [17SE], S10628-S10630 [21OC]

Insurance: history of health insurance industry, S10974 [2NO]

———repeal antitrust exemption for health insurance and medical malpractice insurance, S13073 [12DE]

———review mergers and repeal antitrust exemption for health insurance companies and establish a medical insurance rate authority, S10976 [2NO]

NCAA: demand antitrust investigation of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and support establishment of a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Championship playoff system, S1117 [30JA]

Petroleum: make oil-producing and exporting cartels illegal (S. 204), S300, S311 [12JA]

Railroads: provide expanded coverage and eliminate certain exemptions relative to railroads (S. 146), S129-S131 [6JA], S5887 [21MY], S5908 [1JN], S5916 [2JN]

Reports filed

Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act: Committee on the Judiciary (House) (H.R. 3596) (H. Rept. 111-322), H12197 [2NO]

Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act: Committee on the Judiciary (Senate) (S. 146) (S. Rept. 111-9), S3368 [18MR]

Texts of

H.R. 2675, Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004 Extension Act, H6329 [9JN]

S. 146, Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act, S130 [6JA]

S. 148, Discount Pricing Consumer Protection Act, S134 [6JA]

S. 204, No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels (NOPEC) Act, S311 [12JA]

S. 1212, Credit Card Fair Fee Act, S6366-S6371 [9JN]

S. 1219, Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004 Extension Act, S6382 [9JN]

S. 1681, Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act, S9556 [17SE]