Sessions Applauds Passage of SMARTER Act

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX), chairman of the House Rules Committee, today issued the following statement after the House passed legislation that would make clear which federal agency would exercise authority over mergers under the Clayton Act:

“While it is true that both the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission share jurisdiction over mergers, current law holds the two agencies to different standards for courts to grant preliminary injunctions to review mergers. This has led to a divergence of how the two agencies are treated in the courts, making it so that the ultimate decision as to whether a merger may go into effect depends largely on which agency reviewed the transaction. The SMARTER Act forces both the FTC and DOJ to comply with the same standards so that antitrust agencies – and the American public – can rest assured all transactions are reviewed efficiently and fairly.”

For more on H.R. 2745, the Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act, click here

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Created:
Mar 23, 2016