House Passes Rep. Scholten’s Main Street Competes Act

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Main Street Competes Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Representatives Hillary Scholten (D-MI-03) and Derek Schmidt (R-KS-02). The legislation will help protect small businesses from unfair competition by requiring the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to work with the Small Business Administration to submit an annual report to Congress on the impact of antitrust laws, the agencies' ability to assist small businesses, and relevant policy recommendations. A video of Congresswoman Scholten speaking in support of the legislation on the House floor is available here.

"Small businesses are truly the foundation of our economy, but too often they are left to unfairly compete against a handful of large corporations," said Congresswoman Scholten. "I'm so proud that the House passed my bipartisan Main Street Competes Act, which will help close the gap in our federal laws that make it easier for larger businesses to evade accountability for illegal activity. I came to Congress to make the federal government work better for the people it serves, and this legislation does exactly that."

"Many small businesses find themselves competing against national or global corporations that have far more resources, influence, and market power," Congressman Schmidt said. "This bill is about making sure policymakers have the information needed to promote fair, competitive markets that help entrepreneurs succeed. The House passing this bipartisan effort sends a strong statement of support for Main Street small businesses, and I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to keep it moving forward."

"Small businesses depend on open and competitive markets to innovate, invest, and grow," said Chris Jones, Executive Director of the Main Street Competition Coalition. "Today's House passage of the Main Street Competes Act is an important recognition that competition policy is small business policy. By giving the Small Business Administration a more active role in assessing the health of competition in our economy, Congress has taken an important step toward ensuring that the voices of independent businesses and agricultural producers are heard in our nation's antitrust debates."

Congresswoman Scholten also introduced this bill last Congress, and it passed out of the House Small Business Committee last month.

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